Summer

Gertrud, a former actress, and Herbert, a retired member of parliament, took their two sons to their summer house. They have yet to come to terms with the unfamiliar state of retirement – they weren’t able to fulfill many of their dreams, although they invested so much time in their careers. Their sons, too, fell short of the expectations: Thomas scrapes by with bit parts on TV and in theatre; David is gay, and works as a teacher and occasional writer. Recently, David has fallen ill; he might – it is an unspoken assumption – die of Aids. It almost seems as if Getrud and Herbert are wishing for just that, as if his death would allow them the illusion of a long and rich life still before them. But Thomas and David ungently return their parents to reality.