The first film in Rudolf Thome's "Forms of Love" trilogy is the most incisive. It's a comedy-drame chronicling the ups and downs in the relationship of an unmarried couple (Adriana Altaras, Vladimir Weigl). When she tries to persuade him that they should have a child, he escapes the controversy by becoming preoccupied with his new aquarium and microscope. Their struggles to settle their differences and accept new responsibilities are presented intelligently, realistically and with low-key wit and irony.
Acting
Altaras and Weigl nail passive-aggressive domestic warfare.
Direction
Thome's unblinking observation of couple dynamics, zero melodrama.
Director
Rudolf Thome
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Part of Thome's 'Forms of Love' trilogy examining romantic relationships through minimalist, anti-dramatic lenses — deeply unfashionable in 1988's blockbuster era.
The microscope becomes Franz's literal tool for magnification and emotional distance — he studies life to avoid living it.
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