Geschichten vom Franz (2022)

Nine-year-old Franz Fröstl attends the Rosa Riedl School in Vienna. He is the smallest child in his class, and people sometimes mistake him for a girl. When he gets upset, his voice turns into a high-pitched squeak. In front of his strict teacher, Zickzack, he loses his voice. Franz is therefore regularly teased, and his parents are not much help to him in this regard either. His best friends are Gabi and Eberhard, and Franz can count on them completely. In search of strength and self-confidence, Franz finds videos online by influencer Hank Haberer, who gives dubious advice on how to be a proper man. Franz and Eberhard are enthusiastic about them, while Gabi thinks little of these ideas. Classmate Elfi accuses Franz of not being a real man because he constantly lets Gabi boss him around. Franz then calls Gabi a know-it-all, and he and Gabi avoid each other. After standing up to Zickzack in class, Franz is invited to spend time with Elfi’s clique. Elfi persuades Franz to shoplift a piece of chewing gum for her. When he gets caught, Elfi abandons him, saying that when something like this happens, you have to look out for yourself. Gabi leaves a farewell letter saying she plans to move to Timbuktu or Bavaria—anywhere far away from Franz, in any case. Both Gabi’s mother and Franz are very worried about her. Franz eventually finds Gabi in the basement of his apartment building and apologizes to her. Being an alpha male is far too exhausting.