Frischer Wind (2009)

It's been six months since his beloved wife died, and Kurt Tobaben (Günther Maria Halmer) still can't get over the loss. The wealthy glove manufacturer from Hamburg neglects his company, hides in his villa and mourns the past. Only a trip to Travemünde changes the mind of the desperate widower: in a hotel bar he meets Luzy Ditten (Teresa Weißbach), who works there as a waitress and immediately casts a spell over him with her open, understanding nature. From then on, he meets the much younger woman more often; soon a tender rapprochement develops between Luzy, the lively blonde with a penchant for the color pink, and Kurt, caught in his suffering, a solid entrepreneur in mature manhood. When he decides to engage her as a "personal partner" and take her to Hamburg, those around him feel alienated. There is whispering in social circles, while Kurt's relatives, especially daughter Karin (Floriane Daniel), are extremely critical of the new woman at his father's side. In general, family cohesion is not the best: the work at the municipal art foundation is getting on Karin's nerves, and when she wants to organize an exhibition for artist friend Ruth Brede (Ingeborg Westphal), the sponsors jump out of her - not exactly the best Timing for family conflicts. Meanwhile, Kurt's son Kai (Ole Tillmann) is plagued by his conscience: for years he didn't tell his father, who supported him financially, that he had chosen a career as a chef instead of taking over the company. When the cards are finally laid on the table, things don't go as planned, and everyone involved is forced to make their own choices for a happier future. The title could not have been chosen better: A "fresh wind" often blows through this sensitively developed story, in which the motif of returning to life after a dramatic beginning slowly develops into a cheerful, melancholic, hopeful description of personal new beginnings. In the sensitive staging by director Imogen Kimmel, the characters gain increasing depth, revealing their strengths and weaknesses in a comprehensible way, which is not least due to the cast: Günther Maria Halmer embodies the grieving widower, who is also a proud patriarch, in his inimitably level-headed manner and wants to be a romantic beau, Teresa Weißbach knows how to convince Luzy as a life-affirming muse. Floriane Daniel also shines in strong supporting roles as the overwhelmed daughter Karin and the incomparable Ingeborg Westphal, whose artist Ruth, chapped by fate, exudes her very own magic.