ARD series
“Sexually Available”: A Kind of Reverse MeToo Story?
Laura Tonke plays the main role in the ARD series “Sexually Available”. photo
© Jens Kalaene/dpa
Miki’s life is turned upside down after a serious accusation. But “Sexually Available” with Laura Tonke is about more: How does a woman become the woman she actually wants to be?
Suddenly everything changes for Miki (Laura Tonke). A father accuses the mother of two children of raping him after an evening together. Miki’s case in the ARD series “Sexually Available” concerns the police, the court – and also the media. The five-part mini-series will be shown on March 16th (11:40 p.m.) on Das Erste. It can already be seen in the ARD media library.
The template is the novel of the same name by author Caroline Rosales from 2019. Merlin Sandmeyer (“The Discounters”), Florian Stetter (“Nanga Parbat”) and comedian Oliver Polak play alongside Tonkes (“Mängelexemplar”) in other roles. It was shot in Berlin.
But let’s start from the beginning: An investor claims that Miki was sexually assaultive towards him. She vehemently denies this. However, she is quickly prejudiced by the media. In addition, her ex-husband Miki wants to withdraw custody. Childhood sweetheart and lawyer Ben (Stetter) wants to help her.
An entertaining plot develops around the case and Miki’s family, including her revealing lover Heini (Sandmeyer). At the same time, the series addresses serious topics such as rape allegations, emancipation and social questions.
Tonke: “It’s about a woman who goes through a metamorphosis”
ARD describes the series as a kind of reverse MeToo story. It becomes clear relatively quickly that Miki is not the perpetrator. It’s more about the questions: What prejudices do women have to fight against? And how does a woman become the woman she wants to be?
“It’s about a woman who is going through a metamorphosis. She is looking for a new identity. She wants to try out who she can be in life after being primarily a mother and wife for years,” Tonke told dpa. “She wants to find out what it’s like to mess up, what it’s like to have a lover, what it feels like to have a penis, to fight back, to stand up for yourself.”
Celebrity guest appearances
Right at the beginning of the series, pictures of women are shown in various situations, for example in the club or as girls at the ballet. Miki’s voice can be heard saying from the off: “Because we are so perfect, we should always remain so, at any time, over and over again.” “Sexually Available” is a production worth seeing with some prominent guest appearances – for example by entertainer Riccardo Simonetti as a sex shop salesman or drag artist Lilo Wanders.