What We Wanted (2020) - full transcript
A couple facing fertility issues finds their marriage tested on a vacation to a Sardinian resort - and the family next door only adds to the tension.
We're on an island.
There's a storm.
The wind is blowing
sand and dust into our eyes.
I can't see her clearly.
As if I had forgotten my contact lenses.
A small, compact body.
A rich skin tone. Darker than mine.
Her feet only touch the ground briefly,
then she runs away.
She looks at me quizzically.
Her face remains blurry.
I recognize her from her body language.
It's his.
I try calling her,
but I've forgotten her name.
Dreams are like that. Things change with
no logic. We accept that in dreams.
We're helpless and do as we are told.
The fertilized egg
implanted perfectly well…
but unfortunately
there is no heartbeat anymore.
Look.
I knew it. I didn't feel anything lately.
The embryo is only four millimeters.
The physical process
is basically imperceptible.
I did think I felt something.
Here.
At least we can expect
a spontaneous miscarriage
at this early stage.
No curettage this time.
I'm so sorry
that I don't have better news for you.
It's not your fault.
Please, come in.
Aside from the psychological impact
there is the huge strain
from the hormone treatment.
You shouldn't underestimate that.
I'm okay.
The body just needs some rest now.
May I suggest something?
After the fourth attempt,
I always suggest taking a step back.
And to reconsider your life plans.
You are aware
that further attempts are not supported
by the I.V.F. funding, right?
Maybe you could do
something nice together.
Maybe take a nice vacation.
A deductible of 954
as a previous I.V.F. patient,
fifty for consultation, plus 250
for semen preservation and storage.
That's 1,254 euros.
- It's not working today.
- Alice, can you use yours?
- My limit's too low. Can we wire it?
- I'll give you the bill.
Hi.
Hello.
- Hello.
- Hello.
I'll be right there.
BASED ON THE SHORT STORY
"DER LAUF DER DINGE" BY PETER STAMM
Signal. The ferry is this way.
Sure?
Yes, there...
- Yes. That was the exit to the port.
- I think it's the next one.
There was a sign with a ship on it.
We've missed it.
Yes, but there it says "porto."
"Porto" means "port," right?
I can't see. I forgot my contacts.
Do you want to drive?
Should I?
It has a screw propeller.
How can a ship sail with a screw?
- They moved the ticket counter.
- Okay.
What happened to the tent?
Did you throw it away?
When we were moving.
It was broken.
Isn't that the road to the campsite?
No, that's somewhere else.
Mr. Janaceck.
Mr. Janaceck? Yes?
Yes.
But isn't it… It's all leak-proof, right?
Yes.
Yes, well… Then…
all we can do is wait.
It'll be better tomorrow.
It's pouring in Vienna.
Yes, thanks anyway. Goodbye.
I forgot to say it is also
a center for exposure therapy.
We should ask if it's the right house.
That was quick, right?
It definitely is.
Lucky we didn't take my car.
We would have had to charge it.
He's always on the iPhone.
David, come on.
Put the phone down, get out. We're here.
Thanks for helping.
- Wow, we got an amazing house.
- Did we?
Oh, look. A Vienna license plate.
They're everywhere.
There must be a store.
The neighbor bought something.
Near the entrance.
Right. You…
- Shall we fire up the grill?
- Yes!
So, and now I'd like lots of carbs
and olive oil and grappa.
And share my dessert
because you don't want one,
and in the end you'll eat all of it.
Hey…
Can we afford that?
I think we can afford a tiramisu.
I mean the vacation.
Wrong question. We need this.
I'll take a shower.
What is it?
Am I being greedy?
I'd say you're enjoying the food.
It's nice.
My grandma used to say,
"He doesn't need a wife, only dessert."
- Oh, you did it all wrong.
- She'd see it differently now.
Seeing me with such a beautiful wife.
Mom, I can't fall asleep.
Can't you be quiet for one second?
It's almost 10:30.
Your garlic smell is very nice.
It keeps you young.
My grandma used to eat
a whole garlic clove per day.
I want to be with you!
Mom!
Not a moment's peace.
Not even at 10:30. Not even then.
Nobody will tuck me in.
Not even at 10:30. Not even then.
Not enough to drink.
Not even at 10:30. Not even then.
Stop with the drama.
- Always such a fuss. Off to bed. Quick!
- We have to take that with us.
Mom, can I have ice cream?
Not before lunch, sweetie.
When is lunch?
It's only just after nine.
Mr. Janaceck, good morning.
I was just about to call you. Yes?
Is the weather better?
Well, maybe in the afternoon.
Regarding the basement, yes.
With the basement in this condition,
it's useless to us.
And that's really inconvenient
because we have lots of material to store.
It would be great
if you'd finish the walls
before we get back from vacation
and at least tile the large room.
Can I have a bite?
Yes, sure.
Yes?
Nobody sees the basement,
and they cost only half.
Take the whole thing. My treat.
- Really?
- Yes.
Thank you!
- He's still asleep.
- Excuse me.
Sorry, neighbor, is this your croissant?
Yes, no worries.
- Thank you.
- Yes.
Very kind of you. Sorry.
Yes. I'll forward you
the quote for the tiles,
so you have it in writing.
Yes.
Denise, come!
Mom has to do her bananayama…
I have to do pranayama.
She's doing her banarama.
Goodbye.
Denise, leave Mom alone.
She has to do her bananarama…
It's totally okay
to leave the attic unfinished for now.
We can build a large room up there later.
Very spacey, all open plan, okay?
I'd be happy if we just had a roof.
Well…
Will you go to the pool with me?
We're going to the beach,
as always on day one.
Why?
It's just the way it is.
Do that later.
You can't concentrate anyway.
Can we blow up the docrodile?
It's "crocodile," not "docrodile."
Oh, the Viennese are up as well.
- Morning.
- Morning.
Morning.
Christel, where's the pump?
At home.
Unbelievable. Who did the packing?
- Well, not you.
- Do I have to blow this up myself now?
Cut out that tone.
