Clara, 39, is taking a PhD in philosophy in Berlin. When she visits provincial Mecklenburg-Vorpommern for her mother’s birthday party, she has to face her family and former companions, and realizes how far she has moved away from her roots in her search for a self-determined life.

This portrait of a woman caught between her academic career in Berlin and rural East German roots radiates humor and empathy. Annika Pinske’s realist debut gives a refreshing take on mothers-daughters and intergenerational conflicts—confirming German cinema’s youthful, beating heart.