VINCENT WANTS TO SEA / VINCENT WILL MEER

Germany, 2010, 96 minutes, Colour.
Florian David Fitz, Karoline Herfurth, Heino Ferch, Katharina Muller- Elmau, Johannes Allmayer.
Directed by Ralf Huettner.

Vincent Wants to Sea is a more cheerful film than its synopsis might lead audiences to think. It focuses on a man in his twenties suffering from Tourette’s syndrome, bursting out with his tics and language unexpectedly. He is taken by his father to an institution where he shares a room with Alex, an obsessive who wants everything tidy and clean. They encounter a young woman, Marie, who has an eating disorder, unwilling to eat and the years of dieting affecting her heart.

One day the three of them escape the institution in a car. There are the various interactions, given their personalities and disorders. They also rob a service station. Vincent’s father, a prominent businessman, goes in pursuit of his son, always angry with him. The psychiatrist in charge of the young woman also goes to search for the runaways. These two clash – eventually catching up with the three, only to be deceived again as they take the psychiatrist’s car.

Vincent is taking his mother’s ashes to the sea, one of her wishes. As the film progresses, with the father explaining the background of Vincent and his growing up, the audience begins to understand the characters even better. There are some idiosyncratic scenes as well as some comic scenes. This includes the police in Italy arresting the father and the psychiatrist because of the report of the stolen car.

The film has a lot of alpine beauty as well as the trip to the sea. It was written by the leading man, Florian David Fitz.

1. The title? The reason for Vincent’s wanting to go to the sea? His mother? The ashes? The idiosyncratic title in English and German?

2. Germany, the 21st century, family relationships? The father, his being busy, his affluent connections? His taking Vincent to the institution? His hoping for some kind of cure? The psychiatrist, the institution, her management?

3. Vincent and his sharing the room with Alex, Vincent manifesting his Tourette’s syndrome? Alex his obsessions and compulsions? The encounter with Marie, her eating disorder? Vincent and his sharing the room with Alex and the difficulties?

4. The taking of the psychiatrist’s car? The three, the exhilaration? Alex and his worries about cleanliness? Vincent and the driving? Marie urging them on? The issue of money? The petrol, shoplifting, the pursuit?

5. The father, the phone call, learning about his son? His anger, confronting the psychiatrist? Her responses? The decision to pursue the trio? The information about the robbery? Their following the three, eventually catching up with them?

6. Vincent, passive, his descriptions of his disorder, the compulsions and the parallel with sneezing? Alex and Marie becoming more sympathetic? Their urging Marie to eat, her defensiveness? Alex, his worries about cleanliness, his gradual change?

7. The psychiatrist wanting her bag? Their taking the car? Escaping? The psychiatrist driving her own car, the father hot-wiring it? Their discussions, arguments, his contempt, her acknowledging what had happened? The police pulling them over, the interrogations about driving a stolen car? The motel, their discussions, tensions? Gradually beginning to understand each other?

8. The trio, the driving, Alex sitting on the mobile phone, the phone call, throwing the mobile out the window? The decision to climb in the alps? Sitting on the cross on top of the alps? A sense of freedom? Possibilities for change?

9. In the town, Alex and his shoplifting? His leaving them? Their coming to find him, the hotel, Vincent and his fight with Alex, the bleeding, Marie helping? The reconciliation between the three? At the water?

10. The father, knowing where his son was going, going to the sea, calling his son after the hotel’s name? Finding the son? His talk, some understanding, the effect of the psychiatrist’s criticism, his embracing his son? Not considering him a loser?

11. Their driving away, Marie and her illness, going to hospital? Alex and his staying?

12. Vincent wanting to get out of the car, going back to see Marie, being joined by Alex? No easy solution – but some hope for freedom, affirmation, friendship and support for the future?