Die Sweethearts (1977)

Cleo wants to impress her acquaintance Vassili at his birthday party with a song she has rehearsed for him. But on the evening of the celebration, a group of women performing a cancan steals the show. Hoping for future success, Cleo then wants to form a singing group with her friends Fatima, Renate, and Sabine, called the Sweethearts. At first, the four face difficulties: the young women do not blend well together, and their singing comes across as unprofessional. Their repertoire also consists solely of German-language schlager songs. Since Fatima works as a journalist, she is able to get in touch with a gallery owner, who agrees to let the Sweethearts perform at a gallery opening. The other members of the group, who work as seamstresses, also become aware of the social differences between themselves and Munich’s upper class. During a visit to a pub, Cleo meets the pianist Krischan, who, after initially being skeptical, gives the Sweethearts singing lessons and accompanies them on the piano. The Sweethearts’ performance at the gallery opening goes well, and afterward a newspaper article and the prospect of a recording contract motivate them to carry on. At their audition in the recording studio, the Sweethearts deliberately act lasciviously. In the end, it remains unclear whether they managed to convince the recording director, who had spoken condescendingly about them beforehand.