2019 | 104 minutes
Johanna Moder
As the old saying goes, ‘no good deed goes unpunished.’ In an engaging variation on this theme, Johanna Moder’s drama revolves around two couples trying to do the right thing. Helene and Jakob, and friends Tina and Volker, are hip Viennese thirtysomethings enjoying a privileged, well-ordered lifestyle in Vienna. Things change when they find out that Pavel, a Russian classmate from their student days, needs help to escape from Russia where his dissident activities have stirred up trouble. Seeing the urgency of him having to emigrate to Austria, they decide to seize the opportunity and throw their support behind him. But what they initially perceive to be an altruistic adventure soon shakes the foundations of their lives and friendships. With the arrival of Pavel and his family, the disparities between the couples’ ideals and the way they actually lead their lives is revealed.