Südsee, eigene Insel (1999) Reviews

In this satire on office intrigue and middle-class status seeking, Albert (Herbert Knaup) is a ordinary middle-aged finance executive with a wife, Sabine (Andrea Sawitzki), a teenage daughter, Sandra (Alexandra Maria Lara), and a fine home in an upscale suburb of Munich. Just before Albert is about to take his family on a vacation in the South Pacific, his company is put under investigation for fraud, and suddenly a hold is put on his credit card, leaving him stranded at home. However, neither Albert nor his family want the neighbors to know what happened, so they leave their house as if going to the airport anyway, and then sneak back home to hide in the basement for the next two weeks. Able to sneak out only under cover of darkness, Albert discovers his neighbor, Helmut (Ben Becker), is after his job, which will give him plenty to think about when he's not busy trying to drain out the basement after it floods. Suedsee, Eigene Insel was the first theatrical feature from director Thomas Bahmann, who was previously noted for his televsion work. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi