Winter sleepers = Winterschlafer

Tykwer’s elaborately designed second feature, which preceded his commercially successful ‘Run Lola Run’ (1998), is set in a ski village in a remote province in southern Germany. The plot follows the various threads that connect the confused lives of two couples in their thirties. Theo, a projectionist in the local theatre, steals a car belonging to lovers Rebecca and Marco and takes it for a joyride. He collides with the car of a local farmer gravely injuring his daughter, but due to a short term memory loss, leaves the scene without helping the injured girl or her family. Later he becomes involved with Laura, a nurse, who has been taking care of the girl. Both couples are rootless and without ambition or drive, and Tywker uses the time allowed by his elliptical narrative to compare and contrast the two relationships on display. He deploys stylistic formalism to make connections between what are essentially shallow characters. Their incompatibilities are underpinned by the use of colour-coding, while the repeated use of lap dissolves sets up unexpected connections between them. Cast includes Floriane Daniel, Heino Ferch, Ulrich Matthes, Marie-Lou Sellem and Josef Bierbichler. In German with English subtitles.