Markus (Andreas Müller) has got a lovely little wife. She loves him, and he seemingly, loves her. She loves him with such unbearably achy longing (sehnsucht)
So when he does the dirty on her, it hurts her (and us)
He’s ended up, inexplicably, bedding a waitress from a nearby town. Doesn’t even know her name.
Doesn’t remember what happened or even if they did it. A drunken one night stand. Best forget about it mate and move on.
But then hes having a go at her again the second night. Knows whats happening now. Appears to be wanting it, wanting her.
I couldn’t quite see what his attraction to her was. Why jeopardise his sweet little marriage for a fling with a rather underwhelmingly plain waitress?
And then he’s going to have lunch with her family sat around outside.
Whys she invited him to see her family? Because she’s obviously wanting him as her proper boyfriend.
And why has he accepted? Because now he’s plainly lusting after her, wants some extra-marital. Can’t stop himself.
Its difficult to see him as a callous cheating bastard because he appears so outwardly decent (hard working, local firefighter, kind to cuddly animals etc)
He’s an opaque muddle of puddly placidity. Doesn’t say a lot. And possibly, because he hasn’t got the words to say or share how he feels, his blind lust, his subconscious longing, precipitates the unwitting consequences of the rather surprising, and melodramtic, events that befall him in the last third of the film. As if some kind of hidden fate, unbeknowst to him, has had to be dumbfoundedly followed.
The coda at the end with the gossiping kids is quite a clever way of showing how what happens eventually gets turned into story, no matter how unnarratable and unknowable (and potentially untruthful) these external events may have been.
I’ve watched this film twice now. And I think I’ll be giving it another go in the not too distant future. In its own very quiet and understated way it is puzzilingly beguiling.
Director: Valeska Grisebach, Germany
7/10
Windows on the World 