With a wicked sense of humor, but also with love, director Aaron Arens paints a portrait of a dysfunctional family in his film debut. He takes a keen look at macho behavior and the drive for success in “Sonnenplätze”.
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Things get tough for daughter Sam (Julia Windischbauer) first. Her boyfriend throws her out of the apartment, and her old childhood room in the parents’ house is now used as a workshop by her mother’s younger lover (Juliane Köhler). And that’s not all: the publisher has also canceled the segment in which her novel was supposed to be published.
The young author is devastated and needs peace and quiet. She steals the key to the holiday home on Lanzarote and sets off, with her brother in tow, a piano prodigy who has no desire to pursue a career in music and wants to join the army instead.
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A surprise awaits them on the island: Father Jo (Niels Bormann), who once wrote a bestseller and left the family 15 years ago, lives in the property that has belonged to his wife since their divorce and is living it up. His pastime: He passionately shoots imaginary quails, writes his autobiography and hopes for a comeback.
Soon it all looks like a vacation. The small family without the mother relaxes by the pool and explores the area. At the same time, father and daughter write their books. When the young author’s father suggests how she can sell her work if she lets him get involved, the publisher shows interest again. The apparent harmony is shattered when the mother and lover suddenly appear.
At the involuntary family reunion, not only the ownership of the holiday home is sorted out, but also personal sensitivities. The cards are finally put on the table – there is talk of disappointments, of expectations that are too high, of a lack of love and empathy. Long-accumulated frustration causes the facades to crumble. The adults do not emerge from the psychological game unscathed, even if the ending seems reconciling.
Crisp dialogues, complex characters
Chapeau for Aaron Arens’ first feature film! The cast, especially newcomer Windischbauer as Sam, who is overwhelmed by life, let it rip. The biting dialogues of the multi-layered characters are spot on. And when ex-wife and ex-husband attack each other venomously and the still vain macho calls his hunky, young competitor a “fucking dachshund,” you know how deep the mutual injuries are and that time doesn’t heal all wounds.
Brothers and sisters of Generation Z can breathe a sigh of relief and finally shake off the pressure to perform in their families. When parents and kids dance to the sounds of “I wish you love without suffering” in a moment of exuberance, you also sense that sunny spots are rare in life.
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“Sunny spots”, Director: Aaron Arens, with Juliane Köhler, Julia Windischbauer, Niels Bormann, 92 minutes, FSK 12
