Sterben

"Sterben" follows the very individual members of the Lunies family, who haven’t been a family for a long time. Lissy (Corinna Harfouch) is quietly happy about her demented husband Gerd (Hans-Uwe Bauer) slowly wasting away in a home. But her new freedom is short-lived: Diabetes, cancer and kidney failure mean that she doesn't have much time left either. Son Tom (Lars Eidinger), a conductor in his early 40s, is working on a composition called "Sterben", while at the same time being made the surrogate father of his ex-girlfriend’s child. And Tom's sister Ellen (Lilith Stangenberg) starts an affair with the married Sebastian (Ronald Zehrfeld), with whom she shares a love for alcohol. As Death finally turns up on the doorstep, the estranged family members finally meet again.

Matthias Glasner's family epic features an outstanding cast and performances by Lars Eidinger, Corinna Harfouch and other acting greats. It was awarded the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay at the 2024 Berlinale. Tender and brutal, absurdly funny and extremely sad, terribly bitter and sometimes surprisingly beautiful: "Sterben" is a film about the intensity of life in the face of death and transience.