The frank, unblinking sex act that kicks off Cloud 9, and the similar interludes that follow throughout, are bound to eclipse the frank, unblinking drama in Andreas Dresen’s film about a 60-something German hausfrau who relocates her inner lust in the arms (and legs) of a codger other than her husband. It’s ironic, then, that such raw intimacy could ultimately serve as a distraction from the bare-bones story of Inge (Ursula Werner) and her unapologetic pursuit of gratification with Karl (Horst Westphal) even as it sends her spouse (Horst Rehberg) and daughter (Steffi Kühnert) reeling.

But while Dresen uses omniscience in the bedroom as a tone-setter for Cloud 9’s sincerity — it was greeted unofficially at TIFF ’08 as “Old People Fucking” — this is not a film of stunt-explicitness, nor is it a case of “in your face, ageists!” Lean dialogue means that Werner is left to emotionally convey both Inge’s undead libido and the ennui that conjured it from deep within. Rarely can selfishness, guilt and catharsis make such little sound on screen. The film leaves it to us to judge this complex and personal conundrum for ourselves. It’s a relief when we’re inclined not to judge at all.

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