Continuity

Torsten and Katja, married and middle-aged, silently prepare a festive reception at their home. They drive to the train station and pick up Daniel, a lanky young man in a Bundeswehr uniform who is waiting for them. Their meeting is awkward: The parents grow emotional while the son is increasingly distant and passive, uncertain and strange. At home, he doesn't return their affection, which makes them distraught and agitated with one another. Katja makes a last attempt to reach out to her son, caressing him passionately after he's gone to bed but he pretends to be asleep and she gives up.

The following day, Torsten and Katja are in their car again on the road to the train station. The mood between them is tense. They hardly speak. Another young man in a Bundeswehr uniform stands waiting at the same spot. He looks similar to his predecessor but is a little older, perhaps a bit more confident. The couple steps out of its car and gazes at the young man for a long time, growing emotional until he runs forward and they embrace. The meeting is more cathartic for the parents. This young man's hourly rate is more expensive perhaps – but he's also more responsive, more accommodating, and very eager to please. The money is well worth it.

At home, the second Daniel is a smashing success. He tells funny stories and helps with the dishes. He's also comfortable with his body and affectionate to both parents. Unfortunately this causes more friction and jealousy between the couple. By nightfall it's obvious they'll have to find someone else.

The following day, Torsten and Katja are in their car again on the road to the train station. A young man is waiting for them. He straightens up and throws his cigarette away as the car arrives.

Continuity begins as a straight-forward story of an emotional homecoming and grows more unusual with each successive rendezvous. It remains unclear whether the couple has suffered an actual loss – or if their ersatz son is just a way of staying together. A total of three different Daniels spend the night at the house. Each disappears under mysterious circumstances until we see them all in a ditch at the end – neither dead nor alive, neither in Germany nor in Afghanistan.

Filmgalerie 451