Ferien

Four generations of a family gather for the holidays in a country house in the Uckermark region. At first glance, everything seems idyllic, but the situation is fragile: the lady of the house, Anna (Angela Winkler), wants to sell the house, the relationship between her daughter Laura (Karoline Eichhorn) and her husband Paul (Uwe Bohm) is falling apart, Anna's mother is in poor health, and her daughter Sophie is causing further unrest. Taunts are the order of the day and conflicts erupt. The camera remains motionless and unmoved, showing images of nature alongside the family scenes: swaying treetops and the rustling of the wind in the leaves. Holidays marks a turning point in Arslan's cinema: he moves from the city to nature and, for the first time, uses mostly professional actors instead of amateurs. (B.K.)