Die Besucherin

This is a sad movie about the gradual disintegration of a middle class marriage which involves some cute role-reversal elements: Agnes, the wife, holds a reasonably responsible, well-paid position in a medical research institute (not at the top, of course, as we may assume there is a glass ceiling). Her husband, a writer of crime fiction, stays at home, looks after their teenage daughter and does the housework (well, most of it anyway). As mutual sexual attraction inevitably decreases, each of the two spouses seeks alternative partners, more as a form of escapism than a search for deeper, lasting commitments. Credible thus far, the plot becomes silly when Agnes commits adultery, apparently (but not quite clearly) 'doggie-style', with a totally unknown man whom she has never met before and whom she does not even see on that first occasion (he will turn out to be fatter and uglier than her husband, and it remains a mystery how he could have aroused her so skilfully). Having neglected her professional duties in the process, Agnes finds herself at an existential crossroads and we, the viewers, are left with a quandary as to which course of action might be best for her and her family.

No pun intended - I thin most of us have felt this way ... not really fulfilled with our life, thinking of how things could have been if we did or chose differently ... a second flat could be something that gives us that chance .. away from all the people we know ... just being there, having all that stuff that does not belong to us ... be there and help us become or just be someone else.

This is high class drama with amazing performances. Which is something I do not say lightly, when it comes to German movies ... many times I feel that actors are more like parrots and unable to convey their feelings ... but let's stick to this movie and how good the actors are.

The pacing may be slow - but if you like intriguing and thought provoking stories ... well you could do a lot worse. Feel it - be it, delve and dive into the psychology of it all.