In den Gängen
Director: Thomas Stuber
Writer: Clemens Meyer, Thomas Stuber
Based on: Clemens Meyer’s short story
Cast: Franz Rogowski, Sandra Hüller, Peter Kurth, Matthias Brenner, Henning Peker, Steffen Scheumann, Andreas Leupold
Seen on: 8./9.6.2025

Content Note: suicide, stalking, domestic violence (implied)

Plot:
Christian (Franz Rogowski) starts a new job: filling the shelves in a wholesale supermarket. It’s a new world for him and he is determined to do his best, the dream of driving forklift a constant motivator for him. He is guided by Bruno (Peter Kurth) who has been doing the job for a while. As they take care of stocking the drinks, Marion (Sandra Hüller) – who is stocking sweets in the next aisle – catches Christian’s eye, and they carefully start to flirt.

In the Aisles is a careful film with a light touch even when it comes to the heavier topics, discovering sweetness where you wouldn’t look for it – like in the fluorescent lights of a supermarket.

In the Aisles is especially remarkable for its setting. While there are films that take place in supermarkets, the focus is rarely on the employees. And when it is, often it is shown as a kind of dead-end job that people only do while waiting for something better. In the Aisles doesn’t sugarcoat the work there, but finds the beauty in it. Whether its the forklifts or simply the people and how they relate to each other, there is true connection.

The casting is perfect, with the film focusing on Rogowski who pulls off a delicate balance with his character who is not shy, just not all that interested in saying much, careful but also rather diret in his pursuit of Marion, leaving little doubt about his feelings. I did think that the film missteps, though, when it has Christian breaking into Marion’s house to bring her flowers, a grave crossing of boundaries that is only bearable because they are otherwise so careful not to cross them.

The other fault I found with the film is that Marion remains too much of a cypher. While we learn enough about Christian and Bruno in rather unobtrusive ways to understand their history and why they do what they do, Marion is not afforded the same care by the script, leaving us guessing too much. Hüller is still fantastic enough to bring her to life anyway, but it would have been nice if she had a little more to work with.

That being said, I enjoyed the quiet and kind calmness the film exudes and the way it loves its characters. It wouldn’t have been a mistake to get a bit more closure in the end, but it didn’t take away from the movie’s skill in finding beauty and power in the mundane.

Summarizing: sweet.