Der Alte Affe Angst (2003)

Distributed internationally as Angst, Oskar Röhler’s brooding German drama Der Alte Affe Angst (2003) chronicles the uncertain romance between a film director and a pediatric doctor. Initially Robert (Andre Hennicke) and Marie (Marie Bäumer) enjoy a close and happy relationship, but when Robert’s father dies, the director finds it difficult to keep his sanity intact. Embarking on a series of passionate encounters with prostitutes, Robert predictably elicits the ire of his doctor girlfriend, creating friction that threatens their relationship. It’s too bad that Röhler’s hero can’t figure out a way to have his cake and eat it too––with Bäumer showing skin at home, and courtesans played by Catherine H. Flemming, Eva Habermann, and Susanne Sachße seeing to his needs elsewhere, the protagonist would appear to be sitting pretty.