Zimmer mit Frühstück (2000)

After 30 years of a childless marriage, banker Klaus leaves his wife, Elisabeth, for Cindy, a 24-year-old model who is expecting his child. In a secret, hurried getaway, he flees with his lover to Sydney. Elisabeth is initially stunned, but he informs her of his decision from abroad by fax. Since she was financially dependent on him during their marriage, she is forced to provide for herself. Against the advice of her friend Marion, Elisabeth turns her Munich apartment in an old building into a guesthouse, renting out rooms and offering breakfast. Gradually, five lodgers move in: Mara, a single mother and psychology student; Zoe, an 18-year-old radio intern; Wolf, a business administration student; Johannes, a professor of archaeology; and Michael, an unpredictable saxophonist. Living with these very different personalities disrupts Elisabeth’s previously orderly daily life and brings a host of challenges and encounters, which she handles in an almost maternal way and which provide ample distraction from the failure of her marriage. She also begins an affair with Michael, who is much younger than she is. At the same time, Johannes develops feelings for her. The guesthouse, however, proves financially unsuccessful. Elisabeth realizes that the rental income barely covers her expenses and tries unsuccessfully to improve her situation by selling valuables and taking a job at a beauty salon. When she finds Michael and Mara together in bed, she throws them both out and decides to sell the apartment, using the proceeds to open a flower shop and pursue a steady job. When Klaus unexpectedly returns and regrets their separation, Elisabeth is initially torn between her former life and the new one she has found. In the end, however, she realizes that she and Klaus no longer have a future together and chooses Johannes.