Screening at Cinema by Velotel
Wilma grows up in the Lusatian lignite mining region, where she works as a machinist, electrician, and fruit expert. Her life seems orderly until she catches her husband naked with her best friend while cooking—an emotional shock that motivates her to make a radical new start: In her mid-40s, she boards a long-distance bus to Vienna and says goodbye to her old life. There, she gets by with odd jobs, even working as a streetwalker, and finds a connection in an alternative bohemian shared apartment. She cultivates friendships with a literature lecturer and an environmental activist, becomes a dance teacher, and teaches Chinese tourists the Viennese waltz. Between culture clashes, personal crises, and tender hopes, Wilma slowly regains her zest for life. In the end, it becomes clear that Wilma doesn’t just want to survive; she wants to overcome her past, start over, and above all, remain true to herself.
A wonderful, tragicomic film about self-discovery, new beginnings, and female strength.
The screening will be followed by a film discussion with director Maren-Kea Freese.