You can do it, Dad. You can do it.
You're the strongest!
It's not that bad.
That's the tail.
It looks bigger than it is.
David. Come out of there.
I'm studying!
You'll get a shade allergy!
You know what? You go ahead and
I'll see if we can change the house.
Okay?
- Signore?
- Io… una… question.
Sì. Prego.
Si possibile de…
Shall we speak German?
Oh, yeah, great.
I was wondering
if it would be possible to switch houses.
- Is there a problem?
- Yes, I…
- Buongiorno.
- Buongiorno!
Hi, neighbor.
Hello.
We would prefer…
- We'd like more sun in the morning.
- No problem. I'll check in our system.
Hold on. Is it because of us?
No. We just want more sun in the morning.
- Then we'll move.
- No, out of the question.
Da noi, um… another… um…
niente… children's bed.
There's no children's bed, so…
The children's bed is at our house.
At your house?
We have a nice house.
A bit smaller, but very sunny.
As you wish.
You know what? Never mind.
We'll stay at the house.
Okay. Then I'll send someone
to pick up the bed.
No. We can do that, right?
Sure.
- Romed.
- Niklas.
- Hi.
- Hello.
- Are you all right?
- Yes, I'm all right.
Does it hurt your back?
Excuse me?
Is your back hurting from carrying this?
No. It's not heavy enough for that.
Well, you never know with you city people,
right?
That's you.
The sad woman.
Why sad?
How would I know?
What's your name?
I'm Denise.
And when I grow up,
I'm going to be a downhill skier.
Denise, come here!
We still need to put sunscreen on.
Gotta go.
A girl gummy bear.
Did you make a new friend?
There was no way around it.
How about you? Any luck?
They said they're booked up.
She's actually really sweet.
And their accent is hilarious.
- Let's climb the Bichl backwards.
- Sorry?
Let's climb the Bichl backwards.
My back hurts, you lass.
Where did you learn that?
Goddamn, get off my nuts.
I want to go back in the water.
Lass… I don't give a shit what that is,
but I think it's exactly what I am.
Lass…
Do I look sad?
What do you mean?
I was wondering
if it's written all over my face.
Nonsense.
You're beautiful.
Like a lass.
Don't be afraid! Go in!
No need to be afraid of the water.
That's a vacation!
- You only arrived yesterday.
- Yes.
You're from Vienna, right?
Your license plate is from Vienna.
But you don't sound Viennese,
I have to say.
Yes, I had some work there,
just for a couple of weeks.
Then I met my wife and got stuck there.
.And what do you do professionally?
- I'm a social worker.
Wow. Respect.
I couldn't do that.
- And you?
- Metalwork.
Nine employees.
- Business is going well.
- Cool.
- Where?
- In Hall. Do you know…
- Tyrol. We're from Tyrol.
- I was in Tyrol every winter as a kid.
- I can ski better than you guys. Yes.
- I'd like to see that.
Oh, the lady.
You got a little sunburned, huh? Christel.
- Yes, I'm skin type one. Alice.
- So, Alice. Romed. Hi.
- Thanks!
- Happy holiday!
Cheers!
- Cheers.
- Cheers.
What do you do that you bring
your computer on holiday?
Sorry?
What do you do… professionally?
You're always
on your laptop in the garden.
That's not for work.
We're building a house.
Virgo, ascendant Pisces. For sure.
Pisces because of your sensitive skin,
Virgo because of your career focus.
Virgo is correct.
I work at a bank. Customer service.
Well, Christel here just got
her certificate in astrology.
- And she's been analyzing ever since.
- Exciting.
Yes.
You don't have kids, right?
No.
- You're so lucky.
- Yes.
- Mama! Papa!
- Yes… Maybe it's not in our stars.
- Probably!
- Right now!
Okay, let's go.
- See you around?
- Yes.
- Mama! Papa!
- Ciao.
Do you play tennis?
- Yes.
- Let's play a match.
- Sure. Yes.
- Awesome.
Great.
See you.
Well done, David.
Did you annoy Denise again?
Crested Caracara.
- That was okay, right?
- Yes.
Crested Caracara.
I always think I should order fish,
but end up getting pasta.
Let's order drinks first.
Why do they even have a child?
That way the parents can
at least have a conversation.
They probably envy us right now.
Yes, maybe.
Buona sera.
We'd like a bottle of the house wine.
Rosso? Bianco?
- Rosso.
- Okay, perfetto.
I'd say your ascendant is Gemini.
- Why?
- Because you always have two servings.
You can't... Do you know how much I ate?
Yes, I know. I was there.
- Hey, come. We'll do that now.
- What?
There.
No.
- Yes.
- I can't move.
No, really, I can't. Stop! Please, no.
- I want to go to bed.
- It's so easy.
Look, there's no one here.
That's the great thing.
Yes.
- Why didn't you put sunscreen on?
- I did. But just once.
Turn around, please.
Jeez.
You're no Pisces.
More like Cancer, I'd say.
Are you doing the certificate, too?
What did the boy do today?
He was at home. He said he studied.
I just can't get through to him.
I'm about to lose my patience.
I'm telling you.
At his age, I got only As in school.
I played soccer, tennis,
I helped Dad at work during the summer.
- You can't compare yourself to him.
- Why not?
He isn't a kid anymore.
- He is. He's only 13.
- I never got to go on vacation.
He's indoors, hasn't even seen the sea.
I would at least take his phone away,
but I have no say.
Come on, don't be like that.
It's just a phase.
I hope so.
And we all went through it. You too.
He'll get over it.
He used to be so great.
Oh, shit.
Toby just started high school, right?
Yes, great.
That's good to hear.
Well.
The reason I called is that…
there have been some changes
to our budget and I… Yes.
And I wanted to ask you
to have a look at our contract again
and think about
if we can increase
our credit limit by another 15,000.
I've been telling customers for years
and now I'm in the same position.
What a surprise.
Hey, Romed, could you be a dear
and bring me the nut oil?
Which one?
Yes, great.
