‘Golden Years’ Review – A Thought-Provoking Exploration Of Love, Life, And Self-Discovery

Retirement, a long-awaited milestone for many, is often seen as a gateway to a life of freedom and fulfillment. This is the mindset of Peter (Stefan Kurt) and Alice (Esther Gemsch), two sexagenarians embarking on a cruise holiday in Golden Years. However, their expectations of a blissful retirement are shattered as they discover that life after work is not what they had envisioned. This unique take on retirement and marriage is brought to life by director Barbara Kulcsar (Zu Zweit) in her latest film.

Don’t expect this movie to be like any other ‘life post-retirement’ feature. Golden Years takes on a refreshing but still relatable approach. The heart of Petra Biondina Volpe’s (The Divine Other) screenplay is whether the traditional concept of marriage is truly the best way to live a life. This theme, combined with the couple’s realization that they have grown apart after decades of marriage, sets the stage for a thought-provoking exploration of love, life, and self-discovery. The dialogue is not overly complex or dramatic but feels genuine and every day. This down-to-earth style allows the audience to connect with the characters and their journey.

And what a journey it is! After being married for more than forty years, it’s clear that Alice and Peter have nothing in common anymore. Even their views on how to live their final years – which should also be the best ones – differ. After witnessing the sudden death of her best friend, Magali (Elvira Plüss), Alice decides to grab life by the horns because you never know when death will come for you. Peter’s no longer interested in having sex, and instead, he obsessively focuses on exercise, a newfound vegan diet, daily bike rides, and his friendship with Magali’s widower Heinz (Ueli Jäggi), who joins them on the cruise. The couple embarks on their self-discovery journey, where there might not be a place for the other.

It’s during that journey that the movie dares to ask the audience and its central characters if people want to live their lives in their way – which might feel scary and strange at first – or if they still want to hold onto the traditional ways of life, despite this not being in their best interest. The movie doesn’t take a side or judge one of the characters more than the other, leaving room for the audience to decide for whom they will root.

While Alice and Peter might not be the perfect fit together, Gemsch (Die Heartbreakers) and Kurt (Der Schattenmann) are a great couple. Gemsch brings Alice to life with a complex and touching portrayal, effortlessly capturing the character’s pain, joy, and transformation. Kurt’s nuanced performance allows the audience to empathize with both characters, and his light-hearted humour adds depth to the story. The chemistry between Gemsch and Kurt is palpable, making them a truly believable couple on screen.

The couple’s pivotal transitions are further strengthened by the well-chosen and beautiful visuals by Tobias Dengler (Wilder), as well as the setting and the score. When Alice stares lifelessly at the setting sun, it’s clear that she questions if this is really how she wants to spend her day. The decreasing sunlight undoubtedly represents her decreasing love for life. However, when Alice sees the sun rising after a life-changing night, the ample and warm sunlight and the bright colours affirm her decision to start leading the life she’s always dreamed of. During those cheerful moments, the glow of the Mediterranean warmth spat off the screen.

However, the visuals become a bit more doomy and depressing whenever the couple deals with the dark and uncertain times in their parallel but separate journey. The happy-happy-joy-joy acoustic guitar score and the uplifting pop songs make room for dramatic string and piano arrangements. The action occurs in a gloomy interior, and the clouds outside become darker.

Golden Years isn’t like any other feature you’ve seen about being married for a long time, monogamy, or the “life’s too short” dialogue. Instead, it shines a light on people who have just started their self-journey after retirement in a very reflective, encouraging, open, and beautiful way.

Golden Years is currently playing in limited release courtesy of Music Box Films. The film will be released on digital platforms from the 26th of March.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQyIZllYNPY]