Und dass man ohne Täuschung zu leben vermag / Of Living Without Illusion

Summery and warm in the suburbs. In the thick of things, like a gently wafting wind, are relationships in crisis. Actor Merit and her colleague and former lover David are rehearsing a new play while Merit’s partner Eva takes care of their home and young daughter. Yet she is becoming increasingly estranged from Merit and old problems rear their heads again without ever being addressed. Merit’s adult son Lion must stay behind while his girlfriend Rose takes a long trip to the USA and it’s time to say goodbye. Complex intertwining relationships are quietly coming unravelled. The participants speak to one another, but the words miss their intended targets and remain unheard. Much remains only subliminally perceptible. Inexorably, fears for the future and traces of violence force their way into the present slackness. How to be together when unconditionality has vanished? In her debut feature, Katharina Lüdin captures observations of family life in calm, aesthetically precise 16-mm images and sets in scene a series of resonating situational moments.