Thanks, Mr. Wagner.
Good.
I'll be back at work on Monday.
I could meet you at 9:30. Would that work?
Well, the one I use.
The weather is perfect.
There are bottles everywhere.
Yes, you too. Goodbye.
Can you put lotion on my back, please?
Sorry.
Sorry?
That was out.
On the line.
- No.
- Yes, it was on the line.
I don't think so.
Shall we replay it?
It's always the same with you.
Okay, replay.
That was more luck than skill,
but it's okay.
Hurry, before I take back my offer.
Take back the part about skill.
Definitely not.
You're such a bad loser.
I just passed on a replay.
I even let you win a couple of sets
to liven up the match.
Can I have some, please?
Sure.
I'm sad today.
Why?
You don't always know why.
Yes, that's true.
Can I have some?
Here you go, gallivanting girl.
What's a "gallivanting girl"?
It's a girl who always runs away.
David?
From what?
- You don't always know.
- Denise?
- That's true.
- Here!
Sorry. Where is David again?
Come on, Denise, honey. Alice has to work.
No, not at all.
Sorry,
I guess you expected a bit more peace.
No, we didn't.
Don't worry.
Come, Denise, come on.
You're always running away.
Take care, sorry!
Mom,
why did you go to the neighbors naked?
I'm wearing pants.
Where's David now? David?
David?
Oh, there you are.
- I'm going swimming. Wanna come?
- I don't wanna go swimming.
Wanna play tennis?
I don't wanna play tennis.
There's a via ferrata not far from here.
If you want to. You might like it.
First the canyon, then a nice meal…
and then we'll also
have a really nice evening.
Why "also"?
- Did I say "also"?
- Yes.
I don't know
why I'm so tense at the moment.
Hello.
You again?
Do you want to play with me?
Okay, but not for long.
Okay.
- Do you mind?
- No.
Are you in a children's choir?
Am I in a children's choir? No.
No.
Why, you?
Yes.
Yes?
Our Father in heaven
Hallowed be your father
Good. Very nice.
And now we pray.
Why would we pray?
- Don't you go to church?
- No.
But then your wishes can't come true.
Yes, maybe.
May I?
Oh, it's already evening for you.
Yes.
Denise! Wait… Sto...
Denise…
Will you give my glasses back?
Hold on a second.
Denise. Ca...
Denise…
Denise, that…
- Shit.
- You're not supposed to say "shit."
Yes, I am. Shit.
- Denise!
- They were damn expensive.
Are you mad?
No swimming without water wings!
She said she'd look after me.
- I didn't know she...
- You'll give me a heart attack.
I'm sorry.
It's okay. How could you know?
Let's go!
Oh, Mom.
You'll have to take
swimming lessons after all.
Jerk!
I built a wine cellar, had one built.
It was worth it.
We've got like…
It looks great. We've got…
we put a volcanic tuff in there.
It looks amazing.
Ah, like a really old wine cellar? Well…
Not really. It was built in 2009.
But it looks a bit like an old one.
- What about the temperature?
- A cooling system.
In a separate room.
You can't see or hear it.
Wow, crazy.
Look how beautiful those flowers are.
Look.
Let's hurry home.
The cellar is my kingdom.
If I want peace, I go in there.
It's all mine. It's fantastic.
I get why you don't want kids.
Would you rather have another wife?
Would you rather sleep with Christel?
I mean, I don't need a wine cellar,
but I wouldn't mind a sauna.
It's not that expensive.
You also like saunas.
We should make it all really nice.
Maybe a… a small swimming pond.
If it all works out, we could put…
some carp in it.
Do you know koi carp?
They're quite expensive, but…
Alice?
- Hello.
- Hi.
Sometimes I think we should sell it.
I didn't know you only deserve a house
if you have three kids.
We deserve a nice life, too.
Even without kids.
But I don't want a house. Or a dog.
Or a sauna
or a vibrator instead of a child.
Don't you get it at all?
We haven't discussed everything
after the Czech Republic and egg donation.
Or we adopt
but you don't want to hear that.
No, I don't.
I want our own or none.
I am that egotistical.
I would like to have your cells
and my cells.
My hair, your eyes.
I want us.
What's wrong with my hair?
You always have to avoid things.
With your jokes and your body.
I do understand you. Totally.
I also want our own little gene pool…
just from the two of us,
running around in our garden.
But we have to face the fact
that our wish might not come true.
You're talking to me like a bad therapist.
But I'm not the one who needs therapy.
Like in the movies, huh?
I made such a scene.
I do understand you.
Don't always say that.
Come on. Get up.
I would really like to have sex with you.
Oh well. I'm always at work.
Family, no time for anything.
Why did you give it up?
I don't know. No idea.
I tried.
All right, helmets.
If you need them. You never know.
- How does that work?
- Exactly. Tighten it.
All right, those are my back-up shoes.
Try them.
Don't be surprised
it's good if they pinch your toes.
Nice and tight.
That's good,
otherwise you can't feel the rock.
Morning!
We want to try out
the via ferrata at Rocca Doria.
It was his idea.
Sure.
Nice.
I don't think she liked the idea.
Shall we go tomorrow? Fine by me.
It's all right.
So.
- Are you sure?
- Yes.
Well, if you say so.
Does that look right?
Yes. Hey, but I'm not taking the blame.
All right? Just so you know.
- She'll calm down.
- Yeah?
Are you on vacation with Romed?
I've wanted to climb again since forever.
Oh, shit.
Hello?
Yes.
Excuse me?
But Mr. Janaceck said
the offer was still good.
That…
What?
We were counting on that.
It's not our fault
they mounted the shingles wrong.
I won't let you call me naive.
Would you talk to my husband this way?
Yes.
Yes, I want to know... Yes.
I will definitely not calm down right now!
Asshole.
I just don't get yoga. Do you?
No.
I can't force myself to relax.
The only beautiful thing in life is music.
I wasn't going to.
The fucking battery's dead anyway.
The way you threw
your phone away just now… So cool.
