Little Thirteen (2012)
By James Bontemps
Little Thirteen is a 2012 German drama film directed by Christian Klandt.
The film stars Muriel Wimmer as one of three troubled teenagers from different social backgrounds who face various challenges in their everyday lives. For them, sexuality has become a substitute for love, resulting from emotional neglect.
For the 16 and 17 year old actresses, sex scenes in front of the camera were completely new territory. Experts were on the set for all the sexual performances to accompany, advise and support them.
On the set, they were always approachable for the young actresses, with whom they had built up a good level of trust in the run-up to the shoot. “We were not governesses,” says sex educator and counselor Petra Winkler. “The girls weren’t forced to play in the film, they wanted to be part of it. Still, nudity, sex and intimacy in front of the camera were new and sometimes borderline. “In one scene, one actress was so insecure that she stopped shooting.”