Wanda, my miracle: Bitter comedy about a rich Swiss family and their Polish maid.
Film plot and background
Wanda (Agnieszka Grochowska) works as a housekeeper and nurse for a wealthy Swiss family on Lake Zurich and mainly looks after the petulant, bedridden patriarch Josef (André Jung). He only lets Wanda get close to him and no one else. Because Wanda earns extra money by pleasing him sexually. All this happens in the dark of night, right under the eyes of Josef’s wife Elsa (Marthe Keller) and the couple’s youngest son Gregor (Jacob Matschenz), who has his own eye on Wanda. The Polish woman can make good use of every cent to support her two children and her parents in her home country.
When she returns to the tranquil villa a few months later, she is pregnant – by the 70-year-old. The family’s already tense mood threatens to boil over, especially when daughter Sophie (Birgit Minichmayr) and her husband Manfred (Anatole Taubman) learn of the situation. Although stuck in a loveless marriage themselves, they demand that Wanda have an abortion. However, the fact that more secrets come to light thanks to the pregnancy soon upsets the twisted family constellation even more.
“Wanda, my miracle” – cast, background, cinema release
Director and co-writer Bettina Oberli (“Im Nordwind”) explored the model of care migration for outpatient care in her latest film “Wanda, mein Wunder”, according to which Eastern European auxiliaries are deployed in Switzerland, where they gain a very intimate insight into families in addition to their demanding work. While the public often talks about a win-win situation, it must also be taken into account that many of these women leave their entire daily lives and families behind in their home countries in order to work in a halfway well-paid job.
“Wanda, My Miracle” therefore shows a bitterly wicked look at the system and the seemingly perfect decal of a rich Swiss family. Stars such as Agnzieszka Grochowska, Marthe Keller, André Jung, Birgit Minichmayr, Jacob Matschenz and Anatole Taubman shine in the leading roles. After many postponements due to the corona pandemic, “Wanda, my miracle” will be released in German cinemas on 6 January 2022.