One small step…
and I'd be gone.
There would be nothing left of me.
What do you mean?
Nothing. Just saying.
Hey.
Where were you?
I couldn't reach you.
Are you okay?
- The roof will...
- I'll fire up the grill.
We're invited.
So I didn't bring it for nothing.
We won't stay long. Promise.
Dad, I'm so hungry.
- Stay away.
- Hey!
It's really hot.
How much longer?
I can't even get any peace at the grill.
Buongiorno.
Hello.
Where is Alice?
She sends her regards,
but she has heatstroke.
Poor thing. She needs to drink a lot.
So do you.
Grab yourself a beer from over there.
How is the construction coming along?
Not great.
The roof is more expensive than expected.
Yeah, I know.
Always the special wishes. Be careful.
I went gray overnight
when we were building the house.
There they were, all of a sudden.
It was horrible.
But all the special wishes were your idea.
Which normal person
has a yoga room at home?
Won't you have a sausage?
No.
- I just need to be alone right now.
- Being alone isn't nice.
That's what I think.
Are you still mad at me
because of the glasses?
Yes.
You can have them.
It's so dark.
I'm scared a storm is coming.
Let's have some Prosecco.
I have to have dinner
otherwise I won't get ice cream.
What a body! He's got such a great body.
- Come here, sweetie.
- Can I have ice cream?
The 2010 one is fabulous.
Just the right amount of spice.
A nice, smooth body.
It'll melt in your mouth.
Neptune conjunct Midheaven. Oh, dear.
Why?
The opener is a joke.
- Did you drink lots of water?
- Hey.
Why?
Sit down. Have some good wine.
It's good for everything.
- Actually, I'm here for the ice cream.
- One sec…
We have pistachio
ascendant stracciatella on offer.
You're such an idiot.
Sounds great.
Let's do a couple's horoscope.
- Place and date of birth.
- David, eat some more.
Ninth December, seventy-nine,
near Hanover.
Oh, Hanover.
See? I told you. Time?
I don't know.
Ascendant Pisces. No need to calculate.
- Here, your gelato.
- Thanks.
Ah, are we hungry after all?
You're a really spicy combination.
Sagittarius and Virgo.
And his sun, that's your sun…
is in a square aspect to your Venus,
oh, dear.
In what way?
You have a Saturn-Sun-Mercury conjunction.
You're very disciplined and modest.
But your Saturn
is in a square aspect to the moon.
That could be an issue,
with having children and…
Christel, you're overdoing it, aren't you?
You can't stand it
that I'm better than you at something.
Not every woman is cut out for a family.
Let's leave it at that.
I wanted to say
something positive about the situation.
Trying so many times to no avail…
Awful.
One's never happy, right?
For us, it was the other way around.
With David, I had just turned 17.
It was an accident.
Thanks, that's enough.
Just relax. It'll all work out.
That's unlikely.
Unlikely and unaffordable.
Not every woman has to be a mother
to be a complete person.
- Your body is smarter.
- Can you please be quiet now?
Sorry. She talks and talks
and never listens to what she's saying.
- Nature is often far smarter than us.
- Stop it, please.
The problem is that we believed
we were smarter than nature.
What do you mean by that?
I was pregnant once.
No planning. Just by making love.
We were here on Sardinia. Camping.
- We'd just started dating.
- Alice.
Such a nice vacation,
though it rained the whole time.
How is this any of their business?
We agreed that we weren't ready yet.
That we didn't really know each other.
I saw the heartbeat at the doctor's,
but turned away quickly.
Did you get rid of it? Oh, dear.
Go ahead and cry. It helps.
That's not true.
I've been trying for years.
It's getting pretty cold, isn't it?
But tomorrow's weather
will be great again.
No astrological advice
on how we move on from this?
She's Catholic.
That was apparent then.
I don't know why you're talking about this
with a couple we just met, but okay.
You started it.
I told Romed when we went climbing.
I needed someone to talk to.
You could talk to me.
You haven't touched me in months.
Do I disgust you?
Hey, you're exaggerating.
I'm just not in the mood at the moment.
I don't know.
You're afraid of me.
You're crazy.
It's true.
Because you can't make it happen.
Because your shitty sperm is far too slow.
Take that back right now.
You only want sex with me
because you want a child.
You take that back.
I didn't start it.
Nature is probably right.
Something's not right.
Fucking Pisces!
Caffè?
First, you can't have sex for 14 days,
and on the day
you're supposed to have sex,
you have to have it at 11:25
because at 12:00
it could already be too late.
- That's an inconvenient time of day.
- Indeed.
But you have no desire to sleep with him.
You don't even want to see him.
But you still lie down.
Because… chances are higher
if you're on the bottom.
Although you prefer to be on top.
Then you put it inside you.
He doesn't look at you.
You don't look at him.
And for what? Nothing.
Then you try fucking in vitro again.
degrading, you know?
Would you want to be conceived like that?
No.
David?
David!
David! Come on! Let go!
David! What the fuck have you done?
David!
- Stop it! You're in the way! Move!
- Leave me be! No!
No!
David, sweetheart…
David!
Wake up! David, wake up!
David!
David.
Wake up! David!
Is it a good or a bad sign?
What do you mean?
That they're still not back.
I don't know.
He was never in the water.
Never.
We're so sorry.
Can we do anything for you?
No, there's nothing we can do now.
We just have to wait.
And hope that he wakes up.
They pumped his stomach…
He took everything
we had in our medicine bag.
Pain killers, sleeping pills…
even the…
the allergy medicine Christel uses.
Well.
He's always been a dork.
He has everything, the boy.
Can I say goodbye to Christel?
No.
Not now.
But thanks.
For being such good neighbors.
Are you coming, Denise? We're leaving.
Get in the car, Denise.
Cosa?
Niente, scusi.
He woke up.
Shit, that must be hard.
What?
He feels like a total loser.
Like me.
- I'll make some tea, okay?
- Yes, please.
Can we put a window here?
One of those panoramic ones.
Of course we can.
