Dora Heldt: Bei Hitze ist es wenigstens nicht kalt (2012)

When 49-year-old Doris Goldstein-Wagner learns that her husband, Torsten, is planning a big birthday party, all she wants to do is get away. She persuades her two friends, Anke and Katja, to go with her to the Baltic Sea, where Doris has managed to hire a life coach for them. Anke is less than thrilled, since she has already met coach Georg Schmidt on the train and been thoroughly annoyed by his know-it-all manner. Katja is also not interested in psychological games: she likes herself just the way she is and has no intention of changing. But they don’t want to let Doris down, so they agree to take part in the seminar. In the first exercise, they are supposed to sculpt a likeness of themselves in the sand, which leads to a discussion about appearances and is meant to help them see themselves more clearly. Doris has the biggest problem with it, since she is currently fleeing her 50th birthday and the prospect of growing older. But the other two also have problems with their age: Anke is unemployed after her company closed down and can no longer find work, so she writes copy for calendars. Katja seems to be doing well, because money and cosmetic surgeons help her look young and beautiful. But that does little to help her find a lasting relationship, since she can never keep her real age secret for long. In the second exercise the next day, the women are supposed to prove themselves on a high-ropes course. They even have a little fun and learn to trust themselves and their still-existing athletic abilities. But instead of simply finding themselves, the friends also take digs at one another and tell each other uncomfortable truths. They also affirm each other’s strengths, which they themselves often fail to see. Katja and Anke even conclude that Doris, with her boring but stable marriage, has probably ended up the best off of them all. So they decide to call Doris’s husband, Torsten, and ask him to come and celebrate her birthday with her. But the three argue so fiercely that they are ready to leave immediately. Their coach saves the situation and does one final exercise with them. They are supposed to build a raft together and ride on it. In the end, all three end up in the water, but they still have fun. The seminar is now over, and Doris sets herself a new goal for her new stage of life: to write a book. Anke, meanwhile, grows increasingly thoughtful. Although she has resisted the idea the whole time, she has to admit to herself that she has fallen in love with her coach. She gathers all her courage to tell him, but now sees him in an intimate embrace with another woman. As it turns out, however, the woman is his sister, and nothing stands in the way of a future together for Georg and Anke. Meanwhile, Torsten has told all their relatives and acquaintances that they will celebrate Doris’s birthday by the sea. He has rented a minibus and arrives at the hotel with the whole group. He has even invited Katja’s boyfriend, so now they can all celebrate happily together.