16-year-old Kalle wanders through a wasteland in Berlin. He regrets a momentous act that will change his life significantly. „I really don’t know how it all started…“ We begin with Kalle at 10 years old. Alone at night in his ‘hood. His first love. His Jugendweihe (civic initiation ceremony). Dangerous dares on the city’s district heating pipes. Friendships and weddings. Trial, conviction, jail. The world outside keeps on turning. Grandpa misses the GDR. Grandma defeats her addiction. Mother lets off fireworks on Kalle’s 18th birthday. The policewoman watches over their neighborhood. After his return from prison Kalle begins a breathless journey back to himself.

Kalle Kosmonaut is a documentary long-term observation as well as an animated journey through Kalle’s mind. Coming-of-age story and hybrid of direct cinema, graphic novel and in-depth conversations. A radically honest and poetic reflection on love, family, fate and guilt – carried by the hope for a better life.