Sterne über uns (2019)

Single mother Mellanie Schneider has lost her apartment because she fell behind on the rent. This is a particular challenge, since she is currently on probation for a job as a flight attendant. Unable to find a suitable alternative at short notice, and with Cologne’s emergency shelter not an option either, she moves with her nine-year-old son, Ben, into a tent in the woods. Mellanie tries to find a new apartment quickly, both on her own and through the housing office and other agencies, but everywhere she is fobbed off, and private landlords are wary because of an entry on her credit record. Time is pressing, as Mellanie will soon be away for several days on a work trip. She calls all her friends to ask if they can take Ben in for that time, but gets turned down by everyone. To make sure she always looks smart and up to date at work, Melanie resorts to a trick: she buys new clothes, wears them for a short time, and then returns them to the store. She makes sure to leave the tags on the garments so that no one objects. She borrows money from a colleague. Ben is suffering because they are homeless: he is not allowed to tell anyone about it or even invite friends over. Mellanie is likewise reluctant to make new friends, so that no one will notice her predicament. One day, when Ben is feeling unwell, Mellanie cannot think of a good way out. She then visits her mother, who has dementia, at the nursing home, where she and her son can spend some time in the warmth. Thanks to a kind nurse, mother and son are also allowed to spend the night there. Ben’s teacher takes a liking to Mellanie, and the two arrange to spend a night together. This suits Mellanie, since she needs to stay on Martin Lauenstein’s good side: the youth welfare office has already noticed her and her homelessness, and will soon be asking about Ben’s well-being at school. If no solution is found, Ben could be taken into care because his welfare is considered to be at risk. Mellanie wants to prevent that at all costs and keeps coming up with new excuses. But the situation is becoming increasingly difficult, since Mellanie recently had to leave Ben alone for an entire day, and he even had to spend the night alone in the woods because her return flight from Paris was delayed. Mellanie blames herself and considers whether she should place her son with a foster family after all, until her housing problem is resolved and they can be a proper little family again. Ben is very unhappy about this and would rather stay with his mother. With a heavy heart, Mellanie says goodbye to her son and promises him that they will be apart only for a very short time. But the very next day, Ben runs away from school. When Mellanie hears the news, she knows immediately where to look for him, and finds Ben in the woods where her tent is. They fall into each other’s arms, overjoyed. The film’s ending is left open.