IN THE AISLES: A Bittersweet Glimpse Behind the Shelves

Many of us watch films for escapism, a chance to abandon reality and explore lives more glamorous, dangerous, adventurous than our own. Yet sometimes the films that strike closest to home – the ones that explore lives just as average as our own – are the ones with the most lasting impact. In the Aisles is one of the latter.

Directed by Thomas Stuber from a script co-written by Stuber and Clemens Meyer (based on one of Meyer’s short stories), this unassuming German drama chronicling the lives of a group of supermarket store workers packs more of a punch than one might initially think, thanks to some incredibly astute writing and powerful performances from two actors at the top of their game.

Finding Freedom via Forklift

Quiet and reclusive Christian (Transit’s Franz Rogowski) wants to leave his troubled youth as a criminal behind. Covering his extensive tattoos with collared shirts and long sleeves, Christian gets a job working the night shift at a big box store, stocking shelves in the beverage department. He is quickly taken under the wing of the gruff Bruno (Babylon Berlin’s Peter Kurth) and taught the unique unwritten rules of life in the store. Under Bruno’s tutelage, Christian begins studying for his forklift license. It might not be the most glamorous of jobs, but for Christian, it is so much more than a job – it is a way forward into a new life. Even in the most seemingly mundane aspects of his day, there is deep meaning to be found.

One of the key figures in Christian’s new life is Marion (Toni Erdmann’s Sandra Hüller), the charming woman who works in the sweets department and frequently meets up with Christian at the coffee machine. The two increasingly flirt and bond over coffee and conversation, but despite their clear emotional connection, there is a problem: Marion’s married. And rumor has it, her husband isn’t the friendliest of guys. As Christian struggles with his increasingly complicated feelings for Marion, the temptation to backslide into his old ways and throw away everything he has worked so hard for looms ominously on the horizon.

Second Chances

I have rarely seen a film that felt like such a perfect snapshot of real, unvarnished life as In the Aisles. The story moves slowly but with purpose as it chronicles the day-to-day life of Christian and his colleagues; there is no neatly set-up climax or perfectly drawn-out ending to be found, just the everyday activities of average people as they work for a living wage. You’ve likely met men like Christian – quietly attempting to atone for the indiscretions of their pasts – and women like Marion – friendliness and warmth hiding inner darkness of their own – many times before in your life. Their burgeoning relationship enriches the film with an emotional realism that makes In the Aisles more engaging than films with twice the action. Yet the film never veers into sugary sentimentality; it doesn’t tug on your heartstrings so much as gently strum them.

That Rogowski managed to follow one of the best screen performances of this year so far – as a refugee with an accidentally stolen identity in Christian Petzold’s Transit – with another role just as richly complex is truly remarkable. It’s no surprise that Rogowski was awarded the 2018 Lola – the German equivalent of the Oscars – for Best Actor for his performance in In the Aisles. (The film was also nominated for several other awards, including Best Film and Best Supporting Actress for Hüller.) Rogowski is often described as a German version of Joaquin Phoenix but the similarities between the two actors run deeper than just being doppelgängers; both men have a knack for embodying secretive, complicated men and making them deeply empathetic while barely saying a word. It helps that in Hüller, who gave one of the funniest and most affecting performances of the decade in Toni Erdmann, Rogowski has a worthy match. Their quiet chemistry – more of a simmer than a rolling boil – is the slightly battered but still beating heart of In the Aisles.

Christian’s struggle to keep to the straight and narrow even as his intense feelings for Marion threaten to overwhelm him and send him off the deep end is both admirable and highly relatable. In one painful scene, Christian goes out with his old, bad friends, who rejoice that he is back on the scene, and drinks himself into a stupor over his anxieties. When he awakens the next morning, he’s late for work – something that could easily cause him to fail his probation period and not get hired full time. The glimpse of the life that likely awaits Christian if he doesn’t have his job at the store as a reason to get up every day is disheartening in how real it is. How many men and women like Christian struggle because of past mistakes they’ve made? In the Aisles highlights the importance of giving people second chances and reminds us that no one should be defined by one moment in their lives.

In The Aisles: Conclusion

In the Aisles takes audiences deep into the emotional lives of people who seem destined to hover on the periphery and highlights the beauty to be found there if one bothers to look. It’s a lovely little film that serves as a prime showcase for two of the most talented German actors working today.

What do you think? Does Christian’s journey sound like a captivating story? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

In the Aisles is released in the US on June 14, 2019. You can find more international release dates here.