Das Fremde in mir (2008)

Rebecca and Julian eagerly await the birth of their child. But as soon as the baby is born, Rebecca is overcome by an incomprehensible fear and helplessness. The little being who depends on her feels like a stranger to her. Her relationship with her husband is just as chilly as her relationship with the baby. Thinking she might find a distraction there, she reopens her former flower shop. But this work does not satisfy her either. Several times, she puts both the infant and herself in danger, whether during bath time or while out in town. Rebecca’s condition worsens day by day. She seems increasingly apathetic. Eventually, she is so mentally out of it that she lies down in the forest to die. A group of teenagers finds her. She is nursed back to health in a clinic and is eventually diagnosed with “postpartum depression.” During the rest of her inpatient stay, she begins talk therapy. Meanwhile, her husband Julian has given up his job so he can look after his son. Gradually, with a specialist psychotherapist present, Rebecca begins to reconnect with her son Lucas. But Julian is very slow to overcome his mistrust, so Rebecca is allowed only limited visits. After several conversations to clear the air, however, they find their way back to each other.