My Wife Cries

Meine Frau weint

Germany, France | 2026 | 93 min

Language: German

Subtitles: English

For all ages

Director(s): Angela Schanelec

Script: Angela Schanelec

Cast: Vladimir Vulević, Agathe Bonitzer, Birte Schnöink, Ines Hoppe, Pauline Rebmann, Ben Carter, Thorbjörn Björnsson, Clara Gostynski, Laure-Lucile Simon

Production: Blue Monticola Film

Distribution: SBS International

Drama

Yearning At Work Love Female Director Critics Choice Summer Vibes Psychological

Intersection

Screenings:

“A fixed eight-minute shot of a crane operator, Thomas (Vladimir Vulević), sitting in a drab construction office, checking his phone and responding to questions from unseen characters, kicks off the movie in a way that portends a pure cinematic experiment. Schanelec, who’s also credited as editor, finally cuts out to reveal the other side of the room, then follows Thomas after work as he meets up with his long-time partner, Carla (Agathe Bontizer), who’s sitting on a park bench and clearly traumatized by something. [--]

What Schanelec captures most in My Wife Cries is the constant romantic yearning, whether it’s Carla recalling the dance classes she took with her dead paramour; Thomas breaking into his own long monologue about a former girlfriend who got pregnant and disappeared (and, in one odd detail that he mentions, had extremely thick pubic hair); or a scene where several characters perform a random interpretive dance set to the Leonard Cohen ballad “Lover Lover Lover,” which is definitely this film’s theme song.”

Jordan Mintzer / The Hollywood Reporter

Updated 2026-07-30 17:30:10 UTC