A successful, womanizing middle-aged man decides to move out of the house he shares with his wife after she confesses to having an affair. He looks for a new place to live and ends up moving into his wife's lover's apartment as a roommate. The husband begins to take an interest in the artistic work of the lover and coaches him for a big job interview. Little does he know that the job he's helping the lover to get is within his own company... A story about strange circumstances and the limits of friendship.
Direction
Dörrie's precise comic timing turns cringe into genuine pathos.
Acting
Lauterbach's slow-motion ego death is a masterclass in humiliation comedy.
Production
That apartment is basically a fourth character—chaotic, cramped, perfect.
Director
Doris Dörrie
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was part of 1980s 'New German Comedy'—Dörrie became one of the few female directors to break through in a male-dominated industry by making men the punchline.
The film deliberately contrasts Julius's corporate power suits with Stefan's chaotic artist space—Dörrie has called it 'a film about men being forced to see themselves through women's eyes.'
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