From Germany comes the lighthearted story of two brothers on a spiritual journey that takes them to a Buddhist monastery in Japan. Gustav, a gentle feng shui consultant, has been planning a trip to the retreat house for more than a year. His brother Uwe is a salesman of high-end kitchen countertops. He has four children and a wife who is fed up with his cavalier attitude. He comes home from work one evening to find she has cleared out and taken the children. He drinks a lot of scotch and seeks sympathy from Gustav as he packs for his retreat. Uwe begs Gustav not to abandon him but to take him along to Japan. The next day, now sober and feeling shanghaied Uwe finds himself en route to Tokyo.

In the course of their first evening in Tokyo, the brothers lose their money, credit cards, and their way back to the hotel. Director Doris Dörrie (Nobody Loves Me, Men, Am I Beautiful) cleverly uses the events on the journey as a metaphor for what is happening internally. They are strangers in a strange land where they must wander about until they figure out a way to move on, both physically and spiritually. They become separated from each other in the final step on a downward spiral. They may then begin to ascend. They begin to give up the fiercely clung- to Western illusion that life can be controlled. They are forced to live in the moment. All is simple. At that moment, they have only one option. They go forward, each in his own way.

Eventually they find their way to the monastery. The quiet simple life is in sharp contrast to life in Munich and in hectic Tokyo, where existence became even more chaotic. At the monastery, it seems easier for Uwe to adapt to the strict monastic life. Gustav struggles with every aspect. In a rare exception to outside disturbances, Dörrie was allowed to film at the monastery through her own truthfulness with the Abbot there. In a departure from her previous films, she used digital technology that allowed her to explore the theme much more honestly than the cumbersome film equipment and larger crew would have permitted. They had to adhere to the strict rules of the monastery for the two weeks of shooting there. The hand held digital camera also gave her more freedom and authenticity in Tokyo where everyone is filming something.

The brothers' gradual change unfolds so subtly and in such small moments, it is almost imperceptible. We do not know how much time has passed when they say goodbye to the completely disciplined but totally nonjudgmental monks. With amusement and gentle mirth, Dörrie follows the brothers as they are guided to a progressive awareness of themselves through the tasks of daily living. Interestingly, in their professional lives in Munich they both attempted to advise other people on how to arrange their homes in order to improve their lives. The understated performances of Uwe Ochsenknecht and Gustav-Peter Wöhler beautifully underscore the uncomplicated and wise Zen lessons. This most entertaining and encouraging film is a wonderful addition to Dorrie's previous work.