Our monthly Goethe on Demand pick

Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne—what lies outside Germany’s metropolises? “City, Country, River—A Cinematic Journey Across Germany” is a new yearlong Goethe on Demand series exploring everyday realities in less known parts of Germany, with a new film offered every month.

 
In a quiet Brandenburg village, Markus, a master locksmith, is happily married to his childhood sweetheart, Ella. When a night out with his fellow volunteer firefighters gets out of hand, he wakes up the next day in another woman’s bed. Markus seeks comfort in Ella’s arms, but his longing for Rose becomes impossible to ignore. 

Longing won the Special Jury Award at the Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema, the Special Jury Award at the Warsaw International Film Festival, and Best Film & the FIPRESCI Jury Award at the Gijón International Film Festival.

Now streaming worldwide via Goethe on Demand, for free.

Sehnsucht
Dir. Valeska Grisebach
Germany, 2006
88 min.
With Andreas Müller, Ilka Welz, Anett Dornbusch