“Golden Years” arrives at the M.V. Film Center on Friday, March 1. This comedy with the ironic title concerns a retired couple who go on a Mediterranean cruise, a gift from their children. Directed by Barbara Kulcsar, the film introduces trouble with the excursion when Peter (Stefan Kurt) invites his friend Heinz (Ueli Jaggi), who recently lost his wife Magali, to join him and his wife Alice (Esther Gemsch) on the cruise.
Alice is not exactly thrilled to have Heinz along for the trip. She’s hoping to reignite her romantic relationship with her husband. That is not what happens. She finds him less than attracted to her, and in fact he spends more time with his friend Heinz.
When they line up for a cruise photographer’s photograph, Peter welcomes Heinz to join them, much to Alice’s dismay. Peter and Heinz work out next to each other — without Alice — on treadmills, and at dinner when Heinz retires early, Peter opts to go to bed early, too. Alice ends up on the dance floor without Peter.
The next day, Peter and Heinz lounge together on deck in their bathing suits, and Alice joins them, more or less as a third wheel. Then she ends up in the pool on a pink flamingo float.
Next Alice makes friends with a woman who advises her that men seem to like each other better than women. Alice goes on an excursion with the couple in their vacation camper.
When Peter, Alice, and Heinz land in Marseilles, Alice decides to abandon the cruise ship and her husband, staying in Marseilles, much to Peter’s distress. She buys herself new clothes and generally has a good time alone.
So it goes, with Alice enjoying her time exploring Marseilles alone.
Information and tickets for “The Golden Years” are available at mvfilmsociety.com.