Product Review

With high hopes, mousy Melanie dumps her boyfriend and leaves home to start her teaching career, armed with alternative methods and bright-eyed optimism. Soon enough, though, storm clouds begin to form: she's consistently tortured by rebellious students and rejected by her colleagues. There's no comfort in her personal life, either, as the loneliness of the big city begins to take its toll. Eager for some kind of companionship aside from the creepy Thorsten, the only co-worker her age, Melanie orchestrates a "chance meeting" with her attractive neighbor and begins to insinuate herself into her neighbor's life. Just like at work, her efforts at a social life fail spectacularly, and Melanie slowly dissolves into desperation and a final, unexpected act. Winner - Sundance Film Festival. In German with English subtitles.