Impatience of the Heart

A botched bowling throw brings Isaac and Edith closer together, but what begins as an attempt to make amends soon turns into something more serious. A young soldier in the German army seeks closeness with a woman in a wheelchair whom he has inadvertently injured, yet finds himself in a state of uncertainty. Guilt turns to affection, compassion to dependence, entangling them both deeper in a web of self-deception and desire. The more Isaac tries to ‘cure’ Edith, the clearer it becomes just how fine the line is between care and paternalism. Director Lauro Cress brings Stefan Zweig’s timeless novel into the present day and poses a question that has lost none of its relevance: Where does the line lie between compassion and the desire to be a saviour?