Im Sommer wohnt er unten (2015)

Matthi lives at his father’s expense with his girlfriend Camille and her son Etienne in the family’s vacation home in France, enjoying life “Matthi-style”: he smokes weed, drifts around the pool on an air mattress, and barely takes care of the house. His brother David arrives completely unexpectedly with his wife Lena, a week early, to spend their vacation there. David disapproves of Matthi’s lifestyle and seems to be his complete opposite: successful, grounded, and ambitious, he never misses a chance to rub that in the others’ faces. He acts like the man in charge of the house, reclaims his room from Matthi and Camille, and forces them to send Etienne to his biological father for the duration of his stay. As a result, not only does the atmosphere in the house turn icy, but Camille and Matthi’s relationship also suffers greatly. When Camille sees Matthi capitulating to his brother, she stands up to David and begins provoking him on several levels. Lena, who badly injures her foot and has to use crutches for the rest of the vacation, wants more attention from David. He not only often ignores her, but also forces her into the role of a dutiful, housebound wife. Completely fixated on having a child, Lena accepts this role until Camille plants doubts in her mind. As the women grow closer, the brothers also begin to reconnect and spend time together. When Matthi refuses to go sailing with David, Camille offers to go instead. She provokes David until he agrees. Left alone at the vacation house, Lena and Matthi are unsure what to make of their respective partners’ sudden urge to spend time together one-on-one. They talk, and Lena suggests that Matthi invest his inheritance from his grandmother in his dreams—he didn’t even know he had access to his share of the inheritance. Camille and David return visibly cheerful, not until close to midnight. The distance between Lena and David grows. Her husband is now not only giving the laid-back Frenchwoman more attention, but is also flirting with her. On top of that, David’s obsession with stock trading disgusts Lena. As if all that weren’t enough, David plans to go by bicycle with Camille to a vineyard; he is visibly unconcerned that his wife cannot come because of her injury. On the day of the bike trip, David once again chooses Camille and having fun with her over his wife, even though Lena is ovulating. When Lena, sexually frustrated and rejected, is alone with Matthi, she kisses him. He does not initially reciprocate her desperate affection, but then briefly joins her in making out in the pool. When Lena tells him that David is in debt, Matthi’s image of his perfect brother crumbles. While Matthi and Lena spontaneously set off to bring Etienne back, David and Camille return and find Lena’s bikini top in the pool. David now realizes that his marriage is in danger of falling apart. When Matthi and Lena arrive with Etienne, the situation escalates. David flies into an aggressive frenzy, convinced that everyone has conspired against him. He attacks Camille and Etienne and insults them both, calling them parasites. Matthi protects his family, prompting David to tell him that his life is a disgrace. Matthi confronts his brother about his debts, exposing David’s own shortcomings. After Lena firmly rejects him, David spends the night in the tree house. Matthi goes to talk to David there and offers him his share of the inheritance to pay off the debt. David turns down the offer. The next day, Lena leaves by taxi. David also sets off, despite his brother asking him to get some more rest. Camille and Matthi are left behind, and their relationship seems to have grown stronger.