In the Aisles

Shopping at Costco will never be the same after watching this surprisingly profound German dramedy. What starts out looking like a rom-com—cleverly set in the long aisles, meat lockers, and employee break room at a big-box store—gradually takes on a more melancholy tone as it goes deeper into existential angst. Franz Rogowski plays Christian, a laconic young man with the air of a troubled past. Hired to start work at a huge retail establishment, he begins as a stacker in the beverages corridor under the supervision of the deeply weary but avuncular Bruno (Peter Kurth). In no time, Christian, peering past bottles on shelves, sees Marion (Sandra Hüller), an appealing co-worker who tends to the sugary sweets aisle. Flirting soon commences, with a distinct erotic edge. Bruno and other colleagues notice the spark, but telegraph that Marion is vulnerable and Christian shouldn’t toy with her. And that’s not his intention, but as he learns the truth about Marion, he’s also faced with hard questions about what he can really do to alter anyone’s reality beyond the walls of a work culture. Co-writer and director Thomas Stuber masterfully shepherds this insightful tale from start to finish, all the while making excellent visual use of the film’s obvious metaphor (those single-lane aisles) without milking it. Highly recommended. (T. Keogh)