Home for the Weekend

At the request of his mother Gitte, Marko (Lars Eidinger), who has been living in Berlin for years, travels to visit his parents (Corinna Harfouch, Ernst Stötzner) in the countryside. However, his hopes for a quiet weekend with his family are not fulfilled. Unexpectedly for everyone, Gitte reveals that she is well again after a long period of mental illness. Marko is the only one who agrees to her request to treat her as a full member of the family from now on, thereby upsetting the balance of his parents' seemingly well-established relationship. With an ensemble of top-class actors, director Hans-Christian Schmid tells the story of how a family breaks apart and finds new ways of relating to each other within a few days in “What Remains.” The film impresses with its subtle staging and dense dialogue scenes that gradually reveal the characters' suppressed conflicts. The result is an authentic, painfully accurate panorama of the German educated middle class that leaves a lasting impression and impresses with the outstanding performances of its leading actors. “Was bleibt” is Schmid's third collaboration with screenwriter Bernd Lange, following his award-winning films ‘Requiem’ (2006) and “Sturm” (2009). The precisely observed family drama celebrated its premiere in the competition program of the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival.