Commotion, action and calm: a family – complete with dog and cat – meets in a old apartment in Berlin.

Picture gallery

Siblings Karin und Simon visit their parents and their little sister Clara. Planned is a cozy evening at the family table, but first a bit of daily life needs to get done. Simon picks up grandma; Dad goes shopping with Clara; Mom slices onions in the kitchen; their uncle fixes the washing machine in the bathroom. What seems banal and mundane is actually very odd. Clara writes everything down – incorrectly – and screams whenever she feels like it, while those around her go about their business. Instead of walking the dog, Mom sits in a restaurant with a coffee and looks outside, while the dog sits sadly at front of the door and the family makes dinner at home.

The story may appear banal, but it’s all about the way it’s told. Carefully constructed bits of dialogue are expertly linked together in this debut by young Swiss director Ramon Zürcher. This, together with unusual framing, makes the movie extraordinary and well worth seeing.