Jurgen Kotschie is a construction engineer about to turn 50. The setting is a town in east Germany that is rife with geometric and sterile Bauhaus architecture. The lead-up for the big birthday party planned by his wife becomes enmeshed with Jurgen's spiraling mid-life crisis that is by turns both funny and dark. Some of the protagonist's comedic confrontations with today's technology are worthy of Jacques Tati. The film keeps the audience guessing at times with its ambiguous approach to reality, the view from inside of the Kotschie's breakdown.
This film is populated by interesting and surprising characters that add to its texture and depth. The cinematography features some breathtaking camera angles and perspectives, and gives attention to detail that finds big-screen beauty and mystery in the phenomena of the everyday. Writer-director Baumgarten includes some subtle nods to other filmmakers, including Alfred Hitchcock, Ingmar Bergman and David Lynch.