Money's not an issue.
I hope they never block our view.
Subtitle translation by: Laura Hatry
There's a storm.
The wind is blowing
sand and dust into our eyes.
I can't see her clearly.
As if I had forgotten my contact lenses.
A small, compact body.
A rich skin tone. Darker than mine.
Her feet only touch the ground briefly,
then she runs away.
She looks at me quizzically.
Her face remains blurry.
I recognize her from her body language.
It's his.
I try calling her,
but I've forgotten her name.
Dreams are like that. Things change with
no logic. We accept that in dreams.
We're helpless and do as we are told.
The fertilized egg
implanted perfectly well…
but unfortunately
there is no heartbeat anymore.
Look.
I knew it. I didn't feel anything lately.
The embryo is only four millimeters.
The physical process
is basically imperceptible.
I did think I felt something.
Here.
At least we can expect
a spontaneous miscarriage
at this early stage.
No curettage this time.
I'm so sorry
that I don't have better news for you.
It's not your fault.
Please, come in.
Aside from the psychological impact
there is the huge strain
from the hormone treatment.
You shouldn't underestimate that.
I'm okay.
The body just needs some rest now.
May I suggest something?
After the fourth attempt,
I always suggest taking a step back.
And to reconsider your life plans.
You are aware
that further attempts are not supported
by the I.V.F. funding, right?
Maybe you could do
something nice together.
Maybe take a nice vacation.
A deductible of 954
as a previous I.V.F. patient,
fifty for consultation, plus 250
for semen preservation and storage.
That's 1,254 euros.
- It's not working today.
- Alice, can you use yours?
- My limit's too low. Can we wire it?
- I'll give you the bill.
Hi.
Hello.
- Hello.
- Hello.
I'll be right there.
BASED ON THE SHORT STORY
"DER LAUF DER DINGE" BY PETER STAMM
Signal. The ferry is this way.
Sure?
Yes, there...
- Yes. That was the exit to the port.
- I think it's the next one.
There was a sign with a ship on it.
We've missed it.
Yes, but there it says "porto."
"Porto" means "port," right?
I can't see. I forgot my contacts.
Do you want to drive?
Should I?
It has a screw propeller.
How can a ship sail with a screw?
- They moved the ticket counter.
- Okay.
What happened to the tent?
Did you throw it away?
When we were moving.
It was broken.
Isn't that the road to the campsite?
No, that's somewhere else.
Mr. Janaceck.
Mr. Janaceck? Yes?
Yes.
But isn't it… It's all leak-proof, right?
Yes.
Yes, well… Then…
all we can do is wait.
It'll be better tomorrow.
It's pouring in Vienna.
Yes, thanks anyway. Goodbye.
I forgot to say it is also
a center for exposure therapy.
We should ask if it's the right house.
That was quick, right?
It definitely is.
Lucky we didn't take my car.
We would have had to charge it.
He's always on the iPhone.
David, come on.
Put the phone down, get out. We're here.
Thanks for helping.
- Wow, we got an amazing house.
- Did we?
Oh, look. A Vienna license plate.
They're everywhere.
There must be a store.
The neighbor bought something.
Near the entrance.
Right. You…
- Shall we fire up the grill?
- Yes!
So, and now I'd like lots of carbs
and olive oil and grappa.
And share my dessert
because you don't want one,
and in the end you'll eat all of it.
Hey…
Can we afford that?
I think we can afford a tiramisu.
I mean the vacation.
Wrong question. We need this.
I'll take a shower.
What is it?
Am I being greedy?
I'd say you're enjoying the food.
It's nice.
My grandma used to say,
"He doesn't need a wife, only dessert."
- Oh, you did it all wrong.
- She'd see it differently now.
Seeing me with such a beautiful wife.
Mom, I can't fall asleep.
Can't you be quiet for one second?
It's almost 10:30.
Your garlic smell is very nice.
It keeps you young.
My grandma used to eat
a whole garlic clove per day.
I want to be with you!
Mom!
Not a moment's peace.
Not even at 10:30. Not even then.
Nobody will tuck me in.
Not even at 10:30. Not even then.
Not enough to drink.
Not even at 10:30. Not even then.
Stop with the drama.
- Always such a fuss. Off to bed. Quick!
- We have to take that with us.
Mom, can I have ice cream?
Not before lunch, sweetie.
When is lunch?
It's only just after nine.
Mr. Janaceck, good morning.
I was just about to call you. Yes?
Is the weather better?
Well, maybe in the afternoon.
Regarding the basement, yes.
With the basement in this condition,
it's useless to us.
And that's really inconvenient
because we have lots of material to store.
It would be great
if you'd finish the walls
before we get back from vacation
and at least tile the large room.
Can I have a bite?
Yes, sure.
Yes?
Nobody sees the basement,
and they cost only half.
Take the whole thing. My treat.
- Really?
- Yes.
Thank you!
- He's still asleep.
- Excuse me.
Sorry, neighbor, is this your croissant?
Yes, no worries.
- Thank you.
- Yes.
Very kind of you. Sorry.
Yes. I'll forward you
the quote for the tiles,
so you have it in writing.
Yes.
Denise, come!
Mom has to do her bananayama…
I have to do pranayama.
She's doing her banarama.
Goodbye.
Denise, leave Mom alone.
She has to do her bananarama…
It's totally okay
to leave the attic unfinished for now.
We can build a large room up there later.
Very spacey, all open plan, okay?
I'd be happy if we just had a roof.
Well…
Will you go to the pool with me?
We're going to the beach,
as always on day one.
Why?
It's just the way it is.
Do that later.
You can't concentrate anyway.
Can we blow up the docrodile?
It's "crocodile," not "docrodile."
Oh, the Viennese are up as well.
- Morning.
- Morning.
Morning.
Christel, where's the pump?
At home.
Unbelievable. Who did the packing?
- Well, not you.
- Do I have to blow this up myself now?
Cut out that tone.
You can do it, Dad. You can do it.
You're the strongest!
It's not that bad.
