If you were in a stale marriage at 70 and given the chance for a passionate yet adulterous affair, would you take or pass up your last chance for romance? There are many provocative Love Tests presented without judgment in a new German film - Cloud 9.
It's directed and co-written by Andreas Dresen and stars two actors who appear to be comfortable in their 70-ish skin.
In her New York Times Review, Jeanette Catsoulis hints that Cloud 9 celebrates a last-ditch affair between a married seamstress, almost 70, and her cheery customer, almost 80.
Breaking the cinematic taboo against senior nudity, their love scenes are portrayed with visual clarity and vulnerability, without gloss or glamor.
What happens when the seamstress confesses her affair to her married daughter? "Just enjoy it," her daughter says.
The affair is the catalyst for a subtle transformation in the seamstress's marriage, revealing a union that is real and rare in modern movies.
Ms.
Catsoulis' review concludes, "The film's unbiased tone lets us make our own moral judgments, teasing us with the possibility that occasionally the scarlet woman can escape unbranded.
I, for one, am rooting for her.
" If you live outside of New York or LA where Cloud 9 is showing in theaters, you may not get a chance to see this new love story about late-life passion.
But how do you feel about these late-life Love Tests? How can you apply them to your love life? Would you betray your mate after many decades in a passionless marriage? Would you savor or pass up your last chance for romance? Would you accept a passionless marriage? Or would you take all possible steps to spark up your relationship with sexual passion and lasting love? What if your partner rejected your efforts to revive the spark? Would you remain faithful or not? Your answers will be influenced by your moral code, relationship history, and how you value monogamy and sexual fulfillment with your life partner.
What if you feel stuck in a stale relationship after 30 or 3 years together? You may want to revive the qualities that attracted you and your love match before you reach the point that your only prospect for intimacy and fulfillment is an affair.