In the flow of life

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Movie
Original title In the flow of life
Country of production Germany
original language German
Publishing year 2011
length 90 minutes
Age rating FSK 0
Rod
Director Wolf Gremm
script Mathias Klaschka
production Ziegler film
occupation

Im Fluss des Lebens is a German film drama by Wolf Gremm from 2011. It is based on a novella by Ruth-Maria Kubitschek , who also plays the main role in the film.

action

The Berlin-based writer Agnes Berg has just found out from the newspaper that she will be awarded the German Literature Prize. She calls her daughter, who lives in Mallorca, whom she has not seen for 15 years, but she does not answer the phone. She asks for a call back, and when Johanna calls back and tells her that she read about the award in the newspaper and that they are already on their way to the airport, Agnes is more than happy. But these will not arrive until the award. In her acceptance speech, Agnes is saying about her work, in which death plays an important role, that she is trying to take the horror out of death when her mobile phone rings. The phone rings again in the cloakroom, and Agnes learns from the Guardia Civil that Johanna and her husband Garcia were killed in a car accident.

Agnes is still signing books while her friend, the gardening owner Katarina, tries to get a plane ticket, but the two of them cannot travel to Palma de Mallorca until the next day , where they can meet Dr. Richard Gutmann, the family's lawyer. During the journey, Agnes and Richard discuss the children's situation and Agnes doubts whether the children Enrico and Natascha will accept them. The lawyer says that the other grandmother Maria also lives there and he indicates that the two grandmothers have to find a good solution. On the way they pass the wrecked vehicle in which Johanna and Garcia perished. At their destination they are met by the housemaid Inez, who immediately grumbles to Agnes that she had expected them the day before. When Agnes and the two children first meet, Enricos asked Agnes who she was and the second why she had never come to visit before. And Natascha wants to know what Agnes is doing here. When Agnes says she wants to get to know the children, Natascha angrily replies that the two of them don't want that because Agnes does not belong to the family. Agnes also gets accusations from Inez: the accident only happened because Johanna wanted to go to Agnes' award ceremony.

Meanwhile, Katarina gets into an argument with a man who is cutting flowers in the garden. Then Agnes and Katarina drive to the hospital because Agnes wants to see her daughter again. There, however, Katarina holds her friend back after taking a first look at the dead woman. Alone for a moment, she begs God to make her understand how this could happen and her daughter asks her forgiveness for the long-standing argument. A hospital employee hands Agnes personal items, including a locket that Agnes had given her daughter for her eighth birthday. Johanna liked it so much that she put it on immediately and never wanted to take it off until her death. When she opens it, pictures of the two children can be seen in it.

Agnes later found her books on a shelf in the bedroom and in a box a lot of written but never mailed letters from her daughter to her. In one of the letters she reads that her daughter has never given up hope that mother and daughter will be reconciled. Finally the other grandmother arrives. She laments that they were never introduced to each other, even though Johanna and Garcia had been married for 15 years. When Agnes Maria explains that the bad relationship between Agnes and her daughter is to blame, she encounters incomprehension. When the two talk about what should become of the children, Maria pretends to be too old for children and suggests that Enrico and Natascha be sent to boarding school as soon as possible.

In the meantime, Katarina has phoned the employee in her nursery and found out that the bank was causing problems. Agnes assures her to help her, but Katarina wants to solve her money problem on her own. While eating, the two children explain that they have no appetite. Agnes and Inez get upset when Agnes lets the children get up from the table after Inez had told them they shouldn't get up until they have finished eating.

The next day Katarina and Agnes talk about the future of the children. Katarina announces that she has to return to Berlin because of her financial situation. She comes in when Inez and Natascha argue about which dress they give the undertaker to wear to the dead Johanna. Inez says it must be a black dress, but Agnes agrees with Natascha, who chose Johanna's favorite dress because Johanna was a happy person. Inez replies that Agnes doesn't know anything about Johann in order to be able to judge that.

While strolling through town, when she happened to see her books translated into Spanish in a shop window, Agnes met Dr. Gutmann, who just happened to buy her last book. He invites her to stroll with him through the weekly market, where he buys her a rose. Agnes asks how Johannas and Garcia lived together and how Dr. Gutmann, the children's godfather, reports that, apart from occasional arguments about the upbringing of the children, the couple had a close relationship with one another. Agnes buys presents for the children, but Natascha refuses. They didn't want gifts, they wanted to stay in their traditional home and not, as Inez told them, to go to a boarding school, which the two grandmothers supposedly agreed on. Agnes tells the children that their future has not yet been decided and asks them what they want. Natascha says she wishes mom and dad were still alive and goes away. Enrico hugs his grandmother and runs after his sister.

Agnes confronts Inez how she got around to telling the children that they have to go to boarding school. Inez defends himself that someone has to tell the children the truth. But the boarding school has not yet been decided, says Agnes. She accuses Inez of inciting the children against her. She replies that a real grandmother doesn't have to buy the affection of her grandchildren with gifts. Agnes is angry and throws Inez out. Natascha joins them and blames Agnes. She exclaims that she hates Agnes and runs after her. Meanwhile, the food burns in the oven.

