The Good Life

Duty-bound to visit his ageing godfather, Heinrich Brodersen heads off for a long weekend in the snow-covered Black Forest, where the two men have arranged to meet in the stylish Hotel Schwarzwaldhof. Brodersen arrives before his godfather, enjoys the good food and the unconventional sessions and after-dinner discussions led by Dr Zephalus, the in-house therapist. The remoteness of the setting leads the hotel guests to be more open and communicative than usual, and soon Brodersen finds himself caught up in a close web of life stories. Though they all appear idiosyncratic at first, they reveal serious and reflective attitudes to life and, above all, to the core question of how to live a good life, if indeed such a thing is possible. Aloof at first, Bordersen is quickly drawn into a maelstrom of emotions wherein he confronts his own past, his lost loves and missed opportunities. Everything about his apparently well-ordered life suddenly seems up for grabs.