Zurück aufs Eis (2022)

Single mother and police officer Maren Brand lives with her daughter Amelie in Bad Tölz. Eight years ago, her former best friend Heike stole Maren’s husband from her. After that, Maren devoted herself mainly to raising their daughter, with whom she has a very close relationship. Now, as Amelie starts university and moves into the shared apartment of her new boyfriend Erik in Munich, leaving Maren alone at home, Maren’s mood noticeably worsens. She misses her familiar conversations with Amelie, and her daily patrol with her colleague Bernhard is one of the few constants left in her life. They are called to a dispute between a couple, where Bernhard suspects that the man is beating his wife. Maren isn’t convinced, because she has noticed inconsistencies in the man’s stories; she keeps running into him at her regular snack bar. Her friendship with Amelie changes, and Amelie takes some of her mother’s well-meant advice or gifts as interference in her life. Maren is very annoyed that Amelie wants to celebrate her birthday in Paris with Erik rather than with her mother. After Maren gets drunk with one of Amelie’s housemates and then has a fight with Amelie, her daughter accuses her of always shifting the blame onto others out of convenience. The next day, Maren embarks on an affair with her doctor, Dr. Huber, and is happy to have let herself get involved in something unexpected for a change. She even goes curling with him, where Heike is competing with her team to advance to the next round. When one of the players drops out, Maren joins in, as she did in the old days, but the team is eliminated after Maren falls. Later, when Heike tries to talk to her, Maren brushes her off. By now, Bernhard has found out that Maren’s suspicions about the couple’s dispute were right, and that the man is actually the victim of domestic violence. He manages to persuade the man to seek couples therapy, as Maren had already recommended. During a conversation with Huber, Maren suddenly realizes that Bernhard is actually her best friend. She clears the air with Erik, gives Heike a chance to repair their friendship, and reconciles with Amelie. Finally, she asks Bernhard to go with her to Paris, but he doesn’t want to take on the role of her comforter. Only when Maren, who has always driven the patrol car, offers him the wheel and breaks with her habits does he change his mind.