Director on polarization in the USA: “People are up to their necks in water”

taz: Tim Boehme, what do the midterms in the USA have to do with us?

Tim Boehme: Basically, what happens in the USA also has an impact on us. An example is the war in Iran. On the other hand, we are just spectators because we don't have much influence on the elections. And then of course the question arises to what extent Trump would even accept a possible election defeat.

is a documentary filmmaker, director and cameraman and lives in a village near Kiel. He grew up in the USA and studied at the University of Wisconsin. Since 2007 he has been making USA documentaries for Arte, among other things. His feature film “The Journey Home” was named best NDR documentary in 2020.

taz: Why is your current documentary about the division in the USA called “Under Pressure”?

Boehme: Because society in the USA is under incredible pressure. People are up to their necks in water. People don't know how to pay for their fuel, how to pay their electric bill, healthcare bills anyway. This no longer only affects the poor, but is now also a problem for the middle class. It's not easy to live there. Unless you're really rich. I accompanied people from Washington D.C. and West Virginia for over a year. The division in the country can be well documented in these two places.

Documentary “Under Pressure – A deep rift through the USA”, director: Tim Boehme, Germany 2025, 93 min.

Screenings in Kiel: Thursday, October 29th, 7:30 p.m., Metro Kino im Schloßhof; in Hamburg: Mon, November 2nd, 7 p.m., Zeise Cinemas

taz: How did you choose the protagonists of the film?

Boehme: My first contact was an artist from Washington D.C., I discovered him through a German newspaper, so I had my foot in the door. I was interested to see how far I had to drive from Washington D.C. until I no longer felt the liberal mentality. After a two and a half hour drive west you are in a former coal mining region in Piedmont in West Virginia. All this power and money from Washington D.C. is simply no longer visible.

taz: Were the people of West Virginia interested in participating?

Boehme: I had already called and emailed, but never actually heard anything. I had a really nice welcome there and there was a high school that had been converted into a church. That was very interesting.

taz: Were there any difficulties during filming?

Boehme: It wasn't that easy to recruit experts. Many are very busy and don't want to comment on the Trump issue. It was even more difficult to talk to people who had lost their government jobs. Many hope to get their jobs back after all. I also had a bad feeling at the beginning when I entered the country. I had mentally prepared myself not to be allowed in. As a journalist, and especially if you bring camera equipment with you, you will always be questioned closely. In the end there were no problems.

taz: Why did you want to make a film in the USA?

Boehme: I grew up in the USA. When I was 11 we emigrated from Germany to Wisconsin, my mother, my little brother and I. I lived there until I was 25, so the country is very close to me. I have already made a film about the Wisconsin election in 2024, “Under Pressure” is the follow-up project. Maybe I'll do a third one for the 2028 presidential election.

taz: What particularly made you think during your time in the USA?

Boehme: How freedom-loving people basically are. They really all agree that the state should leave them alone so they can do what they want. What makes me think is the question of what happens next. How do we get back to a common denominator? I don't think Trump is just over.

Boehme: Despite the toughness of the discussion, people are incredibly helpful. They've read a lot of bad press about themselves and the Republicans. Nevertheless, I was welcomed very warmly and I believe that in the end, friendliness will prevail again.