Seitensprung (2014)

Fiona is a career woman and a mother who uses her organizational skills to manage everyday life and generally has everything under control. But by chance, she discovers that her husband, Ben, got their neighbor Julia pregnant after a one-time fling. He kept it from Fiona for eight months. To him, it was a slip-up, and he would pay child support. Fiona doesn’t see it that way, though, and calls a family meeting. Using a presentation, she explains to her children and her mother that Ben and Julia had “sexual intercourse” and that they are expecting a little half-sibling. Julia is now going to move in with them so Ben can show that he can be a responsible husband and father. At least, that is how Fiona’s happy-family plan goes. Since Julia’s musician boyfriend, Dennis, also comes and goes, the household takes on a shared-flat feel. From then on, the house hosts prenatal classes and band rehearsals. Fiona’s mother smokes marijuana, so her daughter Paulette tries it too, and Fiona has to pick her up from school while she is stoned. Family conflicts come to light that are connected to Fiona’s successful working life. Paulette complains that her mother Fiona “isn’t even there when she’s there.” So Fiona tries to change that: she stays home, watches the band rehearsals, and even jumps on a trampoline, breaking her arm in the process. She reconnects with her family and with Ben, too. In the end, she also takes Julia to the hospital and is there for the birth of little Oskar. But immediately afterward, she has to give an important presentation at work. There, she opts for a highly unconventional but humane presentation. Her enraged boss then puts her on leave, and she retreats to a friend’s place. It turns out, however, that her presentation went over very well with the business partners in attendance, and her boss begs her to come back. She uses this opportunity to demand a higher salary. The film ends with a little performance by Fiona’s family, who want Fiona to come back so they can be a normal family again. Fiona replies, “Okay.”