An only child, Flori is a pudgy teen with shaggy hair, braces, a love of disco music, and a good deal of confusion about his sexuality. And his overbearing diving coach dad, Hanno, just doesn’t get him at all. Flori would rather have a piano than the used motorcycle Hanno bought him (in a desperate ploy to “man him up”). Or better yet, Flori would rather passionately lip sync to disco tunes dressed in a white leisure suit and ruffled shirt under a spinning disco ball in his bedroom. Such behavior infuriates Hanno, but thankfully there’s Monika, who not only tolerates her son’s musical proclivities, but also indulges in them right along with him.

Monika is Flori’s number one ally and protector and is the true keeper of the peace between her domineering, displeased husband and their awkward, adolescent son. But when Monika suffers a debilitating incident, father and son are suddenly left on their own to cope with their grief and learn how to reconcile their unsteady and untested relationship. Meanwhile, Flori is desperately trying to follow his heart and interpret the mixed messages he’s receiving from the bad-boy Romanian diver he has a crush on. But nothing seems to make sense—least of all, his mother lying immobile in a hospital bed.

Music turns out to be the real savior in this heartwarming and slightly goofy coming-of-age dramatic comedy, as Flori’s disco-infused fantasies provide refuge from the reality of his mother’s prognosis, while Hanno gets a wacky, alcohol-soaked intervention from German disco king Christian Steiffen (as himself). Pitch-perfect direction by Axel Ranisch turns the working-class Berlin family’s predicament into something rare: a marvelous blend of pathos, humor, and unexpected fun. Long live disco!