Dürrenmatt: Eine Liebesgeschichte is an intimate homage to the thinker, author, painter and man who was Friedrich Dürrenmatt. The film focuses on the little-known love story between Dürrenmatt and his wife Lotti Dürrenmatt-Geissler. For 40 years, the two were joined at the hip: he wouldn’t write nor go to rehearsals without her. After Lotti’s death, Dürrenmatt went through a serious crisis that he overcame only thanks to a new love. His sister, Verena (91) and his children, Peter (66) and Ruth (64), who speak publicly about their father for the first time, also knew his secret: for Dürrenmatt, humor was the only way to overcome the distance he felt between him and a world that he had trouble to putting up with. But according to him, since there way no way to cheat death, you might as well go out laughing instead of angry.

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It’s no surprise that Sabine Gisiger is the director of Dürrenmatt – Eine Liebesgeschichte: In her last movie Yalom’s Cure she approached the psychiatrist and best selling author Irvin D. Yalom with the same kind of sensitivity. In both films there is a fascination, admiration and curiosity for a great intellectual, while at the same time Gisiger creates an atmosphere that allows intimate insight into Dürrenmatt’s professional and personal life. Careful research produces various archival material and makes sure the audience gets a lot of background information. The documentary is captivating and enriching – especially for those already charmed by the man’s personality and interested in the story of his life.