(Germany/2006/Stefan Krohmer)

An unmarried couple in their late 40's, Miriam and Andre are vacationing in Andre's century-old cottage along the Baltic coast of Germany, where they are joined by his teenage son Nils and his precocious pre-teen guest Livia.

What begins as a breezy summer idyll soon turns into a taut thriller in which director Stefan Krohmer precisely dissects contemporary German angst about age, sex and class. Martina Gedeck (The Lives of Others) gives a stunning performance as a mature woman who is unexpectedly overwhelmed with passion when Livia initiates a friendship with a handsome German-American stranger from a nearby cottage. Soon afterwards, every off-kilter detail of Miriam's behavior links a chain of events that will suddenly and surprisingly change all their lives. (97 min.)

"A deceptively leisurely film with a heart of ice." -Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com