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Above Us Only Sky (2011) movie poster

Timeline

Above Us Only Sky (2011) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
2011 · 87 mins · German
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Directed by
Jan Schomburg
Starring
Sandra Hüller, Georg Friedrich, Stephan Grossmann, Aljoscha Stadelmann, Kathrin Wehlisch, Verena Plangger

A woman discovers the man she has lived with for years is not who she thought he was…

On this page (5)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Events in order (11)
  3. 3 Timeline questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Every angle
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11 events in order · contains spoilers

Above Us Only Sky Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of Above Us Only Sky (2011) in order, scene by scene, with when and where it takes place. Use it to untangle flashbacks, time jumps and parallel storylines, to refresh your memory before the sequel or to find the exact scene you are thinking of.

  1. Life in Cologne

    Martha Sabel teaches at a school while Paul Sabel studies medicine at the university. He has handed in his thesis to Professor Gellendorf and secured a job in Marseille. The couple seems content as they look ahead to Paul's move.

    Where
    Cologne
  2. Paul heads to Marseille

    Paul travels ahead to begin their next chapter, while Martha prepares to join him later. They are excited but anxious about the separation and the new city.

    Where
    Cologne
  3. Paul is found dead in Marseille

    Shortly after, the police inform Martha that Paul has been found dead in his car in Marseille, with a verdict of suicide. She struggles to accept the official explanation and clings to the few details she has. The sudden loss shatters the future they planned together.

    Where
    Marseille
  4. Funeral planning and repatriation

    Martha must organize the funeral for the repatriated body and mourn from afar. She is handed Paul's personal effects, minus his phone, which deepens the sense of detachment and mystery. The process underscores how little of Paul's life she truly knew.

    Where
    Cologne
  5. Seeking connections

    She realizes she cannot reach Paul's family or friends because she never met his life outside their relationship. The only name she recognizes is Professor Gellendorf, who says he has not seen Paul for at least four years and has not seen any thesis. The lack of a network leaves her searching in the dark.

    Where
    University
  6. Seeking Runge

    She begins searching for contemporaries who might remember Paul and approaches a history lecturer named Alexander Runge. The pursuit marks the start of a new, unsettling inquiry into his past. The professor’s memory may hold clues to the life Paul led before their marriage.

    Where
    Cologne University
  7. First encounter and affair

    Runge physically resembles Paul in some ways, which draws Martha to him. After persuading him back to her flat, she invites him to join her in bed. He suggests another day might be better, and she agrees to dinner, where their relationship deepens into an affair.

    Where
    Cologne - Martha's flat
  8. Unaware of parallel lives

    Runge remains unaware of Martha's dead husband and the life she had with him. He has an affectionate girlfriend who is badly hurt by his involvement with Martha, adding tension to his double life. Martha does not ask about his life, and the emotional distance between them grows.

    Where
    Cologne
  9. Phone rings, truth begins

    One day the phone rings and the name Paul appears on the screen. A Marseille contact says they have found his phone, and the message unsettles Martha. Realizing there is a deeper truth behind Paul's death, she confronts the fragility of her assumptions.

    Where
    Martha's flat
  10. Break and grieving

    Understanding the reality, Runge leaves her, and Martha begins grieving for Paul and the life she imagined with him. The affair collapses as the emotional weight of truth sinks in. She is left to process the loss without the comfort of the person she thought she knew.

    Where
    Martha's flat
  11. Resolution and new life

    In a postscript, Martha and Runge have gotten together again and moved to Marseille, and Martha appears pregnant, suggesting a new future. The ending implies a reconciliation with life after loss, even as the past continues to haunt her. The story closes on a fragile, ambiguous note about love, memory, and resilience.

    When
    postscript
    Where
    Marseille

Last updated: October 03, 2025 at 06:48

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Timeline questions answered

Above Us Only Sky Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of Above Us Only Sky (2011): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

Why did Paul commit suicide?

The film never confirms a clear reason for Paul's death. What Martha discovers is that Paul fabricated his entire identity, he never submitted a thesis to Professor Gellendorf, and no one at the university remembers him. This suggests Paul was living a complete fabrication, and the weight of that deception, combined with his impending move to Marseille where his lies would likely unravel, may have led him to take his own life.

  • paul sabiel
  • suicide
  • marseille
  • cause of death
  • depression
Q2

Was Paul actually a medical student?

No. When Martha contacts Professor Gellendorf, he states he has not seen Paul for at least four years and has never seen any thesis from him. The university staff cannot recall ever meeting Paul. This reveals that Paul fabricated his entire academic career and likely his job offer in Marseille as well.

Foreshadowing: Early in the film, Paul hands in his thesis to Professor Gellendorf, creating the illusion of academic progress.

  • paul sabiel
  • medical student
  • thesis
  • professor gellendorf
  • university
Q3

What did Martha discover about Paul after his death?

