ARD and ZDF: Birthday honors – Senta Berger shines in the marriage drama "At his side"

Arte and ZDF honor Senta Berger with a marvelously played marriage drama about a woman who is stunted in the shadow of her husband.

Behind every great man there is a strong woman who keeps his back free: Seldom has a film implemented this insight as consistently as the marriage drama “At his side”, which Arte and ZDF show in honor of Senta Berger May 2021 eighty years old; a number that is hard to believe.

The film could also be called “In his shadow”: Charlotte was once a talented pianist. Although she did not win a prize in a piano competition, she found great love with the conductor Walter Kler (Peter Simonischek). Since then she has consistently subordinated her own life to his: thanks to Walter’s world fame, the couple has spent the last few decades on almost every continent. Now the two have returned to Munich to finally settle down in their old age. Charlotte looks forward to spending a lot of time with her daughter and granddaughter. When she found out by chance that her husband is toying with an engagement in New York, her apparently limitless patience is at an end.

“At his side” (Arte / ZDF): Honor for Senta Berger

So that the film does not sink completely into dreariness, the script has added another important character to the story. As soon as the Kler couple have moved into their new domicile, a man stands in front of the door with a bucket: Martin Scherer (Thomas Thieme) has an unusual request. His recently deceased wife grew up in this house; As a grave, she wished for some soil from her childhood garden. The life-wise retired pool attendant and the wife of the prominent conductor live in completely different worlds.

Nonetheless, an emotional closeness soon develops, and now the drama comes to a topic that an audience that is significantly younger can pick up on: Charlotte has long felt that Walter has only seen her as a housekeeper and secretary; Martin, on the other hand, sees her and listens to her. On the return visit, he invites her to coffee and cake at his previous place of work in the outdoor pool; Senta Berger nuances are enough to convey that, for the first time in a long time, Charlotte is experiencing something that has nothing to do with her husband’s job. Walter, on the other hand, who, despite all his self-centeredness, does not escape the importance of the “cheesy emotionalism” for his wife, ensures that the annoying rival does not appear again.

“At his side” (Arte / ZDF) is a kind of “spin-off” of the crime series “Unter Verdacht”

“At his side” is Felix Karolus’ first feature-length film, and it is only surprising at first glance that ZDF has given this prestige project to a debutant. The screenplay, for which Karolus was supported by Florian Iwersen, is based on his multiple award-winning short film “Minuet” (2018), which has been classified as “Particularly Valuable” by the German Film and Media Assessment, and which basically tells the same story, but without the role of the conductor; here the main female character is widowed.

Apart from that, “At his side” is a kind of “spin-off” from the now discontinued ZDF crime series “Unter Verdacht”: In addition to the leading actress Senta Berger and other people behind the camera, Karolus was an assistant director for most of the episodes, Iwersen has various Written scripts for it, Wolfgang Aichholzer was responsible for the image design several times. In the married drama, the renowned cameraman ensures that the Klers’ house has a rather depressing atmosphere thanks to the gloomy furnishings (Verena Barros de Oliveira); no wonder that the swimming pool scene acts like a liberation.

The ensemble around Senta Berger shines in “At his side” (Arte / ZDF)

Despite the excellent work of all trades: the film owes its outstanding quality to the ensemble. The three main roles in particular are perfectly cast. Peter Simonischek has the right format for the maestro who hovers over the little things in life and does not even notice the price Charlotte pays for his success. Thomas Thieme, on the other hand, provides the widowed former competitive swimmer with quiet humor and a lot of empathy, and Senta Berger is one of the few actresses who just seem to have to look to captivate an audience.

The three young women are much more than just giving the cues: Antje Traue as Charlotte’s daughter, who to this day cannot forgive her mother for having to spend her childhood and youth in a boarding school; Marlene Morreis as Martin’s daughter, who resents her father for dating a new woman shortly after the funeral; and finally Laila Padotzke, of whom we will see a lot more, as an angry granddaughter who has no time for her grandmother because she wants to save the world.

“At his side” (Arte / ZDF) begins acoustically opulent

Music naturally also plays a special role. “At his side” begins acoustically opulent when Walter conducts the Piano Concerto No. 2 by Rachmaninoff in the Herkulessaal of the Munich Residence. The actual film music by Renzo Vitale, on the other hand, is much more economical, but always sets accents with gentle piano sounds. Vitale also composed the piano improvisation performed by Walter’s orchestral favorite; Petra Michelle Nérette also leaves a lasting impression as a future star pianist. (Tilmann P. Gangloff)