The German title of 'Relativity' translates as 'My End. Your Beginning', which would be more appropriate both in terms of the film's plot and two of the main characters' names. It opens with scenes featuring Nora (Saskia Rosendahl) and Aron ('Nora' spelled backwards) (Julius Feidmeier) enjoying being in love, before their tranquility comes to a shattering end with Aron's death during a bank robbery. For the rest of the film Nora has to deal with her loss, while there are also several flashbacks - running backwards through time - showing different incidents in her romance with Aron.
Flashbacks also abound - although this time, running forwards through time - in the parallel story of Natan (the pleasingly solid Edin Hasanovic), a young father whose daughter Ava has leukemia, the treatment for which is far beyond his financial means. (Because I had not captured Nora's name before Ava was introduced into the plot, I thought for much of the film that scenes featuring Ava were of Nora's childhood, which gave the scenes between Nora and Natan an added dimension presumably not intended by director/writer Mariko Minoguchi!)
All these flashbacks could be confusing, but they do actually work quite nicely as odd things that happen in early sequences are explained later in the film. Certainly they are not half as jarring as Nora's sudden transformation, toward the end of the film, into gun-totin' revenge heroine, although thankfully that does not last long. With competent, non-flashy acting from the three leads, this was an enjoyable film.
Flashbacks also abound - although this time, running forwards through time - in the parallel story of Natan (the pleasingly solid Edin Hasanovic), a young father whose daughter Ava has leukemia, the treatment for which is far beyond his financial means. (Because I had not captured Nora's name before Ava was introduced into the plot, I thought for much of the film that scenes featuring Ava were of Nora's childhood, which gave the scenes between Nora and Natan an added dimension presumably not intended by director/writer Mariko Minoguchi!)
All these flashbacks could be confusing, but they do actually work quite nicely as odd things that happen in early sequences are explained later in the film. Certainly they are not half as jarring as Nora's sudden transformation, toward the end of the film, into gun-totin' revenge heroine, although thankfully that does not last long. With competent, non-flashy acting from the three leads, this was an enjoyable film.