Upsidedown

German writer-director Bernd Sahling is something of a London Film Festival veteran: his 2004 film ‘The Blind Flyers’, set in a boarding school for blind kids, played at the festival in 2004. His follow-up may have taken seven years to arrive, but by all accounts it’s worth it: this looks to be one of those heartfelt, kid-friendly naturalistic dramas that always pepper the LFF programme, though the subject matter – ADHD and its treatment – is a timely and controversial one. When tearaway Sascha is diagnosed with the condition and placed on strong medication, his mother is at first relieved. But how long before Sascha’s vibrant personality is stripped away altogether?