Immer der Nase nach (2021)

Tanja, a window dresser in her early 50s, is facing new professional challenges as her assignments dry up because of the growing popularity of online shopping. Now her daughter Lisa is moving out to begin a new chapter of her life in a shared apartment. At the housewarming party, Tanja meets her ex-husband’s new love, which puts a bit of a damper on her mood. As she leaves, she runs into Nick, a free spirit who is considerably younger than she is. Tanja’s best friend Imke would love to set them up right away. And in fact, the two begin to feel some affection for each other. Professionally, Tanja has to make some changes. She enters a pitch competition for the youth fashion chain “New Born.” There she meets Alev, who turns out to be just what Tanja needs because of the online courses she offers. To keep up with the youthfulness required for her work, Tanja tries all kinds of things: she dances at a club, studies the target audience, and meets Nick to fish for scrap metal in the Spree. Unfortunately, she neglects the important people around her. She doesn’t realize that her daughter Lisa has lost her job and is urgently searching for meaning in life. Nor does she notice that her friend Imke needs someone to listen. Right now, almost everything in Tanja’s life revolves around herself. Tanja’s mother, Ellen, wants to put her affairs in order without interruption. Because of a misunderstanding, Tanja thinks her mother has terminal cancer. Eventually, Imke has had enough. In a dialogue she conducts with herself, she tells Tanja that their friendship is in ruins. Then she slaps Tanja and ends their friendship. Tanja realizes that she needs to change and make more of an effort to connect with the people around her. With Alev’s online know-how, she lands a small job with a pet shop and decides to work on the pitch together with Alev. At first, they can’t come up with a winning idea, so they try to find inspiration through hallucinogenic mushrooms. At the pitch itself, they improvise a mindfulness-based presentation and even manage to convince the business owners. Tanja eventually learns from her mother that she isn’t terminally ill; instead, she is planning a trip around the world, which is why she has been doing so much tidying and organizing lately. A week later, Ellen and her granddaughter Lisa set off on their trip together. Tanja tries once more to reach out to Imke, but Imke won’t let her. At the end, Tanja is seen sitting by the water. Nick, passing by, sits down beside her.