Paso Doble

A West Berlin couple hopes to solve their marital problems while on vacation in Spain. Instead, the tensions between the neglected and misunderstood woman and her annoyed and otherwise unsatisfied husband escalate soon afterwards. She starts an affair with her Persian masseur, he falls in love with a mute toilet attendant, whom he brings back to Berlin and takes in with himself and his two pubescent children, while the woman moves in with her masseur. But even the new constellations quickly get into crisis.

Directed by Lothar Lambert, Paso Doble leans on a strong ensemble — Albert Heins, Ulrike Schirm, Susanne Stahl — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about screen titles of 1984.