That's the tail.
It looks bigger than it is.
David. Come out of there.
I'm studying!
You'll get a shade allergy!
You know what? You go ahead and
I'll see if we can change the house.
Okay?
- Signore?
- Io… una… question.
Sì. Prego.
Si possibile de…
Shall we speak German?
Oh, yeah, great.
I was wondering
if it would be possible to switch houses.
- Is there a problem?
- Yes, I…
- Buongiorno.
- Buongiorno!
Hi, neighbor.
Hello.
We would prefer…
- We'd like more sun in the morning.
- No problem. I'll check in our system.
Hold on. Is it because of us?
No. We just want more sun in the morning.
- Then we'll move.
- No, out of the question.
Da noi, um… another… um…
niente… children's bed.
There's no children's bed, so…
The children's bed is at our house.
At your house?
We have a nice house.
A bit smaller, but very sunny.
As you wish.
You know what? Never mind.
We'll stay at the house.
Okay. Then I'll send someone
to pick up the bed.
No. We can do that, right?
Sure.
- Romed.
- Niklas.
- Hi.
- Hello.
- Are you all right?
- Yes, I'm all right.
Does it hurt your back?
Excuse me?
Is your back hurting from carrying this?
No. It's not heavy enough for that.
Well, you never know with you city people,
right?
That's you.
The sad woman.
Why sad?
How would I know?
What's your name?
I'm Denise.
And when I grow up,
I'm going to be a downhill skier.
Denise, come here!
We still need to put sunscreen on.
Gotta go.
A girl gummy bear.
Did you make a new friend?
There was no way around it.
How about you? Any luck?
They said they're booked up.
She's actually really sweet.
And their accent is hilarious.
- Let's climb the Bichl backwards.
- Sorry?
Let's climb the Bichl backwards.
My back hurts, you lass.
Where did you learn that?
Goddamn, get off my nuts.
I want to go back in the water.
Lass… I don't give a shit what that is,
but I think it's exactly what I am.
Lass…
Do I look sad?
What do you mean?
I was wondering
if it's written all over my face.
Nonsense.
You're beautiful.
Like a lass.
Don't be afraid! Go in!
No need to be afraid of the water.
That's a vacation!
- You only arrived yesterday.
- Yes.
You're from Vienna, right?
Your license plate is from Vienna.
But you don't sound Viennese,
I have to say.
Yes, I had some work there,
just for a couple of weeks.
Then I met my wife and got stuck there.
.And what do you do professionally?
- I'm a social worker.
Wow. Respect.
I couldn't do that.
- And you?
- Metalwork.
Nine employees.
- Business is going well.
- Cool.
- Where?
- In Hall. Do you know…
- Tyrol. We're from Tyrol.
- I was in Tyrol every winter as a kid.
- I can ski better than you guys. Yes.
- I'd like to see that.
Oh, the lady.
You got a little sunburned, huh? Christel.
- Yes, I'm skin type one. Alice.
- So, Alice. Romed. Hi.
- Thanks!
- Happy holiday!
Cheers!
- Cheers.
- Cheers.
What do you do that you bring
your computer on holiday?
Sorry?
What do you do… professionally?
You're always
on your laptop in the garden.
That's not for work.
We're building a house.
Virgo, ascendant Pisces. For sure.
Pisces because of your sensitive skin,
Virgo because of your career focus.
Virgo is correct.
I work at a bank. Customer service.
Well, Christel here just got
her certificate in astrology.
- And she's been analyzing ever since.
- Exciting.
Yes.
You don't have kids, right?
No.
- You're so lucky.
- Yes.
- Mama! Papa!
- Yes… Maybe it's not in our stars.
- Probably!
- Right now!
Okay, let's go.
- See you around?
- Yes.
- Mama! Papa!
- Ciao.
Do you play tennis?
- Yes.
- Let's play a match.
- Sure. Yes.
- Awesome.
Great.
See you.
Well done, David.
Did you annoy Denise again?
Crested Caracara.
- That was okay, right?
- Yes.
Crested Caracara.
I always think I should order fish,
but end up getting pasta.
Let's order drinks first.
Why do they even have a child?
That way the parents can
at least have a conversation.
They probably envy us right now.
Yes, maybe.
Buona sera.
We'd like a bottle of the house wine.
Rosso? Bianco?
- Rosso.
- Okay, perfetto.
I'd say your ascendant is Gemini.
- Why?
- Because you always have two servings.
You can't... Do you know how much I ate?
Yes, I know. I was there.
- Hey, come. We'll do that now.
- What?
There.
No.
- Yes.
- I can't move.
No, really, I can't. Stop! Please, no.
- I want to go to bed.
- It's so easy.
Look, there's no one here.
That's the great thing.
Yes.
- Why didn't you put sunscreen on?
- I did. But just once.
Turn around, please.
Jeez.
You're no Pisces.
More like Cancer, I'd say.
Are you doing the certificate, too?
What did the boy do today?
He was at home. He said he studied.
I just can't get through to him.
I'm about to lose my patience.
I'm telling you.
At his age, I got only As in school.
I played soccer, tennis,
I helped Dad at work during the summer.
- You can't compare yourself to him.
- Why not?
He isn't a kid anymore.
- He is. He's only 13.
- I never got to go on vacation.
He's indoors, hasn't even seen the sea.
I would at least take his phone away,
but I have no say.
Come on, don't be like that.
It's just a phase.
I hope so.
And we all went through it. You too.
He'll get over it.
He used to be so great.
Oh, shit.
Toby just started high school, right?
Yes, great.
That's good to hear.
Well.
The reason I called is that…
there have been some changes
to our budget and I… Yes.
And I wanted to ask you
to have a look at our contract again
and think about
if we can increase
our credit limit by another 15,000.
I've been telling customers for years
and now I'm in the same position.
What a surprise.
Hey, Romed, could you be a dear
and bring me the nut oil?
Which one?
Yes, great.
Thanks, Mr. Wagner.
Good.
I'll be back at work on Monday.
