In Cinemas: Lara

In Jan-Ole Gerster's second film Victor (Tom Schilling) gives his mother Lara (Corinna Harfouch) a food basket. This is how humour works. Like an oath of revelation. Everything concentrates on one day (as in Gerster's debut "Oh Boy"). Lara turns sixty that day and Victor gives the most important piano concert of his career. Sounds like a day of joy - but on this day Lara tries to throw herself out of the window. All her life she worked in the administration of the city and all her life she despised this official job. That's why police officers of all people ring the doorbell while she tries to get everything over with. Lara's passion was always for music, but she gave up because of a single saying by her professor. Then everything went wrong. Her whole life is poisoned. Shortly before, Victor broke off contact with her. Before her sixtieth birthday, Lara is faced with the shards of her existence. Within the short time frame we learn more about Lara. Not that she is a person who reveals much of herself. But we notice: Lara is a control freak, manipulative and malicious. And yet she touches us! Because Lara is also full of haggard passion and intelligence! Then she makes the decision to buy all the remaining tickets for her son's concert. In her evening gown she sets off for the Berlin night. She gives the tickets to her old professor, her neighbour, her former colleague. She has no friends. Of course not. She has devastating words for everyone. Then she meets Victor before his concert, makes him so insecure with a single statement that we have to fear for him... And how did Lara become what she is? "When I think of the day of her first public appearance, I already regret her parents for the embarrassment. A sentence of her professor, whom he just said. As he tells her that evening. Lara had great talent.