In the evening Natascha watches a dancer doing pirouettes in a music box, an earlier present from Agnes to her daughter. Agnes apologizes and tells Natascha that Johanna wanted to become a dancer. Natascha says that she takes ballet lessons, which Grandma Maria doesn't like to see, and she asks if she can continue to go to ballet. The children fall into Agnes's arms, and Agnes stays with them all night. In the morning Katarina tells Agnes that she has to get back to Berlin as soon as possible, Dr. Gutmann takes you to the airport. He asks Katarina about Agne's marital status. Her husband Carlo died fifteen years ago and since then she has had no other relationship. Katarina asks Dr. Gutmann to take care of Agnes while she is away. Meanwhile, Agnes goes to Inez to apologize and ask her because of the children to return until the future of the children has been clarified. Inez agrees and drives back with Agnes. Meanwhile, Agnes' publisher calls. He has flown to Mallorca and wants to meet Agnes to discuss the release of her new book, which Agnes has not yet written.

The children are overjoyed about Inez's return and ask her if they can now accept their grandmother's presents. Agnes meets her publisher in a street café. He asks her to have the manuscript, or at least part of it. That is difficult at the moment, Agnes admits, and the publisher asks her in surprise if that means that she has not written anything yet. He tells her that the American partners of the publishing house have invited Agnes on a reading tour, but that must be done quickly, in two weeks at the latest, and that the new book must urgently be published before the book fair.

After dinner, Agnes continues writing her novel when it occurs to her that Dr. Call Gutmann. She asks him a favor. He drives her to the scene of the accident and she has the course of the accident explained to her, which is largely in the dark. When an airplane flies low over the scene of the accident on its approach, Agnes is startled and cuts herself on a shard of the rear light. "Why did they both have to die?" She shouts desperately against the sky. On the way, Johanna tells the lawyer that after the death of her husband Carlo Johanna moved to Mallorca with Garcia. The two had only known each other six months before, and Agnes was against Johanna giving up her architecture studies because of Garcia, but in the end Agnes felt abandoned by her daughter. Mother and daughter then tried to resolve their differences over the phone, but this always ended in an argument. Agnes reproaches herself for not successfully looking for a way out and wishes to have another moment with her dead daughter to tell her how much she loves her.

The next day is the day of the funeral. The day after the funeral, Dr. Gutmann the will. It is stipulated in the will that the inheritance is administered jointly by the two grandmothers and that the children are looked after by both grandmothers until the children are of age. However, Agnes is notarized as guardian. Maria insists that it would be best for the children to go to boarding school, but Agnes does not agree.

When Dr. Gutmann drives Agnes to the villa, they stop on the beach, and Agnes tells him that they free the proximity of the sea. Her daughter always said it was like being drifting in the flow of life. Dr. Gutmann doesn't quite understand that, and Agnes explains to him that one must accept life as it is, even if it is bad. He then asks her if Agnes could imagine staying on the island, not just because of the children. He kisses her, but Agnes flinches and wants to be brought back to the children. At home, in the garden, Agnes and Katarina talk to each other. The latter found out that the bank is not granting any further deferment. Agnes offers her help again, but Katarina refuses. She has finished her gardening business. Agnes tells about the lawyer kissing her, but she couldn't have an affair at her age, the day after her daughter's funeral.

Agnes confesses to her friend that she has sympathy for Richard Gutmann, but the timing is wrong. Katarina objects that everyone is running out of time. Later, Agnes sits at her laptop and thinks about the title of her book, which she calls "In the Flow of Life". In the morning Katarina and the gardener have a difference of opinion about how to cut a certain bush, which is why Agnes wakes up. The phone rings. She learns that Maria has been hospitalized. She rushes to her. Maria broke her arm and wants to be left alone. Agnes sees that one of her books is on the dessert. After visiting the hospital, Agnes makes an appointment with Richard, who is at a birthday party. When the two dance together, Agnes confesses that life is too short and that she would like to be alone with him. But on his finca she explains to him that she has been alone too long and that everything is going too fast and that she is dead tired. She falls asleep on the spot. The next morning she wakes up, enjoys the view over the fields, but thinks about the children. Richard offers her breakfast, but she only wants an espresso because she is in a hurry and wants to go to the Indians. They look out the window when he sets them down at the front door, giggle and hop back into bed, where they pretend they're still asleep.

But when Agnes tries to cover Enrico, he frightens her and a wild pillow fight breaks out. Agnes later speaks to the publisher, who has meanwhile read the manuscript and is very satisfied with it. He urges a quick decision about the book tour in the United States. But Agnes refuses because she wants to be there for the children first. The publisher reacts disappointed, but admits that he had made the same decision. Agnes later takes Maria figs to the hospital and tells her that she and the children have decided to take Maria in with them.

The film ends in the villa garden, where Agnes and Richard kiss. Katarina and the gardener Pablo have also become a couple.

Production notes

In the River of Life was filmed from June 20 to July 20, 2010 and had its premiere in Germany on February 11, 2011 on Das Erste .

criticism

The TV Spielfilm gave the worst rating (thumbs down) and found: "The actors mimic themselves in a wooden manner through dialogues full of calendar sayings."

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ In the flow of life . Crew united , accessed January 23, 2019.
  2. ↑ Start dates for In the Flow of Life . In: IMDb.de. Retrieved August 15, 2013 .
  3. ↑ See tvspielfilm.de