Ich will (k)ein Kind von Dir (2016)

Orthopedic surgeon Philipp Eichhorn recently took over his father’s thriving medical practice and lives with his wife, Anna, in Berlin-Kreuzberg. The couple regularly takes their young niece Isabella to the playground. Philipp’s desire to have a child of his own keeps growing. His parents have brought little Uma into their lives as a substitute granddaughter through the “Wish Grandma” agency, which leaves Philipp with a bitter aftertaste. But Anna, who is close to completing her doctoral dissertation and hopes to become a professor at the Institute of English Studies in Leipzig, sees having a child as the end of her career. At the beginning of their relationship, she and Philipp agreed to remain childless. Now she insists on that agreement. By chance, Philipp runs into his ex-wife Katharina, who now has a five-year-old daughter. For a brief moment, he hopes he might be the girl’s father. But since he and Katharina separated more than six years ago, that hope is dashed. The subject continues to occupy him, though, and he brings it up again when he talks with Anna that evening. When Anna then confesses that she would have to move to Leipzig if the committee chooses her, Philipp’s last hope is shattered. At her university, Anna repeatedly sees the difficulties faced by students who are already mothers and how hard they have to work to balance their studies and family life. She is also marked by having had to care for her younger sister after their mother died young. This further strengthens her resolve not to bring a child into the world, even though Philipp longs with all his heart to be a father. The couple’s conflict is, of course, no secret to their circle of friends, and everyone has some good advice. The pros and cons seem evenly balanced. The fact that this is increasingly becoming the main topic of conversation between them does nothing to make living together easier. Philipp even considers giving up smoking, because various cigarette packets warn that smoking can cause impotence and damage sperm. As he wonders how he might change Anna’s mind, she shocks him by suggesting that he get a vasectomy. That would settle the question of children once and for all. This is the start of a fierce marital quarrel. Mutual accusations—that each partner is putting their own needs ahead of the other’s—drive Philipp and Anna further and further apart. As a result, Philipp arranges to meet Katharina one evening, while Anna, out with her friend Vanessa, entertains the flirtatious advances of a complete stranger. The next day, Philipp does try to make peace with Anna by bringing her a bouquet of flowers, but ultimately sleeps on the sofa because Anna has not forgiven him for trying to trick her by making holes in a condom. Anna’s world, however, falls apart when she discovers she is pregnant. She wants to terminate the pregnancy without telling Philipp. Vanessa thinks this is wrong and informs him. Philipp cannot convey his joy to Anna, who stubbornly maintains that she does not want a child. As a result, the couple live separately for a while. Since Philipp has to accept that Anna intends to have an abortion, he asks if he can drive her to the doctor so he can at least say goodbye to his child in his heart. He assures her that if, for any reason, she changes her mind and decides to keep the child, he will be there for her and the child completely. Philipp has already discussed with his father that, in that case, he would take over the practice again for two years. Anna gets out of the car, saying she is sorry, and disappears into the house. When she comes back after a while, she smiles in a way that tells Philipp she has decided to keep the child. They fall into each other’s arms. Many months later, Philipp is at the playground with his son when Anna hurries toward her husband and son, saying that the train from Leipzig was delayed and that she just wanted to be with them at last.