Three women, fifty candles, one massive middle finger to expectations.
At the centre of the comedy ‘Halbe Hundert’ (‘half of hundred’) stand three strong women at fifty. As with so many women of their generation, the number on their birth certificate seemingly doesn’t fit to their sense of life at all. But all three of them stand before decisive changes. Anne is successful in her professional life as a hand surgeon who is acclaimed all across Germany. The victim of her flawless career is her marriage to Klaus, who had her back with regards to children and household for years and now has left her unexpectedly. Anne reacts with wounded vanity and books a young, attractive male escort for a congress. But the relationship, considered to be professional, throws Anne out of the loop emotionally. Charlotte has worn down herself for the family for years as she is diagnosed with breast cancer. With the illness in front of her eyes, Charlotte finds the courage to break out of old confinements…
Acting
Gedeck's wounded vanity is deliciously specific.
Writing
Refuses easy redemption for any woman here.
Director
Matthias Tiefenbacher
Martina Gedeck
Anne Kater
Johanna Gastdorf
Charlotte Merian
Leslie Malton
Fiona Gutzeit
Torben Liebrecht
Martin Hofer 'Josh'
Michael Wittenborn
Klaus Kater
Michelle Barthel
Sophie Kater
Katrin Bauerfeind
Olga Malik
Victoria Trauttmansdorff
Dr. Sabine Brotschneider
Jörg Vincent Malotki
Kellner
Rainer Laupichler
Rainer Pohl
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The German title 'Halbe Hundert' literally means 'half of hundred'—a playful denial of fifty that captures the film's entire thesis.
Martina Gedeck also starred in 'The Lives of Others'; here she plays a woman surveilling her own emotional life instead.
DE
