What We Wanted (Was wir wollten), a German language drama from Austria covers the strained relationship of a married couple who are unable to have a baby. The lead pair of Lavinia Wilson and Elyas M’Barek make the film enjoyable, but the screenplay finds itself wanting in many places. Available on Netflix, I give the film a rating of Raw.

Alice and Niklas are busy professionals with their individual jobs. They have been trying to conceive a baby for years and have exhausted the government-subsidized number of attempts (four) for fertility procedures. To take their minds off and rediscover the love in their lives they go on a vacation to Sardinia, a lovely Italian island. There they meet, what appears to be, a perfect couple with two kids. Seeing the other couple brings to open the strains in the marriage of Alice and Niklas.

The movie has its moments, like the time it traces the agony and pain of being childless by Alice, brilliant acting by Lavinia Wilson. This is a topic that has been explored often in Indian cinema but it was new for me to see it in western society. Unfortunately, apart from this, the film by Director Ulrike Kofler offers the audience nothing new which we haven’t seen before.

Lavinia Wilson as Alice and Elyas M'Barek as Niklas - What We Wanted (German: Was wir wollten)

Lavinia Wilson as Alice and Elyas M’Barek as Niklas – What We Wanted (German: Was wir wollten)

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