GOETHE-CINEMA: THE BICYCLE

Family Affairs

Monthly thematic film series by the Goethe-Institut Ottawa highlighting films from Germany presented at the University of Ottawa (Hamelin Hall, 70 Av. Laurier East):

The Bicycle
Das Fahrrad
Director: Evelyn Schmidt
Germany (GDR) | 1982 | 90 min.
With: Heidemarie Schneider, Anke Friedrichs, Roman Kaminski, Heidrun Bartholomäus

Susanne, a single mother in her late twenties, lives a monotonous life. Every morning she takes her daughter Jenny to kindergarten. Afterwards, she pursues an unsatisfying job as a punch press operator. In the evenings, there is housework and occasional trips to the disco with her old circle of friends. Frustrated by this monotony, Susanne quits her job without any perspective of what to do. On one of her disco nights, she meets engineer Thomas (Roman Kaminski), who falls in love with her. New problems come her way: daughter Jenny falls ill, a suitable new job cannot be found and she gets into financial difficulties. In her distress, Susanne reports her bike stolen. An amateurish insurance scam that doesn’t go undetected for long… – Quelle: DEFA Stiftung