Nele Mueller-Stöfen
Three siblings have all reached a point of their life, at which they realize the need to quickly change some things before they step into the second half of their lifetime. In the midst of chaos, insufficiency and loss they are searching for the path that just might lead them to happiness.
On the 70th birthday of famous piano virtuoso Hannes Westhoff, a celebration is to take place at the patriarch's estate. For this occasion, his second wife Anne not only invited Westhoff's three sons Max, Fredrik and Gregor, but also their mother, Westhoff's ex-wife Renate. While Anne tries to maintain a friendly atmosphere, old conflicts resurface among the family. With tensions already high, things take a turn for the dramatic when son Max reveals shocking news.
Catrin wants to know it again: With over 40 she dared to jump back to the University of Marburg. The married mother wants to finish her medical studies, which she stopped many years ago because of her pregnancy. The classmates on campus are relaxed in the age of their children. Her husband Frank feels left sitting in Berlin. And after a fierce flirtation with an attractive student, her marriage is finally in crisis. Nevertheless, Catrin is determined to make her dream come true. Better late than never.
How should you spend your time if your days are numbered? This is the question facing Linda, a young woman suffering from a congenital heart defect. Contrary to her doctors’ expectations she has managed to survive to celebrate her thirtieth birthday, but with an operation looming, Linda nonetheless feels a deep need to spend what might be her last weekend with her two sisters: Katharina who is older, and Clara who is younger than her. Linda must use their journey, which begins at their family’s weekend house and ends in Paris, to examine the ways in which her family has been fundamentally affected by her illness; she must also consider how much she can expect from herself and her sisters – faced as they are with the possibility of her death.
Although he is only ten years old, Jack is responsible for himself and his little brother Manuel and this fills him with pride. Their single mother works during the day and often goes out at night. There’s no father in sight. One day, Manuel burns himself with boiling hot water while bathing and Jack is blamed for the incident. It's reason enough for social services to put him in a home where he is dreadfully homesick. He soon gets into trouble and bolts, heading for home. He arrives back, only to find his mother is once again absent. Jack and Manuel roam the city in search of her. They sleep in parks and in an underground car park, run away from the police and encounter adults, some of whom help and others who are indifferent.
Edward Kaminsky, an aging ad man, wants a golden parachute from his agency; he must first land the Opel auto contract. Rosa, a youth with wealthy parents, wants to establish herself as an artist. The clumsy and enthusiastic Viktor, not quite honest, wants work. When he wanders into Kaminsky's meeting with Opel and says something about irony, the Opel director wants him in on the campaign. Then he steals an idea from Rosa that the Opel director loves. Before Rosa discovers he's expropriated her idea, Rosa and Viktor become lovers. Father-son feelings materialize between Kaminsky and Viktor. Can the impulsive Viktor hold it together before Rosa learns the truth and flies away?
Petra professionally works as a thief abroad to finance the studies of her younger sister Franziska in Germany.
