Mahlzeiten (1967)

Twenty-year-old photography student Elisabeth meets Rolf, a slightly older medical student, in Hamburg and falls in love with him at once. Everything he does fascinates her. She accompanies him to lectures and anatomy classes. The two of them feel as though they are in a romantic love story. It is not long before they marry and Elisabeth becomes pregnant. The young family moves into an attic apartment. Rolf works alongside his studies to support their life together. Elisabeth has a large circle of friends, who often come to visit. She particularly enjoys telling her guests how happy her marriage is. When Irina, one of her friends, condemns marriage, Elisabeth gently rebukes her. Soon Elisabeth becomes a mother for the second time. To feed their now larger family, Rolf is forced to give up his studies and throw himself fully into work. But he feels extremely unhappy in these circumstances. He needs a break and leaves his family. In Rotterdam, he finds a job as a laborer at a shipyard. His wages, however, are not enough for him to save any money. Shortly before the birth of their third child, he returns home. Elisabeth’s father provides financial support to the family. The fourth child is not long in coming, and soon the fifth is on the way as well. Rolf now works as a sales representative for a pharmaceutical company. But because he shows no particular aptitude for making personal connections, he is dismissed. His next job is with a cosmetics company. One day, the couple meet a Mormon missionary and become interested in his faith. In a river, the couple are baptized according to the Mormon rite. As time goes on, Rolf can no longer cope with his life. In a clearing in the woods, he pipes the exhaust fumes into his VW and dies. His widow mourns him as intensely as she had loved him. She now sees the meaning of her life in her love of fine art. At an exhibition, she meets Brian, an American who is a Mormon like her. Their friendship soon turns to love. After marrying him, she follows him to his homeland with her five children.