Top German actors Martina Gedeck (Mostly Martha) and Ulrich Tukur (The Lives of Others) star as mismatched potential lovers who come at human connection from opposite directions.

Helene misses the religious faith she had in her youth and atones somehow through a masochistic relationship with an abusive husband. Eduard is the leader of a philosophical movement and lives mostly in his head—also where his unusually obsessive porn addiction hangs out. It’s a master class in emotionally controlled acting (and literary adaptation) as these two square off. The stunningly well-designed and -built movie can be challenging at times, although some of the edge is polished away and we never quite get to how either of their sexual fixations actually relates to the other roles. For example, we never learn if Eduard’s Cybernetics is a serious thing or a self-help type of cult or why Helene’s spirituality came and went, but there’s still plenty to think about here.