Hanneles Himmelfahrt is a fantasy drama film directed by Thea von Harbou, adapted from Gerhart Hauptmann's symbolist play. The story follows Hannele, a traumatized 14-year-old orphan who attempts suicide to escape her abusive stepfather during a harsh winter. As she hovers between life and death in a poorhouse, her severe fever triggers elaborate religious hallucinations where the people around her morph into angels, culminating in her peaceful ascension into heaven.