Back home

Golden Years

12 votes

Producing House

A newly retired couple embarks on a cruise, but they find themselves drifting further apart. When things don’t go as planned, they learn to evolve their relationship in this affectionate comedy about self-discovery and developing new ways to spend one’s golden years.

movie

Status: Released

Released Date: 2022-11-17

Runtime: 91 mins

Director: Barbara Kulcsar

Writer: Petra Biondina Volpe

Spoken language: Deutsch, English

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Original title: Golden Years

Production Companies: Zodiac Pictures, Claussen+Putz Filmproduktion, SRF, SRG SSR, ZDF, Blue Entertainment, Frontal, Frontal21

Production Countries: Switzerland, Germany

Reviews

B

Brent_Marchant
Retirement is supposed to be one of those times of life that we eagerly look forward to. Having the free time to do what we want, when we want, is thought to be liberating and thoroughly enjoyable. But, for some, the transition from full-time working life to full-time leisurely living can be challenging, especially in the relationships of long-partnered couples, as seen in this latest feature outing from director Barbara Kulcsar. When Peter Waldvogel (Stefan Kurt) retires from his job of 37 years, his wife, Alice (Esther Gemsch), looks forward to spending more time with him, growing closer and falling in love all over again, a process she hopes will begin with a Mediterranean cruise. But Peter is unsettled and restless, not sure what to do with himself. And, when a family friend suddenly dies, he becomes obsessed with his own mortality and well-being, so much so that it becomes irritating to Alice. She wants to enjoy life with her husband traveling, meeting new people and having new experiences. Those plans get thwarted at seemingly every turn, however, even when it comes to embarking on the cruise, developments that drive a widening wedge between Peter and Alice and threaten the very foundation of their marriage. Is this what retirement is supposed to be about? Alice doesn’t think so, and these ever-intensifying circumstances push the couple to take a hard look at what their future will hold. In addressing this issue, the film presents a refreshingly honest take on what can emerge in the golden years of life, a time of transformation but not necessarily one that emerges in the form that we might have envisioned. Admittedly, some elements of the picture are rather predictable, but then there are also numerous twists and turns that take the story in unexpected directions. The film also would have benefitted from better audio quality (a growing problem with many releases these days) and a score that doesn’t sound like it was plucked from a 1980s Neil Simon movie. However, the performances of this offering’s fine ensemble cast, its beautiful cinematography of European locales, and its delightful and sometimes edgy humor make this romantic comedy-drama an enjoyable watch, now available online and in limited theatrical release. Undoubtedly, we’d all like for our golden years to live up to their hoped-for luster, and, if we approach them realistically, they truly can, as long as we provide the necessary spit and polish to make that happen.
2024-07-03

Recommendations

2LDK
3.4

2LDK

2003-04-11

Hoping to land a role, two Japanese actresses begin a fight within their apartment that keeps escala

22 July
3.5

22 July

2018-10-04

On 22 July 2011, neo-Nazi terrorist Anders Behring Breivik murdered 77 young people attending a Labo

Beverly Heights
4

Beverly Heights

2024-06-19

Young actress Marci, who stars as a cheerleader in the hit television series Beverly Heights is seen

Loss of Balance
3.8

Loss of Balance

2025-05-09

Even though Maja has devoted her entire life to acting, she does not believe in herself and her abil

SelfTape
0

SelfTape

2024-09-13

Triggered by a paparazza's "photomugging" assault and then with that same paparazza as her guide, a

Unmoored
4.3

Unmoored

2024-12-13

A Swedish TV presenter finally confronts her domineering husband about serious accusations made agai

Belinda
0

Belinda

1972-10-25

This film-within-a-film spins out the events and episodes leading to the death of a skinflick star.

My Dear Protégé
0

My Dear Protégé

2026-10-16

An ambitious young actress forms a creative and emotional bond with her mentor, a visionary but mani

Decaf & Cigarettes
0

Decaf & Cigarettes

2023-08-10

A vignette in which two friends, both actresses, meet in a bar to have a nice time together. They ar

Mater Mortis
0

Mater Mortis

2021-01-25

Mater Mortis is a short narrative film that asks what the limits of family bonds are under the weigh

When Dogs Bark
0

When Dogs Bark

After his father’s lambs are brutally slaughtered, an intellectual son returns to his widowed father

In Black and White
0

In Black and White

1951-01-01

An attempted evocation of the tradition of British printing, in a series of dramatised impressions:

Rendezvous in Wien
1

Rendezvous in Wien

1936-04-29

Gusti Aigner and Franz Lenhardt are in love, but composer Lenhardt is too shy and bashful to go out

Manja Valewska
2.5

Manja Valewska

1937-05-06

A romantic melodrama set in 19th-century Russia: magnificent uniforms, dashing officers, glittering