Set against the backdrop of blood lust and the neon lights of a fairground, a murderous family feud stands in the way of true love.
Trained as a boxer by her father, tough Zelda fights in the family boxing ring against fairground visitors who dare to take her on. One night as she strolls through the crowds at the fair, she locks eyes with a stranger – Ben. Ben is sensitive, sophisticated and is nothing like his brother, the dark and devious Theo. As the brothers enter the boxing tent, Theo convinces Ben to fight. As he stands in the ring, Ben sees Zelda for the second time that night – she is his opponent. They fight each other tooth and nail until he blacks out on the floor.
Later, having overheard that the brothers are having a party at their family home, Zelda stands before the door of a large gothic mansion. Inside, the lights are flashing, the beat of the music is intense and through the haze of the smoke, she can see young bodies writhing and grinding. She finds Ben and as they dance, their lips almost meet until all hell breaks loose. Through the flashing of lights, she sees pointed teeth and bitten necks – vampires!
Zelda escapes and makes it home, clothes soaked in blood and in total shock. When her father and brother find out what happened, they reveal the truth to her – Zelda’s family are vampire slayers, and they need to kill Ben’s family before it’s too late. While the tension between the two families grows, Ben and Zelda continue to meet in secret and begin to fall in love.
But does their love stand a chance against the brutal feud of their families?
Known for Der Fall (2023) and Jenseits der Spree (2021)
Zelda, a self-confident and rough boxer at the Frankfurt funfair, lives a life between a caravan and the boxing ring. During a fight she falls in love with Ben. When she discovers that he is a vampire, her life takes a surprising turn. But Zelda is a fighter who can overcome all odds.
Why did you want to participate in Love Sucks?
Playing a boxer while being part of a vampire story combines two of my cinematic dreams. I have always been drawn to the conflict between personal fulfilment and familial loyalty.
What did your training and preparation look like in order to be able to play Zelda’s work as a professional boxer?
When I began my preparations, I had zero experience with boxing. That is why I had to learn the basics first, which I found quite challenging. I was incredibly lucky to get stunt and kickboxing training three times a week. I also tried to learn jump rope to improve my hand-foot coordination, which is also incredibly complex and frustrating. I have great respect for anyone who commits to this sport! Apart from the physical aspect, I watched numerous boxing matches and fight scenes in movies and read books like „Fight Club“. I am interested in the internal processes. I enjoy visualizing scenes in my mind, not to imitate anyone, but to create my own characters.
The families of Ben and Zelda are bound by a deadly feud that turns them into ruthless enemies. Can true love overcome all obstacles?
Unfortunately, my views on romance are not nearly as idealistic as Zelda’s. I believe the answer is no. Life sometimes presents obstacles that force you to confront choices, bringing one’s true dreams and desires to the surface. I would say that with effective communication and a willingness to compromise, almost any obstacle can be overcome. However, one can only make so many compromises before losing oneself — and two lost souls cannot warm each other. For me, true love also means being brave enough to let someone go.
What do you think makes vampire series and films so fascinating?
The extremes! Everything vampires do, has an insane urgency and intensity. No matter how well vampires can control themselves their animalistic side eventually breaks free, making them unpredictable. I think that’s incredibly fascinating A vampire embodies both human and animal. And of course, blood and the supernatural will never get boring — at least not for me.
If you had unlimited time like the vampires in the series, what would you do?
I would probably just sleep a lot without feeling guilty. I would read a lot and maybe learn languages and travel as long as I could. But honestly, that would be my nightmare. I would probably do none of those things. I need the fragility of life to motivate me! If I had eternal time in a utopian future, I would end up postponing things until tomorrow.
Complete this sentence: „Love is…“
I think I know what love feels like, but what is it? I am stumped for an answer. Maybe if your heart is coupled to another — not out of dependence, but rather through interaction. Sharing pain, joy, and everything in between and beyond. Love comes in many forms: platonic, romantic, and so on. What makes love truly love for me is when the other person’s well-being is prioritized for their benefit, and not because you want something in return. On the other hand, is not love also just projection? I believe that is a question for the gods.
