Golden Years

Alice and Peter are celebrating their retirement – and with it, a new phase in their lives. However, shortly after the couple's retirement party, a sudden tragedy befalls Alice's best friend Magalie. Peter, sympathetic to the suffering of Magalie's widower, Heinz, invites him on the retirement cruise their children gave them. Alice had hoped this trip would infuse fresh life into their marriage, but instead of enjoying their time together, they find themselves drifting further apart. Disappointed and hurt, Alice doesn't reboard the cruise ship during a shore excursion and instead embarks on a journey of self-discovery, taking her across Southern Europe and bringing her into a community of older people finding joy outside traditional notions of gender, marriage, and the later years of one's life. Barbara Kulcsar (The Two of Us, Blush) directs from a screenplay by Petra Volpe (Heidi, The Divine Order), skillfully balancing drama and comedy in an affectionate story of an older couple.