"Von heute auf morgen" is a funny and moving documentary about four people who need to move to an old folks’ home.

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The experienced the war and rationing. They saw John F. Kennedy die on TV and listened to Willy Ritschard’s legendary speeches. They raised children, retired and lost their spouses. Now Anny Fröhlich, Monique Hofmann, Silvan Jeker and Elisabeth Willen are old and struggling with aches and pains. Their humble apartments and houses are the centers of their lives, where they are looked after by health care workers and family as well as possible. Until that’s no longer an option. But these four people have a hard time being convinced to move from their trusted environments into a room in an old folks’ home.

This documentary makes you want a more in-depth portrait of its subjects – but that would have meant a loss of proximity to them. Frank Matter risks a few boring patches to keep that closeness to his main characters. His unspectacular method is true to the documentary form, which doesn’t make things move along any faster. But the disarming openness of these people makes it all worthwhile, especially with the news – which doesn’t give too much a way – that they can all stay at home.