Known for Club der roten Bänder (2015), Maxton Hall: The World Between Us (2024) and Red Bracelets: The Beginning (2019)
Ben is melancholic and tired of living forever. When he sees Zelda for the first time, he immediately falls in love with her. Despite his deep feelings, Ben is convinced that this love is too dangerous for both. He tries to stay away from Zelda, but the passion between them is too strong to ignore.
Why did you want to participate in Love Sucks?
When will I get the chance to play a vampire over 200 years old who has met Napoleon, while filming a sexy horror party? All of this combined with boxing and the Frankfurt skyline—it was clear to me from the start that I absolutely wanted to play Ben.
How long did the transformation into a vampire take in makeup, and what does film blood taste like?
Someone like Ben does not want to stand out on the street. Therefore, the everyday makeup time was very short. However, when Ben gets into a bloodlust, his eyes and teeth come out. In combination with bloodstained costumes and SFX, it could get a bit more elaborate. At the beginning of filming, I was given two types of blood to choose from: One sweet, fruity and one gelatinous, tasteless. I opted for the unflavoured blood because the other was just too sweet for me.
Ben falls in love with Zelda but at the same time wants to protect her from himself and his lifestyle. Can you understand his inner conflict?
Protecting someone you love from danger is, I believe, universally relatable.
The families of Ben and Zelda are bound by a deadly feud that turns them into ruthless enemies. Can true love overcome all obstacles?
I want to believe that at least. After all, love often claims to be everything.
What do you think makes vampire series and films so fascinating?
In my biochemistry seminar in medical school, we once learned about the origin theory of the vampire saga based on the disease group of porphyrias. This is a series of diseases in which heme synthesis, i.e. the formation of the red blood pigment, is disturbed, which can also lead to light sensitivity. Legend has it that these people liked to drink blood precisely because their own blood production was disturbed. Although this is of course only a hypothesis, it is a good illustration of the mystique that blood has always held. Even today, blood sampling in medicine, which is one of the most widely used diagnostic tools, often serves as an indicator for the overall state of the body.
Ben struggles a lot with his immortality. What do you think? Would eternal life be more of a curse or a blessing for you?
I am extremely interested in the topic of longevity. Researcher David Sinclair even goes so far as to interpret aging processes primarily as reversible epigenetic changes. I think that as long as we are not condemned to live, I would see potentially eternal life as a gift. But if it were eternal by definition because there was no way to die, then again it would be a cage. Or as the aphorist Hans Kudszus put it: „If our life were eternal, we would not be able to enjoy it. Pleasure is the gift of death.“
Complete this sentence: „Love is…“
This brings to mind a quote from Nisargadatta Maharaj: Love says, “I am everything.” Wisdom says, “I am nothing.” Between the two, my life flows.
Known for The Edukators (2004), Unknown (2011) and The Baader Meinhof Complex (2008)
Ilja, father of Zelda and Branko, lost his beloved wife years ago. When Zelda finds out about vampires, Ilja lets her in on the family secret and begins to teach her not only how to box, but how to kill – even if it means sacrificing himself.
Why did you want to participate in „Love Sucks“?
Love Sucks is a modern fairy tale through the relatable psychology of the characters and their actions. However, this world needs to be created during the filming process. A world is constructed that becomes coherent and believable. And that is exactly what interested me.
Ilja lost his wife early on and has never been able to overcome this tragic loss. How do you deal with losses?
The circumstances under which Ilja lost his wife are not real in our world, but one always must find a corresponding experience with similar intensity. Personally, I have experienced that the loss of someone remarkably close to me was always the beginning of something new. When my mother died, my son was born; when my father died, my niece was born. That is life.
Ilja lives at the fairground and leads the life of a nomad as a showman. Could you imagine such a lifestyle?
I would not want to live as an exhibitor on a fairground. But like all professions, if you are born for it, the question is not whether you can imagine doing this or that.
