Endlich Witwer (2018)

Georg Weiser, a manufacturer of artificial turf, wants to tell his wife that he is willing to agree to the divorce she has been planning. After 30 years of marriage, the prospect of finally being able to live his own life fills him with hope. As he struggles to tell her of his decision and wonders why she is not answering, he realizes that his wife, Brigitte, has just died. Even the funeral seems to him more like a release than a sad occasion. To the mourners’ astonishment, he announces that he will “plant” the grave with artificial turf. Weiser is determined to make up for everything he was unable to do all those years because his wife had the final say at home. He treats himself to a fridge full of beer and a panoramic TV, and at last has some peace and quiet. He removes everything from the house that might remind him of his wife: the family photo on the wall, the rugs, the heavy sofa set. He is almost moved, though, when he finds a farewell letter from his wife in the freezer. She tells him that, as a parting gift and to help him through the transition, she has prepared his favorite meal in advance, since she had planned to leave their house. The first few days pass like this, and Georg hardly ever leaves the house, does only the bare minimum of washing, and stops shaving. He does go back to the office once, although he is not really needed there. His secretary tells him to take a little more time for himself. Georg does not really want much contact with his children. But that cannot be avoided, since his son Gerd insists on receiving his share of the inheritance. Gerd does not think much of his father, who, as a businessman, never had time for his children. His daughter Susanne keeps somewhat distant and wants to preserve the memory of her mother. She is also worried about her father’s condition and helps him when he allows it. To avoid watching her childhood home and her father fall into neglect, she places an ad for a housekeeper. Her father is angry about this, just as he now grumbles about everything and nothing seems good enough for him. He sends all the applicants away without even considering them, but at first he can do nothing to stop the determined Gisela Rückert. She simply lets herself into the house and starts cleaning. Still, he throws her out, which is the last straw for his daughter. She threatens to claim her own statutory share of the inheritance too unless he apologizes to Gisela and brings her back. Reluctantly, Georg gives in and lets his daughter drive him to Gisela’s. He grows thoughtful when he sees the social circumstances in which Gisela and her son live. He feels he ought to help her make more of her life than just going around cleaning houses. First, though, she helps him, getting him to meet up with an old school friend and even attend a class reunion. There he realizes that he seems to be stuck in an endless loop of his daily routine. With Gisela’s help, he manages to change that, and gradually develops a fatherly concern for her. He also finds it easier to connect with her son when he learns that the boy’s father is dead and his mother has to cope with everything on her own. However, he now has to hear some truths about himself that he finds hard to take. The same is true of his children, who try to make him understand that he destroyed their family. His company always mattered more to him, and he was forever telling them that without him and his money they would have been nothing. He still resents his son for not joining the family business. However, Gerd’s current job as a private investigator comes in handy. Georg hires him to check out his housekeeper’s new male acquaintance. Gisela has forbidden him to meddle in her private affairs, just as he himself would wish, but Georg senses that the man is not what he claims to be. Working together brings Georg and his son closer again. Georg is impressed by Gerd’s professionalism. It turns out that the supposed nuclear physicist is actually just a caretaker, using his story only to pick up women. Gradually, Georg Weiser finds his way back into life, thanks to his housekeeper, who has made him realize that life may be just a little more complex than he wants to admit. He makes peace with his children and pays both of them a large part of their inheritance, having realized that they need the money now, not only after he is dead. He puts Brigitte’s grave in order by removing the artificial turf and hiring a gardener to look after it. He sells his company and sets off on a trip in a motorhome.