Eher geht ein Kamel durchs Nadelöhr

‘You’ll have to spend 43,000 euros a day for the rest of your life,’ says Federica, a notary, as she calculates the value of the inheritance that the woman is considering giving away to free herself from her feelings of guilt. The woman in her thirties, who spent her childhood in Italy before the family of five – factory owners – moved to Paris due to fears of kidnapping, feels as though she cannot breathe. Her career as a playwright is modest, her boyfriend—the son of a factory worker—is perpetually in a foul mood, her sister hates her, her mother stands aloof from it all, and her father is dying. Actress Valeria Bruni Tedeschi’s autobiographically inspired, melancholic yet comic directorial debut is reminiscent of Woody Allen’s work (here, the psychoanalyst is replaced by a priest). With its daydreams, childhood memories and animated sequences, it creates a charmingly lively atmosphere. (S.Z.)