Ilja is a showman, I am an actor. Nomads were actually shepherds. The shepherd as an archetype is not foreign to me. They were all familiar with nature and cosmic phenomena and saw themselves as guided by God. I can imagine that.
What do you think makes vampire series and films so fascinating?
There are certainly many reasons for this. Personally, I was interested in the idea of eternal life and the opportunity to immerse myself in a genre with which I was not so familiar.
If you had unlimited time like the vampires in the series, what would you do?
If I could not go out into the daylight, I would not want to live a single day as a vampire, and if I had unlimited time, I would be bored to death.
Complete this sentence: „Love is…“
Love is what remains when the spirit is free.
Das Boot (2018-2023), Tatort (2018-2024) and Romeos (2011)
Theo, Ben’s older brother, is known for his wild parties and escapades. But his life changes dramatically at one of these parties, leaving a wound that never heals. Driven by his pain, Theo will do anything to get revenge.
Why did you want to participate in „Love Sucks“?
From the very beginning, I was really taken by the scripts—and especially the character of Theo. I saw in the story the opportunity to be part of something that might not have been seen in German television before.
How long did the transformation into a vampire take in makeup, and what does film blood taste like?
Honestly, it did not take that long at all. The contact lenses and the teeth were custom-made before filming, so the makeup process went quite quickly. Before we started shooting, we tested various types of fake blood, and I naturally chose the slightly sweeter version.
Is it more fun to play the villain than the hero?
You cannot say that across the board. The main thing is that I can relate to my character emotionally. Ideally, the role is multidimensional, so that the good lies within the bad, or vice versa.
What do you think makes vampire series and films so fascinating?
There are certainly many reasons for that. Personally, I was intrigued by the idea of eternal life and the possibility of delving into a genre that I was not very familiar with.
If you had unlimited time like the vampires in the series, what would you do?
Of course, this question came up as soon as I read the scripts. I am sure there will not be a definitive answer, but I can imagine that eternal life is both a curse and a blessing. Just as we try to explore in the series.
Complete this sentence: „Love is…“
Love is life.
Known for I Was, I Am, I Will Be (2019), Dark (2017) and Everyday Objects (2013)
Katharina, the mother of Ben and Theo, is the head of the Greifenstein family. Over the centuries, she has built up a large empire and runs a blood bank company. She has given up on love and is more than tired of her sons‘ escapades. To protect her sons, she finally puts everything at risk.
Anne Ratte-Polle: “Vampires have fascinated me ever since I was a child. They embody the dream of eternal life, whether you want it or not. They are also very sensual and have a special eroticism and seductive power. They are alert, intelligent and fast. It is the fusion of human and animal, of life and death, which has always enchanted me on the one hand and always frightened me on the other. Incompatible elements are united in them. They are actually the only creatures, if they existed, that I was really afraid of in my childhood. So I was very attracted to playing a vampire.
The characters in “Love Sucks” are very modern, especially the women. I had a lot of fun reading the scripts. They deal with the most beautiful subject in the world, love. When else do you get to play a 360-year-old matriarch of a vampire dynasty who owns almost all of Frankfurt and successfully runs a globally networked blood trading company? It was like a journey through the centuries, all united in the character of Katharina von Greifenstein. Such fun is rare. Just thinking about how many steps of emancipation she must have gone through was a great pleasure. Her deck was completely reshuffled with her transformation into a vampire. As a vampire, she is now a free woman who takes what she wants. Without any problems. If it were not for her sons …“
Known for Kannawoniwasein! (2023)
Trapped in a child’s body, centuries-old Xandra wants nothing more than to be loved like a real woman. Her desire for recognition knows no bounds. Driven by jealousy and pain, Xandra sets off on a hunt that will be her undoing.
Format
8×30’
Produced by
Studio Zentral
Year of Production
2024
Original Language
German
Broadcaster
ZDF
Writer
Marc O. Seng
Director
Lea Becker, Andreas Prochaska
Wordwide Distribution
ZDF Studios
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