What We Wanted (2020) Plot Summary Explained

Alice disappears briefly to escape the overwhelming grief she feels after seeing the German family with children, which has intensified her pain over failed IVF attempts. Her disappearance represents a moment where the emotional weight becomes unbearable, and she needs space to process her sorrow alone. The panic it causes in Niklas and the resort staff underscores how fragile her mental state has become. When she returns, she appears steadier, as if the time alone has given her a new perspective on coping with her loss.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, the weight of multiple failed IVF attempts has been slowly building, making even small moments feel like too much.

• alice disappearance
• mental health
• grief
• ivf
• sardinia resort

The neighbor's son attempts suicide by overdosing on over-the-counter medications and is found unconscious beside the pool. While the exact motivation is not detailed in the summary, the film uses this crisis to explore themes of fragility and desperation. The incident serves as a jarring wake-up call for Alice and Niklas, forcing them to confront how unresolved pain and desperate situations can lead to irreversible choices. It directly impacts their thinking about whether pursuing parenthood is worth the emotional toll.

Foreshadowing: The family dynamic hints at underlying tensions, though the suicide attempt comes as a shocking turn.

• teenage suicide
• overdose
• neighbor family
• pool scene
• life fragility

The suicide attempt jolts Alice and Niklas into stark awareness of life's fragility and the consequences of unresolved pain. Previously, they had been stuck in their own grief about infertility, debating whether to keep trying for a child or accept a childless future. After witnessing the crisis, they begin to question whether their longings are worth the emotional destruction they are causing each other. The incident becomes the catalyst that pushes them toward accepting their reality and redefining happiness beyond conventional parenthood.

Foreshadowing: Their arguments throughout the vacation reveal growing frustration, but no event has yet forced a true reckoning until this moment.

• parenthood decision
• couple healing
• acceptance
• life changing moment
• perspective shift

The family with children. Their warmth and everyday bustle serve as a painful mirror, constantly reminding the couple of their own empty future. Every interaction with the family amplifies their grief and envy, turning even friendly moments into sources of emotional strain. The vacation, meant to provide relief, becomes a pressure cooker where their longing is constantly reflected back at them.

Foreshadowing: Their decision to vacation was partly to escape reminders of their loss, yet the resort brings the reminder directly to them.

• infertility pain
• family envy
• emotional triggers
• childless couple
• comparison pain

The tension between Alice and Niklas stems from their different ways of coping with grief over failed IVF attempts. Alice tends to withdraw and internalize her pain, while Niklas struggles to understand how to support her without also breaking down. They disagree about whether to keep trying for a child or to accept a childless life, with neither able to fully comfort the other. The unresolved grief creates a distance that even loving moments cannot bridge, leading to quiet disagreements that escalate throughout the vacation.

Foreshadowing: The summary establishes that the weight of infertility has turned even shared moments into tests of patience.

• marriage strain
• grief differences
• infertility conflict
• communication breakdown
• emotional distance

Alice returns from her disappearance appearing steadier because the time alone has forced her to confront her grief directly rather than suppressing it. The panic caused by her absence makes her realize the impact her emotional state has on others, particularly Niklas. This moment of distance gives her clarity, shifting her from being consumed by sorrow to managing it more constructively. It marks a turning point in her personal journey toward healing.

Foreshadowing: The disappearance follows a buildup of tension where Alice has been silently struggling to hold herself together.

• alice character arc
• emotional healing
• personal growth
• grief management
• turning point

The Sardinian vacation removes Alice and Niklas from their daily environment filled with reminders of their infertility struggles, allowing them to see each other outside the context of medical appointments and disappointments. The peaceful setting gives them space to breathe and reflect, while the dramatic events like Alice's disappearance and the suicide attempt force honest conversations they might have avoided at home. By the end, they are able to acknowledge their loss together and begin redefining what their future looks like without children.

Foreshadowing: Their escape was planned specifically to gain perspective on their relationship beyond infertility.

• sardinia vacation
• relationship healing
• perspective shift
• environment change
• emotional breakthrough

The final scene leaves their future deliberately open but suggests they have reached a fragile peace. Rather than deciding definitively to pursue more IVF treatments, adopt, or accept permanent childlessness, they simply share a tender moment and appear more connected. The ending implies healing has begun and they are now closer as a couple, even if not whole. They seem ready to redefine happiness beyond traditional parenthood, though whether that means staying childless or trying again remains uncertain.

Foreshadowing: Their journey has been about learning to live with loss rather than finding a dramatic cure.

• ending explained
• ambiguous future
• couple reconciliation
• healing process
• moving forward

The suicide scene is crucial because it serves as the story's emotional climax that forces Alice and Niklas to reassess everything. Without this jarring event, they would likely have continued their circular arguments about children without resolution. The incident demonstrates how fragile hope can be when the past remains unresolved, and it challenges the couple to consider what kind of future they truly want. It transforms their struggle from being about having a child to being about choosing life and each other.

Foreshadowing: The rising tensions throughout the vacation build toward a major reckoning, which this incident provides.

• emotional climax
• plot importance
• crisis turning point
• story catalyst
• narrative purpose

Alice and Niklas struggle with IVF because multiple attempts have failed, leaving them emotionally devastated. The summary does not specify medical reasons for the failures, only that their dream of starting a family has been crushed by repeated disappointment. This grief has become a constant presence in their marriage, affecting their communication, intimacy, and sense of future. The failed IVF attempts represent more than just a biological inability, they symbolize a loss of control over their lives and dreams.

Foreshadowing: The very first timeline item establishes that IVF struggles have been the central strain on their relationship.

• ivf failure
• infertility struggles
• failed treatments
• emotional trauma
• family planning