Martha discovered that the life Paul led outside their relationship was almost entirely fabricated. He had no friends or family she could contact, his thesis was never submitted, and nobody at the university recognized him. She realized she had been living with a stranger who had constructed an entirely false identity.

  • paul sabiel
  • identity
  • fabrication
  • discovery
  • truth
Q4

What did the phone call from Marseille reveal?

A contact in Marseille called to say they had found Paul's phone. This call confirmed that Paul had truly been in Marseille and that his death was real. More importantly, it prompted Martha to confront the deeper truth about the fabricated life Paul had built around their relationship.

  • phone
  • marseille
  • paul sabiel
  • contact
  • truth
Q5

Why did Martha begin an affair with Alexander Runge?

Martha was drawn to Alexander because he physically reminded her of Paul. Grieving and desperate for connection after learning her husband was not who she thought he was, she sought comfort in a stranger. This affair appears to be her way of coping with the devastating realization that her entire relationship was built on lies.

  • martha sabiel
  • alexander runge
  • affair
  • grief
  • similarity
Q6

Why did Alexander leave Martha after the phone call?

When the phone rang and the name Paul appeared on the screen, Alexander realized Martha had been hiding something significant, her husband was not simply away. The revelation that she had recently lost a spouse and had not told him caused him to leave, as he recognized the deception and emotional manipulation in their relationship.

  • alexander runge
  • phone call
  • departure
  • truth
  • realization
Q7

What happened to Alexander's girlfriend?

Alexander had an affectionate girlfriend who was badly hurt when she learned about his involvement with Martha. The affair caused significant emotional harm to her, adding another layer of collateral damage to Martha's actions.

  • alexander runge
  • girlfriend
  • hurt
  • affair
  • emotional damage
Q8

Why did Martha move to Marseille at the end?

In the postscript, Martha and Alexander have gotten back together and moved to Marseille, the same city where Paul died. Martha appears pregnant, suggesting she has chosen to rebuild her life with Alexander despite everything that happened. The move represents her attempt to start fresh after the trauma.

  • marseille
  • move
  • ending
  • pregnancy
  • new life
Q9

What did Professor Gellendorf tell Martha about Paul?

Professor Gellendorf told Martha that he had not seen Paul for at least four years and had never seen any thesis from him. This single conversation was enough to unravel the foundation of Paul's identity and expose his fabrication.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, the film shows Paul submitting his thesis to Professor Gellendorf, making the later contradiction stark.

  • professor gellendorf
  • thesis
  • paul sabiel
  • university
  • fabrication

Movie threads

More Movies Like Above Us Only Sky, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Above Us Only Sky tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Movies about identity crisis and grief like Above Us Only Sky

Stories where profound grief reveals unsettling truths about a loved one. If you were gripped by the quiet devastation and psychological unraveling in Above Us Only Sky, explore these movies. They similarly portray characters confronting profound grief and the disorienting discovery that a partner's identity was a fabrication, leading to a heavy, melancholic journey of self-discovery.

  • grieving
  • somber
  • reflective
  • psychological
  • unsettling
  • lonely
  • Tone: melancholic, somber, reflective
  • Pacing: slow, methodical
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative pattern follows a linear, straightforward path of discovery, often triggered by a death. The protagonist methodically uncovers clues that challenge their understanding of a central relationship, leading to a crisis of identity and a slow, painful recalibration of their past and future.

Why they belong together: These films are grouped by their shared focus on the dual trauma of grief and deception. They share a melancholic tone, slow pacing to absorb the emotional weight, and a heavy, bittersweet atmosphere where closure is complex and hard-won.

Somber slow burn dramas similar to Above Us Only Sky

Character-driven dramas where quiet tension simmers beneath a normal life. For viewers who appreciated the quiet, tense atmosphere and slow unraveling of truth in Above Us Only Sky, this list highlights similar somber dramas. These movies share a slow pacing, melancholic tone, and heavy emotional weight, often centering on love, betrayal, and coping mechanisms in a realistic, domestic context.

  • somber
  • quiet
  • slow burn
  • melancholic
  • tense
  • pensive
  • Tone: melancholic, bittersweet, tense
  • Pacing: slow, deliberate
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Stories in this thread unfold gradually, focusing on the subtle erosion of a character's emotional state. The plot is often straightforward, prioritizing depth of feeling over complex twists. The climax is typically a quiet, devastating realization or a bittersweet resolution that acknowledges the scars left by the journey.

Why they belong together: These films are united by a specific combination of slow pacing, a melancholic or bittersweet tone, and medium intensity derived from psychological distress. They create a coherent vibe of quiet contemplation and somber reflection, making them ideal for viewers seeking a deeply felt, character-oriented experience.

Every angle

Above Us Only Sky (2011) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Above Us Only Sky in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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