In a Lifetime

Sozialdrama

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To honour Elsie’s birthday, daughter-in-law Ellen (42) is arranging a family feast. She has ordered fast food from

a Chinese take-away, since cooking has never been her

passion. Elsie moved in with her son’s, after her husband

Billy had suffered a deadly stroke. Elsie and Bill met 1945

in war-torn Berlin, when the tall, fun-abiding Rugby player

served time in the US army.

Ellen hopes to impress her mother-in-law by giving her

a birthday party. To make ends meet, Fred’s family is in

desperate need of another, even bigger loan from Elsie.

Fred (60), Elsie’s son, lost his job as well as a substantial

share of his retirement money due to global financial

downturn. Neither does Fred’s son Steve (25) make much

money with his dot-com business. And daughter Bridget (18)

is fed up with low paid jobs; she is dreaming of a show biz

career. What makes things worse, they are in great fear of

being chased away from the family home, since there is no

money left to pay off the mortgage dues.

Elsie hasn’t the slightest idea about her son’s financial

crisis. She has been made believe that family affairs were

quite wonderful and under control.

The birthday reunion takes quite an unprecedented turn:

Neither the economic downturn nor the desperate family circumstances are being debated. However, long-kept

secrets as well as memories of old times are revealed.

Elsie has never told her son of the miseries of war-torn

Berlin in 1945, about the face of starvation and the rat

holes that housed the deprived folks. At long last, Fred,

Steve and Bridget learn about World War II history as

well as particulars of Elsie’s teenage years. Also Fred

reveals himself with respect to his younger self, what he

was going through in Vietnam and the struggle for a new

life after the war.