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He appears to be a subtle, intelligent embodiment of (German) Swissness. He is the only popular Swiss intellectual. But does that mean we really know Peter Bichsel, our modern folk writer? Peter Bichsel is an expert on Paris, but has never been there himself. In this film, he ventures on a journey. It takes him to room 202 at the Hotel Gare de l'Est in the station of the same name, but no further.
Status
Released
Original Language
DE

Mathias Gold is a down-on-his-luck New Yorker who inherits a Parisian apartment from his estranged father. But when he arrives in France to sell the vast domicile, he's shocked to discover a live-in tenant who is not prepared to budge. His apartment is a viager—an ancient French real estate system with complex rules pertaining to its resale—and the feisty Englishwoman Mathilde Girard, who has lived in the apartment with her daughter Chloé for many years, can by contract collect monthly payments from Mathias until her death.

Nine years later, Jesse travels across Europe giving readings from a book he wrote about the night he spent in Vienna with Celine. After his reading in Paris, Celine finds him, and they spend part of the day together before Jesse has to again leave for a flight. They are both in relationships now, and Jesse has a son, but as their strong feelings for each other start to return, both confess a longing for more.