This Week at the Movies: Ivo

Illness and dying are topics that are often treated in a sentimental and unrealistic way in cinema. However, following Matthias Glasner's "Sterben" ("Dying"), a second film has now been released within a short space of time that tackles the subject in a realistic and emotionally intense way: Eva Trobisch's "Ivo" tells the story of an outpatient palliative care nurse named Ivo (Minna Wündrich), who lives entirely for her profession. She already had a close friendship with one of her patients, the terminally ill Solveigh (Pia Hierzegger), before she fell ill. At the same time, Ivo also has an intimate relationship with her self-sacrificing husband (Lukas Turtur). As Solveigh's condition continues to deteriorate, she wants to end her life in a self-determined way - with Ivo's help... The intense atmosphere, the documentary-like aesthetic and naturalistic directing style of "Ivo", reminiscent of Trobisch's role model John Cassavetes, have already earned Eva Trobisch the "Director to Watch" award from the US industry magazine Variety. She received the Heiner Carow Prize at the Berlinale. Now "Ivo" is being released in German cinemas.