Writer/director Jan Krüger’s follow-up to Unterwegs and Hotel Paradijs astutely depicts the beautiful discoveries and the difficult trials associated with young love. When Johann (Sebastian Schle) and Robin (Eric Golub) bicycle through the picturesque Brandenburg Forest, they encounter a series of obstacles and occurrences that test not only their relationship but also the relationship each has to the world around him.

From the outset of their trip, Johann and Robin prove willing to go wherever the wind takes them. Mischievous Robin immediately tests their resilience by “maybe” leaving the tent poles at home. But no matter: the boys have no trouble finding ways to keep warm at night. After days of rigorous biking and restorative nude swimming, things take a strange turn when their bicycles inexplicably disappear.

Continuing the journey on foot, the boys find a farm inhabited by a warm, free-spirited woman and her adolescent son, who take them in and change the course of their trip. Paradoxically, this isolated farm reconnects Johann and Robin to the outside world as it drives them ever deeper into the mysteries of the forest. Krüger’s idiosyncratic road movie is an erotic tale of love, intimacy and self-discovery that takes time to explore its majestic forest — a place that’s peaceful, magical, and enigmatic. — JONATHAN L. KNAPP