Mondscheintarif (2001)

Berlin photographer Cora Hübsch is single and longs for true love, even though she knows that falling in love can be sheer hell. After spending a day at Wannsee lido with her best friend Jo and coming down with a bladder infection, she visits a doctor to get it treated. There she meets the attractive Dr. Daniel Hoffmann and falls in love with him. The two run into each other by chance at a funeral, where Daniel is accompanied by actress Carmen Koslowski. Although Cora thinks they are a couple, she summons her courage and gives Daniel her phone number. Unfortunately, he doesn’t call her over the next few days. As she waits, she imagines the worst and reconsiders her relationships with her ex-boyfriend, the clever Sascha, whom she met with a flirtatious line about a Don DeLillo novel, and her current best friend Big Jim, whose only real purpose is to convince her that love is pointless. But Daniel does call—just not Cora; he calls Jo. Cora had simply given him the wrong number. Although she wants to call him right away, she follows Jo’s advice and waits a few more days before arranging to have dinner at an Italian restaurant. After a few minor embarrassments, the date is a great success and ends with a kiss and a promise of another dinner together, this time at Daniel’s place. But the wait for that evening is hell for Cora all over again. Consumed by self-doubt and convinced she isn’t good enough for Daniel, she thinks she might as well hate him in advance so that the disappointment of not being to Daniel’s liking won’t hurt as much. But after some initial difficulties, this dinner is a success too. Eventually they kiss and exchange caresses, but just before they have sex, Cora’s phone rings. She had asked Big Jim to call her as a precaution, so she would have an excuse to leave if the date went badly. But she doesn’t need one now. Daniel wants to know who called, however, so Cora makes up a story about her grandmother suffering a hip fracture. As a doctor, Daniel naturally wants to help right away and spares no effort in trying to help Cora’s grandmother. Finally, at Steglitz Hospital, Cora admits that it was all a lie to avoid having sex with him, and Daniel angrily and disappointedly leaves her alone. Cora spends the next few days by herself. She sinks into self-pity, and none of her friends can cheer her up. Believing she has messed things up, she wants to apologize to him. But her plan to bump into Daniel somehow keeps failing, so she apologizes with a copy of the Saturday Night Fever: The Original Movie Sound Track. He accepts her apology, and the two plan to attend a party in the countryside. But Daniel’s Volvo breaks down, so they spend the night together at his apartment. In the rush of emotion, Cora tries to savor the impression she has after sex. Knowing that the last impression is always the one that lasts, she leaves while things are at their best. She leaves the sleeping Daniel a telling note and disappears happily into the night. But her happiness doesn’t last long: although Cora hopes Daniel will get in touch soon, there is no word from him. After several days of endless waiting, her last hope fades, and Cora finally decides to put her life in order. If Daniel doesn’t want her, she doesn’t want him either, and she decides to get rid of every reminder of her past failed relationships. On her way to the dump, she runs into Daniel, who is drowning his sorrows in the arms of Carmen Koslowski. But if Daniel is going to find happiness with another woman, Cora at least wants to know why he didn’t call her after their night together, so she follows them both to Daniel’s apartment. During their clarifying conversation, however, it turns out that she herself is to blame for the situation: after all, she was the one who left him that night. Besides, Carmen isn’t just some new love interest—she is Daniel’s sister. Nothing stands in the way of happiness for Daniel and Cora anymore, except perhaps a faulty Volvo that was supposed to take them on vacation before it broke down and had to be towed.