Kuckucksjahre (1967)

The plot centers on everyday observations of the predominantly young protagonists. Hans, a bon vivant and idler, drifts through life but no longer takes pleasure in experiences guided by hedonistic thinking. The successful Ardy serves only temporarily as Hans’s idol. Petra plans to leave Hans if he wants to give up his dolce far niente lifestyle. Sybille loves both Hans and Ardy. Ardy leaves his girlfriend Diane and goes away with Astrid. In his moments of searching for meaning, even the older generation—for instance, his mother, a doctor, and the philosopher Ernst Franken—cannot answer Hans’s questions in his search for meaning. So, during his “cuckoo years,” Hans begins to draw on his own experiences to find a guiding principle for his future life as a journalist.