Chantal in Fairyland

Chantal in Fairyland (Chantal im Märchenland, 2024) is Bora Dağtekin's German fantasy comedy, and you can watch online on iFILM. Red-haired Chantal dreams of being an influencer, but every idea flops. Then she steps through a mirror and lands in an actual fairy tale.

Jella Haase reprises the character that made the Fack ju Göhte films a hit: her Chantal declares herself Sleeping Beauty and starts rearranging the magic kingdom to suit her feed — all for likes and a viral clip. Her best friend Zeynep tumbles through the mirror after her. From there it's the full storybook lineup: Prince Bosco, who isn't all that keen on marriage; Aladdin and his lamp; a flying carpet that refuses to fly; and a witch named Sansara who turns young or old as the mood takes her. Naturally, a dragon waits at the end.

Dağtekin uses the fairy-tale setting as a playground for absurd gags and jokes about social media, smashing old plots against Gen Z slang. The cast is solid German talent — Max von der Groeben, Alexandra Maria Lara, Frederick Lau. The humour is loud and proudly dumb, very much an acquired taste. It's for Fack ju Göhte fans and anyone who just wants a light, brainless comedy for the evening. Stream Chantal in Fairyland (2024) online on iFILM.