Der Spalter (2022)

Oliver and Bianca live on a property with a garden on the outskirts of Berlin. Oliver is currently the sole breadwinner, since photographer Bianca has run into professional difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their son Finn usually keeps out of his parents’ way and secretly organizes protests with friends in support of animal welfare and climate protection. Their next-door neighbors are Dila and Simon. The couple want a child, but so far all their efforts have been in vain. Bianca often meets Dila to exercise together, while Simon, a computer scientist, has done quite well out of the pandemic. When Bianca invites them over for a barbecue on the spur of the moment, Oliver has a problem. He has arranged to go to an ice hockey game with his boss, Lars, and, with a promotion coming up, he depends on Lars’s goodwill. So he leaves Lars a voicemail, telling him that his mother-in-law is ill and that he has to drive to see her with Bianca. The barbecue gets underway when Lars unexpectedly rings the doorbell and asks how the mother-in-law is doing. Oliver tries to be accommodating and spontaneously invites him in too. Lars immediately starts confronting the others, voicing populist opinions that initially provoke Bianca in particular—though she does not behave as submissively as Oliver does. His beliefs and conspiracy theories soon rub Dila the wrong way too; she had expected more support from the reserved Simon. He, however, seems to agree with some of Lars’s views. Dila and Simon then leave the property. Later, when Lars is alone with Bianca in the house, he tells her that Oliver has cheated on her and tries to make a physical advance toward her. When she orders him out but he refuses to stop, Finn arrives and knocks him down with a bottle. Lars is left lying there with a bleeding head wound. Since they cannot agree on what to do next, they take the injured man down to the basement for the time being. Dila and Simon return and wonder why Lars is no longer there, even though his car is still outside. Then the police show up at the door because Finn had to leave his backpack, containing personal belongings, behind during a large protest. The injured Lars joins them and accuses Finn of knocking him down, saying that he had caught Finn out over his dangerous protest action. He tells Oliver they will see each other at work on Monday, then leaves. When Oliver swears to Bianca that he has not been unfaithful, she confesses that she has had an affair. Oliver then drives to work. Outside the house, Bianca meets Dila, who tells her that she is pregnant and that she is going to leave Simon. When Lars makes a demand of Oliver at work, Oliver tells him that he has just quit and will no longer work for him. Oliver drives to Bianca, tells her about quitting, and says they will somehow manage—maybe he will start a blog. Since the affair is over, Oliver considers the matter settled.