Der Nachbar (1992)

In a Viennese suburb near the rapid-transit railway, the elderly Mr. Pavlik lives alone. His only companion is a female bird whom he affectionately calls Gerti. He owns a shop selling second-hand reading booklets, which gets only a modest amount of business. Mr. Pavlik also looks after the dying Mrs. Smekal by bringing her meals from the inn. He also lends her reading booklets from his shop free of charge. One evening, when Pavlik goes to bring Mrs. Smekal her supper, she has already died. The next day, Pavlik is in a bad mood and rudely sends a customer out of his shop. After Mrs. Smekal is buried, her son Herbert appears, finding his mother’s apartment old-fashioned. When Pavlik gets into a conversation with the young Smekal, their argument escalates because Herbert did not look after his elderly mother, and Pavlik calls him a scoundrel. Smekal’s girlfriend is Michaela, a young Czech woman with a little daughter, Agnes. She moves into his mother’s apartment with Herbert. The neighbor gossips with Mr. Pavlik and hints that young Michaela must be “that kind of woman,” since she always leaves by taxi in the evenings. Michaela previously worked as a waitress at the inn from which Mr. Pavlik always brought the meals. One evening, Mr. Pavlik follows Michaela by taxi into the city center and discovers that she works at a peep show. At the peep-show venue, Pavlik asks about Michaela. The attendant tells him that she goes by Chantal in the show. In the booth, Pavlik is captivated by Michaela’s nakedness. Little Agnes often comes into Pavlik’s shop; at first she is reticent, and he lends her reading booklets too. Mr. Pavlik continues following Michaela and interfering in her affairs. He even proposes to her and wants to leave her his money. Michaela, however, reacts firmly and rejects him. When Michaela visits Pavlik, he asks her to undress. She does so, but then has had enough and no longer wants to see Pavlik. Pavlik means well by her, though, because in his opinion Herbert Smekal is incapable of looking after little Agnes. Herbert also lost 20,000 schillings in a betting pool. Michaela and Herbert are now broke. To earn money, Michaela is now working as a prostitute. Pavlik gets access to her in exchange for money, and Michaela thinks he is crazy. Herbert gets wind of Pavlik’s wealth. Pavlik and Herbert go to the park at night, where Herbert tries to extort the money from Pavlik. Pavlik pulls out a gun and shoots Herbert dead. The police then suspect a jealousy-related incident within Herbert’s criminal circle. At the end of the film, Mr. Pavlik and little Agnes reconcile, while Michaela is still being questioned by the police.