A Year Ago in Winter

Eliane Richter, a Munich-based interior designer, commissions Max Hollander to paint a portrait of her children, Alexander and Lilly. The painting is intended as a memorial for Alexander, who died about a year earlier. Eliane provides photos and videos of Alexander for reference, and her husband supports the project.

Eliane wants Lilly to sit for a double portrait with her late brother. Lilly is disgusted by the idea of having her dead brother on the wall 'for decoration'. The plan exposes the tension between memory and living life within the family.

Lilly, a ballet student, is unsettled by career pressure and commitment. She loses her leading role at the Theatre Academy due to disputes with her teacher. She attempts to seek closeness with the artist Aldo but the pursuit remains unsuccessful.

During the painting sessions, Lilly is reserved at first. Max seeks to look behind her facade and capture her true character. He starts to understand Lilly's realm of feelings.

Max recognizes the profound losses in his own history and uses that insight to connect with Lilly's experiences. Their mutual vulnerability allows trust to grow between painter and model.

The relationship deepens as Lilly opens up and Max becomes more attuned to her inner life. The painting process becomes a dialogue rather than a mere commission.

The final portrait does not meet Eliane's expectations, but it breaks her reservations about Lilly. Through the process, Eliane begins to cope with Alexander's death and see Lilly in a new light.

Lilly accepts that she may never uncover why Alexander took his life and chooses to forgive him. This realization marks a turning point in her emotional world and in her relationship with her brother's memory.

In parallel with the portrait work, Lilly unsuccessfully pursues closeness with the artist Aldo, highlighting the broader struggle for intimacy and connection within the family and among individuals.

Karoline Herfurth describes the film as about a family of facades that falls apart due to suicide. The story shows that perfection is unsustainable and that asking for help is essential. The suicide of Alexander serves as the catalyst for the unraveling.

As Lilly's inner life becomes clearer, Max's portrait-making becomes more than a likeness, acting as a bridge between past losses and present healing. He also confronts his own history through the work.

The film ends with a transformed family dynamic rather than a neat resolution. The portraits reveal the need for help, forgiveness, and connection, leaving the family changed by their revelations.