Halbe Treppe (2002) [Andreas Dresen]

The befriended couple During and Kukowski are about halfway through their lives. Chris and Kathrin During no longer have much to say to each other in bed or in everyday life, while Uwe Kukowski works around the clock in his snack bar and forgets about his wife Ellen and the children. It's no wonder that Ellen, who is lonely, and Chris, who is desperate for a change, get closer. But the relationship blows up - suddenly all the cards are reshuffled, movement comes into everyday life, and it turns out that small miracles are possible once again ... "Permanent power from the Powertower", promises Chris, presenter of a small East German private radio station. And that "even before six in the morning". In truth, the star journalist, who has been prevented from doing so, doesn't feel quite as lively as he pretends to be on the microphone. Life in Frankfurt/Oder is simply not exciting enough for that. During the day, Chris' wife Katrin waves in the trucks in a parking lot on the Polish border. His friend Uwe runs a snack bar called "Halbe Treppe" and his wife Ellen, who looks after their two children, earns extra money in a perfumery. The relationships of both couples show clear signs of wear and tear caused by everyday life. But it becomes clear that the longing for adventure, for something new, for a slightly different kind of happiness has remained, at the latest when Chris and Ellen begin a secret affair. Then Katrin catches them in the bathtub and everyone involved has to face the fact that their relationship is in serious danger. For the time being, Chris and Ellen are unable to break off their passionate liaison. Suddenly everyone's cards seem to have been reshuffled. Things start to move in their daily routine, life is questioned again and it suddenly becomes clear that small miracles are possible.