Der Mistkerl (2001)

Ten-year-old Pauline lives with her single mother. Her father left the family a long time ago. Pauline gets along very well with her friend Leon, who often sleeps over at her house. The two children discover that Pauline’s mother has a new boyfriend. Her mother then wants to introduce him to them. But it turns out that he doesn’t like children. He says that family gives him “constipation.” So the relationship falls apart. Because the “jerk” has hurt her mother, Pauline swears revenge. Together with Leon, she sneaks into the “jerk’s” apartment. The two of them damage some of his belongings. Pauline also pours cola into the gas tank of his motorcycle. Then they watch from outside as the “jerk” curses the damage and rides off on his motorcycle. The two are delighted with their prank. But their delight doesn’t last long, because they hear an accident. When they come around the corner of the building, they see Pauline’s mother’s boyfriend lying in the street. He is taken to a hospital. Pauline thinks she is responsible for the accident. She visits her mother’s boyfriend in the hospital, disguising herself as a Christian Girl Scout. After realizing that her mother still misses him, Pauline swears on her life that she will get the two of them back together. This proves not to be so easy. They finally get back together only when Pauline threatens to throw herself into the lion enclosure at the zoo. Everyday life resumes in the new family, and Pauline realizes that having a new father isn’t so easy. Then, when her mother is expecting a baby too, Pauline has had enough. She decides to start her own family. To do so, she “marries” Leon. But Leon can’t stay with Pauline because his parents are moving away. On the day of her mother’s wedding, Pauline runs away from home. She hides aboard a ship bound for Brazil. Her disappearance is eventually noticed, and before her parents have even married, they have to go looking for her. After they talk things through on the ship, Pauline is able to accept her new father too. A few months later, Pauline and Leon get to see each other again during the summer holidays. The baby has been born in the meantime, and the family has finally come together.