I could meet you at 9:30. Would that work?
Well, the one I use.
The weather is perfect.
There are bottles everywhere.
Yes, you too. Goodbye.
Can you put lotion on my back, please?
Sorry.
Sorry?
That was out.
On the line.
- No.
- Yes, it was on the line.
I don't think so.
Shall we replay it?
It's always the same with you.
Okay, replay.
That was more luck than skill,
but it's okay.
Hurry, before I take back my offer.
Take back the part about skill.
Definitely not.
You're such a bad loser.
I just passed on a replay.
I even let you win a couple of sets
to liven up the match.
Can I have some, please?
Sure.
I'm sad today.
Why?
You don't always know why.
Yes, that's true.
Can I have some?
Here you go, gallivanting girl.
What's a "gallivanting girl"?
It's a girl who always runs away.
David?
From what?
- You don't always know.
- Denise?
- That's true.
- Here!
Sorry. Where is David again?
Come on, Denise, honey. Alice has to work.
No, not at all.
Sorry,
I guess you expected a bit more peace.
No, we didn't.
Don't worry.
Come, Denise, come on.
You're always running away.
Take care, sorry!
Mom,
why did you go to the neighbors naked?
I'm wearing pants.
Where's David now? David?
David?
Oh, there you are.
- I'm going swimming. Wanna come?
- I don't wanna go swimming.
Wanna play tennis?
I don't wanna play tennis.
There's a via ferrata not far from here.
If you want to. You might like it.
First the canyon, then a nice meal…
and then we'll also
have a really nice evening.
Why "also"?
- Did I say "also"?
- Yes.
I don't know
why I'm so tense at the moment.
Hello.
You again?
Do you want to play with me?
Okay, but not for long.
Okay.
- Do you mind?
- No.
Are you in a children's choir?
Am I in a children's choir? No.
No.
Why, you?
Yes.
Yes?
Our Father in heaven
Hallowed be your father
Good. Very nice.
And now we pray.
Why would we pray?
- Don't you go to church?
- No.
But then your wishes can't come true.
Yes, maybe.
May I?
Oh, it's already evening for you.
Yes.
Denise! Wait… Sto...
Denise…
Will you give my glasses back?
Hold on a second.
Denise. Ca...
Denise…
Denise, that…
- Shit.
- You're not supposed to say "shit."
Yes, I am. Shit.
- Denise!
- They were damn expensive.
Are you mad?
No swimming without water wings!
She said she'd look after me.
- I didn't know she...
- You'll give me a heart attack.
I'm sorry.
It's okay. How could you know?
Let's go!
Oh, Mom.
You'll have to take
swimming lessons after all.
Jerk!
I built a wine cellar, had one built.
It was worth it.
We've got like…
It looks great. We've got…
we put a volcanic tuff in there.
It looks amazing.
Ah, like a really old wine cellar? Well…
Not really. It was built in 2009.
But it looks a bit like an old one.
- What about the temperature?
- A cooling system.
In a separate room.
You can't see or hear it.
Wow, crazy.
Look how beautiful those flowers are.
Look.
Let's hurry home.
The cellar is my kingdom.
If I want peace, I go in there.
It's all mine. It's fantastic.
I get why you don't want kids.
Would you rather have another wife?
Would you rather sleep with Christel?
I mean, I don't need a wine cellar,
but I wouldn't mind a sauna.
It's not that expensive.
You also like saunas.
We should make it all really nice.
Maybe a… a small swimming pond.
If it all works out, we could put…
some carp in it.
Do you know koi carp?
They're quite expensive, but…
Alice?
- Hello.
- Hi.
Sometimes I think we should sell it.
I didn't know you only deserve a house
if you have three kids.
We deserve a nice life, too.
Even without kids.
But I don't want a house. Or a dog.
Or a sauna
or a vibrator instead of a child.
Don't you get it at all?
We haven't discussed everything
after the Czech Republic and egg donation.
Or we adopt
but you don't want to hear that.
No, I don't.
I want our own or none.
I am that egotistical.
I would like to have your cells
and my cells.
My hair, your eyes.
I want us.
What's wrong with my hair?
You always have to avoid things.
With your jokes and your body.
I do understand you. Totally.
I also want our own little gene pool…
just from the two of us,
running around in our garden.
But we have to face the fact
that our wish might not come true.
You're talking to me like a bad therapist.
But I'm not the one who needs therapy.
Like in the movies, huh?
I made such a scene.
I do understand you.
Don't always say that.
Come on. Get up.
I would really like to have sex with you.
Oh well. I'm always at work.
Family, no time for anything.
Why did you give it up?
I don't know. No idea.
I tried.
All right, helmets.
If you need them. You never know.
- How does that work?
- Exactly. Tighten it.
All right, those are my back-up shoes.
Try them.
Don't be surprised
it's good if they pinch your toes.
Nice and tight.
That's good,
otherwise you can't feel the rock.
Morning!
We want to try out
the via ferrata at Rocca Doria.
It was his idea.
Sure.
Nice.
I don't think she liked the idea.
Shall we go tomorrow? Fine by me.
It's all right.
So.
- Are you sure?
- Yes.
Well, if you say so.
Does that look right?
Yes. Hey, but I'm not taking the blame.
All right? Just so you know.
- She'll calm down.
- Yeah?
Are you on vacation with Romed?
I've wanted to climb again since forever.
Oh, shit.
Hello?
Yes.
Excuse me?
But Mr. Janaceck said
the offer was still good.
That…
What?
We were counting on that.
It's not our fault
they mounted the shingles wrong.
I won't let you call me naive.
Would you talk to my husband this way?
Yes.
Yes, I want to know... Yes.
I will definitely not calm down right now!
Asshole.
I just don't get yoga. Do you?
No.
I can't force myself to relax.
The only beautiful thing in life is music.
I wasn't going to.
The fucking battery's dead anyway.
The way you threw
your phone away just now… So cool.
One small step…
and I'd be gone.
There would be nothing left of me.
What do you mean?
