MFDB

Storyline

Robert and Marie are a couple – but they couldn’t be more different from each other. She is an extremely dedicated doctor in charge of a children’s clinic; he is a head-in-the-clouds director who lives inside his own projects and stories and is very selective about what he takes in of the world around him.The clarity with which Marie organises her life puzzles Robert; whereas the way in which Robert takes each day as it comes, creating whole dream worlds in his mind, is a mystery to Marie. In the past, their opposing personalities were precisely what drew them together; of late, however, these differences have only provoked an increasing number of conflicts and arguments. It’s rather a bumpy ride for Marie and Robert at the moment. Then, one day, Robert learns that his father, Klaus, is incurably ill and will not live much longer. Robert reproaches himself for not having kept in touch with his father and only having seen him on rare occasions.As far as Robert was concerned, his father was simply there. He never once thought what life would be like if he wasn’t around anymore and so the new situation knocks him for six. The ever-rational Marie tries her best to help the distraught Robert, but, when Klaus dies, Robert’s whole world collapses. All at once, he loses his footing and there’s nobody who can help him. Robert throws himself into his work and also starts having an affair with a prostitute. As soon as Maria finds out that her sensitive Robert is leading a double life behind her back, she feels deeply hurt and leaves him. But this is by no means the end of their love for one another.

Festivals & Academy awards and others

Berlin International Film Festival 2003
Competition