Following the wholesale warehouse rom-com In the Aisles (2018), German director Stuber continues to quench our thirst for feel-good cinema. When western and eastern winds meet, a road movie about two unusual friends emerges. And yes, it is also a response to the birthdays of moments and melodiousness of Wim Wenders’ Perfect Days (2023).

Hideo grieves as he gazes into the pond in his home garden. His reflection in the water transforms into Buschi, a man with Down syndrome who has lived his entire life without speaking. Buschi’s daily routine leaves no room for surprises. Seeking change, he seizes the chance to leave a group outing behind and joins a tour of Japanese tourists travelling through Germany. This unusual experience leads to a wordless friendship with Hideo – a man on a journey of his own.

Dubbed “one of the most sensitive observers of everyday German life”, Stuber unfolds a moving story about people separated by thousands of kilometres, several time zones and vastly different cultural contexts and experiences. At its heart is the familiar parable of the frog in boiling water and the dangers of gradual change. The life trajectories of the characters played by Aladdin Detlefsen and Kanji Tsuda are gradually “heated up.” The dramedy, honoured with the Best Actor award at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, opens a Buddhist perspective on the world around us and celebrates the poetry of everyday life and chance. With a deep bow to the genre poetry of American filmmaker Jarmusch and the yakuza films of Japanese director Kitano, Stuber builds a bridge between cultures, playfully weaving Japanese haiku and storytelling traditions into the fabric of European cinema.