Now at the movies: Ein fast perfekter Antrag

Director Marc Rothemund has always struck a balance between seriousness and humor in films as varied as "The Girl With Nine Wigs" and "Weekend Rebels". He brings this same talent to his new film "Ein fast perfekter Antrag", which is billed as a romantic comedy but in fact strikes surprisingly nuanced and multilayered notes. Heiner Lauterbach stars as the gruff retiree Walter, who by chance reunites with the great love of his youth, Alice (Iris Berben), now a university professor of art history. Determined to finally win her heart in his later years, the narrow‑minded misanthrope impulsively enrolls as a student in her class. His opinions, however, soon put him at odds with his much younger classmates — and Alice, too, is initially taken aback. Rothemund turns this "Culture Clash" into a charming, warm‑hearted love story about missed opportunities, second chances, and the courage to stop postponing one's own happiness, while at the same time telling a lightly satirical tale about male arrogance, machismo, and the blinkered mindset of the boomer generation. Not least, "Ein fast perfekter Antrag" naturally serves as a showcase for Iris Berben and Heiner Lauterbach, who sparkle in top form as an unlikely pair.