Vielen Dank für nichts (2013)

Seventeen-year-old Valentin is paralyzed from the waist down after a snowboarding accident and needs a wheelchair. He rebels against his mother, who drives him from Zurich to a rehabilitation center in Merano, South Tyrol, where he is supposed to take part in a theater project for people with disabilities. At every opportunity, he shows his frustration there and at first refuses to join in with the group. Over time, however, he falls in love with Mira, a therapist, and befriends his roommate Titus as well as Lukas. Lukas has spastic paralysis and, in addition to his wheelchair, relies on an electronic communication aid. When Valentin learns that Mira is involved with Marc, a slick business administration student, he decides to rob the gas station where Marc works. Lukas and Titus eagerly volunteer to be his accomplices. The three wheelchair users manage to buy a pistol. When they are harassed by some drunk teenagers, Titus fires a shot. He then backs out. Valentin and Lukas rob the gas station together and get away with some money. In court, both are sentenced to two and a half years in prison, suspended. This also means that Lukas, who has multiple disabilities, is deemed criminally responsible. The theater project concludes at the Bolzano City Theatre with a production of “Hamlet,” directed by Antonio Viganò.