Whenthefilmbegins,itisalloverWeknowit’sterminal,andthat’sall,saysJulianeofhermotherKerstin,whoisingreatpainandabouttodieagedjust64Althoughtheyoungdoctorsheconsultsacknowledgesonapersonallevelthateveryonehastherighttomanagetheirowndeath,henonethelessremindsherthateuthanasiaisstillillegalinGermanyThisisevenmorethecaseattheCatholichospicewhereKerstinisstayingAsrelativescometosaygoodbyetohermotherandtheemotionsofmemoriesminglewiththeanticipationofgrief,Julianefindsherselfhavingtodobattlewithtime–unbending,apatheticandmonochrome–andthisissuperblyreflectedintheconvulsionsofthehandheldcamerainwideshots
Basedonpersonalexperience,JessicaKrummacher’ssecondfeaturefilmvividlyrelatesthepainfulstoryoflosingaparentThereisnoviolenceormorbidity,ratherthedirectordescribesthemostimportantofeventsviathesmallest,mostfragileofdetails–theexchangingofwords,textsandtendergesturesthatremainwithusandgetunderourskin