Nothing. Just saying.
Hey.
Where were you?
I couldn't reach you.
Are you okay?
- The roof will...
- I'll fire up the grill.
We're invited.
So I didn't bring it for nothing.
We won't stay long. Promise.
Dad, I'm so hungry.
- Stay away.
- Hey!
It's really hot.
How much longer?
I can't even get any peace at the grill.
Buongiorno.
Hello.
Where is Alice?
She sends her regards,
but she has heatstroke.
Poor thing. She needs to drink a lot.
So do you.
Grab yourself a beer from over there.
How is the construction coming along?
Not great.
The roof is more expensive than expected.
Yeah, I know.
Always the special wishes. Be careful.
I went gray overnight
when we were building the house.
There they were, all of a sudden.
It was horrible.
But all the special wishes were your idea.
Which normal person
has a yoga room at home?
Won't you have a sausage?
No.
- I just need to be alone right now.
- Being alone isn't nice.
That's what I think.
Are you still mad at me
because of the glasses?
Yes.
You can have them.
It's so dark.
I'm scared a storm is coming.
Let's have some Prosecco.
I have to have dinner
otherwise I won't get ice cream.
What a body! He's got such a great body.
- Come here, sweetie.
- Can I have ice cream?
The 2010 one is fabulous.
Just the right amount of spice.
A nice, smooth body.
It'll melt in your mouth.
Neptune conjunct Midheaven. Oh, dear.
Why?
The opener is a joke.
- Did you drink lots of water?
- Hey.
Why?
Sit down. Have some good wine.
It's good for everything.
- Actually, I'm here for the ice cream.
- One sec…
We have pistachio
ascendant stracciatella on offer.
You're such an idiot.
Sounds great.
Let's do a couple's horoscope.
- Place and date of birth.
- David, eat some more.
Ninth December, seventy-nine,
near Hanover.
Oh, Hanover.
See? I told you. Time?
I don't know.
Ascendant Pisces. No need to calculate.
- Here, your gelato.
- Thanks.
Ah, are we hungry after all?
You're a really spicy combination.
Sagittarius and Virgo.
And his sun, that's your sun…
is in a square aspect to your Venus,
oh, dear.
In what way?
You have a Saturn-Sun-Mercury conjunction.
You're very disciplined and modest.
But your Saturn
is in a square aspect to the moon.
That could be an issue,
with having children and…
Christel, you're overdoing it, aren't you?
You can't stand it
that I'm better than you at something.
Not every woman is cut out for a family.
Let's leave it at that.
I wanted to say
something positive about the situation.
Trying so many times to no avail…
Awful.
One's never happy, right?
For us, it was the other way around.
With David, I had just turned 17.
It was an accident.
Thanks, that's enough.
Just relax. It'll all work out.
That's unlikely.
Unlikely and unaffordable.
Not every woman has to be a mother
to be a complete person.
- Your body is smarter.
- Can you please be quiet now?
Sorry. She talks and talks
and never listens to what she's saying.
- Nature is often far smarter than us.
- Stop it, please.
The problem is that we believed
we were smarter than nature.
What do you mean by that?
I was pregnant once.
No planning. Just by making love.
We were here on Sardinia. Camping.
- We'd just started dating.
- Alice.
Such a nice vacation,
though it rained the whole time.
How is this any of their business?
We agreed that we weren't ready yet.
That we didn't really know each other.
I saw the heartbeat at the doctor's,
but turned away quickly.
Did you get rid of it? Oh, dear.
Go ahead and cry. It helps.
That's not true.
I've been trying for years.
It's getting pretty cold, isn't it?
But tomorrow's weather
will be great again.
No astrological advice
on how we move on from this?
She's Catholic.
That was apparent then.
I don't know why you're talking about this
with a couple we just met, but okay.
You started it.
I told Romed when we went climbing.
I needed someone to talk to.
You could talk to me.
You haven't touched me in months.
Do I disgust you?
Hey, you're exaggerating.
I'm just not in the mood at the moment.
I don't know.
You're afraid of me.
You're crazy.
It's true.
Because you can't make it happen.
Because your shitty sperm is far too slow.
Take that back right now.
You only want sex with me
because you want a child.
You take that back.
I didn't start it.
Nature is probably right.
Something's not right.
Fucking Pisces!
Caffè?
First, you can't have sex for 14 days,
and on the day
you're supposed to have sex,
you have to have it at 11:25
because at 12:00
it could already be too late.
- That's an inconvenient time of day.
- Indeed.
But you have no desire to sleep with him.
You don't even want to see him.
But you still lie down.
Because… chances are higher
if you're on the bottom.
Although you prefer to be on top.
Then you put it inside you.
He doesn't look at you.
You don't look at him.
And for what? Nothing.
Then you try fucking in vitro again.
degrading, you know?
Would you want to be conceived like that?
No.
David?
David!
David! Come on! Let go!
David! What the fuck have you done?
David!
- Stop it! You're in the way! Move!
- Leave me be! No!
No!
David, sweetheart…
David!
Wake up! David, wake up!
David!
David.
Wake up! David!
Is it a good or a bad sign?
What do you mean?
That they're still not back.
I don't know.
He was never in the water.
Never.
We're so sorry.
Can we do anything for you?
No, there's nothing we can do now.
We just have to wait.
And hope that he wakes up.
They pumped his stomach…
He took everything
we had in our medicine bag.
Pain killers, sleeping pills…
even the…
the allergy medicine Christel uses.
Well.
He's always been a dork.
He has everything, the boy.
Can I say goodbye to Christel?
No.
Not now.
But thanks.
For being such good neighbors.
Are you coming, Denise? We're leaving.
Get in the car, Denise.
Cosa?
Niente, scusi.
He woke up.
Shit, that must be hard.
What?
He feels like a total loser.
Like me.
- I'll make some tea, okay?
- Yes, please.
Can we put a window here?
One of those panoramic ones.
Of course we can.
Money's not an issue.
I hope they never block our view.
Subtitle translation by: Laura Hatry