GEHEN ODER BLEIBEN

54-year old Gertrud lives a life of routine and despair, a prisoner in her own apartment. She is looking for great happiness. She is looking for the man of her life in the lonely hearts ads; a man who could rescue her from her extreme loneliness. But her wishes and expectations are often far from reality. There are many lonely hearts in the big city but they are not all looking for true love. Some are merely seeking a nice friendship while others are openly looking for sexual partners. The first phone call is always decisive.

With a gentle touch, the film tells the story of lonely people in the big city. We get glimpses of Gertrud's emotional ups-and-downs, from periods of hope to periods of disappointment, that put her faith in love to the test over and over again. Leaving or Staying is a soliloquy against loneliness and oppressive silence: "to go or to stay…". We embark on a journey through the cosmos of human desire.