This compelling multi-layered story that is an extremely impressive feature film debut from German director / c0-writer Jens Wischnewski. Told in a series of flashbacks which combined with present day scenes is the story of Schimon May (Christoph Letkowski) who now in his 30’s has found happiness only to have it cruelly snatched away, but then is almost immediately given the possibility of a second chance.
We see him as a kid fascinated with the stories that his dying grandfather likes to recount and embellish about serving in WW2. It inspires young Shimon enough that when he grows up he takes himself off to San Francisco and establishes a business recording audio biographies. Life, his grandfather had always drummed into him, always has a way of working out on its destined path. So when he meets and falls for Jella (Karoline Bär) a German sculptor also working in SF, he knows that this is truly his fate.
Happily married and expecting their first child, they nevertheless upend everything and move back to Germany to be with his parents after his father has a bad stroke. They are literally just settling home when they discover that the freighter that was carrying the container that had their entire worldly possessions in it, had sunk at sea. Jella had originally wanted to sail back on the ship too, but before they can process this news, she chokes on some food and struggling to breathe is rushed in an ambulance to hospital.
However the ambulance is involved in an accident, and when Schimon who has followed in his own car, arrives at the hospital he is informed that she has died. He has trouble registering the news, and even when at the funeral a few days later, even being able to grieve.
Trying to get his life together he gets a new job composing music for television adverts, and his first commission rather bizarrely is for toilets. When he is in the studio recording the piece he is immediately smitten with Milena (Luise Heyer) one of the musicians, and after the session is over he eagerly accept san invitation to have a drink with the band members. With a few drinks inside them and he and Milena start to get very intimate, but before they go home together she admits that she is two months pregnant but is not with the father, and Schimon confesses that he was once married.
When they are awoken by his mother the next morning and told that his In-Laws have just arrived to discuss gravestones, does Milena suddenly discovered that he has only been widowed for two weeks. It adds a comical farcical touch to the story, which despite its serious subject matter, is very funny at times.
Over the next few weeks Schimon and Milena take turns in having doubts whether this relationship can possibly succeed even after he moves in to live with her and pursues her a little too aggressively. Schimon is in the habit of counting to ten to himself to decide whether to make any move at all which serves him well most of the time, and makes the possibility of the plot take a different turn even more likely.
It takes their marriage to finally make Schimon confront the fact that he has never dealt with the loss of the love of his life, and it is finally time that he accepts the full extent of his grief.
Wischnewski keeps the pace going beautifully and although he makes us question our whole concept of dealing with bereavement, his unusual take on the intimacy of grief may surprise or even stun us, but he ensures that we never lose our sympathy with Schimon even when his actions seem a tad too self-centered. Spot-on casting helps as well and both Letkowski and Heyer shine and share such perfect chemistry that makes their convincing performances such a joy to watch.
The use of the well-timed flashbacks that enabled us to be understand where Schimon is coming from, and how it provides the foundations for his rather unique approach to life, was rather an inspired touch, and clearly helped cement our enchantment with this very refreshing new movie
