Inga Lindström: Das Herz meines Vaters (2009)

Clara Jakobsen is a passionate sailor who has already won regattas. Lately, she has been working as an assistant at her father Mats’s boatyard, but she still lacks the sense of duty one would hope for. She is in a relationship with Lars, the chief designer, and they plan to marry soon. Mats has a heart condition, but no one knows about it except his doctor, Professor Markson. His only chance of being saved would be a donor heart, which he categorically refuses. When Clara sets off to visit her best friend Ellen and her goddaughter Emma, her car stops because, once again, she has forgotten to refuel. David Frederiksson happens to ride by on his motorcycle and helps her. She likes him immediately. Later, when Clara is back at the boatyard, she runs into David again. To her surprise, she discovers that her father has bought a fancy vintage car and hired David as his chauffeur. What she doesn’t know is that David is actually a cosmetic surgeon who left his job after a patient died during an operation because the anesthesiologist made a mistake, and David took responsibility for it. He is now supposed to look after Mats in secret, making his remaining time as pleasant as possible. Ellen sees Lars secretly meeting Maja Lund, a motorboat manufacturer. When they meet later at her company, he asks her not to tell Clara about it. Clara happens to run into David in town when she has to buy new shoes because the heel on one of her shoes has broken. David gives her thoughtful advice. That evening, a big party is held for Clara’s birthday, which is the next day. As a huge surprise, Mats gives her the company. But she feels overwhelmed and already knows that she won’t be able to sail in regattas anymore. Later, as she stands alone at the boat pier, lost in thought, David joins her, and Clara pours her heart out to him. Just before they kiss, Ellen and Lars arrive to toast her birthday with her and watch the fireworks together. The next day, David meets Professor Markson in Stockholm to talk about Mats. Clara is also in Stockholm because she wants to buy a new dress. Meanwhile, Lars meets Maja Lund again, and it becomes clear why: he wants to arrange a merger between the two boatyards. David spots Clara’s car outside a boutique and goes in. He confidently helps her choose the right dress. Afterward, they go to the cinema together, where they kiss for the first time. Wanting to be alone together afterward, they go to David’s apartment and sleep together. Back home, Clara first goes to Ellen and tells her about it. Ellen advises her to listen to her heart. The next morning, when Clara goes into Lars’s office, an email arrives. Curious, she checks it. It is from Maja Lund, and Clara now knows what Lars is planning. When she tries to talk to her father about it, he suffers a heart attack. She is astonished to see David administer first aid and take Mats to the hospital. Now she is completely confused and no longer knows what to believe or what to do. She talks it over with Ellen, who again advises her to follow her feelings and also says that Lars would have been the wrong man for her. When Clara goes back to the hospital to see her father, she runs into Lars. She confronts him about the merger and makes it clear that she doesn’t want it either. Lars says he could influence Clara by telling her lies about David, but she doesn’t take the bait. Henrike Persson, David’s former boss, visits him at his new workplace because she wants him to return to her clinic. He makes it clear to her that this is no longer an option. As she is leaving, she happens to run into Clara. Henrike asks Clara what she is doing there. When Clara realizes who she is, she asks whether it’s true that David was responsible for the patient’s death, as Lars claimed. Henrike denies it and explains what really happened. Afterward, Henrike speaks to David and tells him how disappointed she is in him. Then she sends him away. Once Clara realizes that her father will only survive in the long term with a donor heart, she goes to Professor Markson, where she runs into David again. But the professor cannot help her either, because he has to respect the patient’s wishes. When she goes to visit her father at the hospital afterward, he is no longer there. He has discharged himself and gone to his boat to recuperate. There, an argument breaks out with Lars when Mats confronts him about the secret merger talks. Lars insults David, and the two get into a fight. Clara arrives and takes David’s side, whereupon Lars gives up. Mats then tells his daughter that he has now decided to put his name on the transplant list after all. Together, they sail away.