Documentary, 80 min.

by Alfredo Knuchel, Norbert Wiedmer

Switzerland, March 1996

At the age of 61, Armin Bader still has the illusions of future happiness and prosperity he had back in the 1950s – even though for him, fate has decided otherwise. After numerous attempts at making a success of his life, Armin finds himself jobless. For two years, he is entitled to unemployment benefit, and when his right to the benefit runs out, the future looks bleak. He decides to convert the cellar of his house into a workshop for making blue prints. His wife, Marlies, and their 30 year-old son Markus give him help and support. But once again, success eludes Armin. The business is more a source of stress than of income. A small legacy spares the family from applying for social help, but only just, and the financial situation remains precarious. The frantic pursuit of success, the eternal dilemma between adaptation and escape, have left their mark. Armin is tired and has had enough. Marlies tries to find the security and human warmth which are missing in her life by joining a religious community. Markus, who began taking drugs eight years previously, makes his first serious attempt to give them up. His elder brother, Thomas, died of an overdose in 1987. We spent one-and-half-year filming the ups and downs of Armin and his family. Why them? Because they personify the deep insecurity within our society, which on the surface still looks quite smooth and intact. Their story is our story.