Levins Abschied

18-year-old Levin has disappeared. He has deleted his Facebook profile and sold his iPhone. His parents, his friends and even the police are clueless as to his fate. His recent behaviour is – in retrospect – judged very differently by various parties. Speculation, suspicion and accusations proliferate wildly. Had Levin simply had enough of a comfortable, middle-class ghetto with its detached house, life insurance, CCTV and rampant consumerism? Did he want to get away from his ‘softie’ father? Did his mate Deniz help him convert to Islam and join the ranks of ISIS? Has he joined a neo-Nazi organisation and gone into hiding? Was he sexually abused and murdered by his uncle? Did he commit suicide after breaking up with his girlfriend? Levin’s disappearance leaves a hole in the lives of everyone around him; these gaps in turn cause a great deal of introspection.

Levin’s Departure is a fascinating puzzle of projected suspicions and growing paranoia. Right up to the end of the play, we are left uncertain what separates justified concern from hysteria and unsure if we make our own decisions or are merely following behaviour patterns imposed by society.