What We Wanted (2020) — AI Story Visualization

Plot Analysis Summary

A married couple confronts infertility, grief, and the possibility of building a meaningful future without children.

Story Structure — 6 Plot Phases

A Dream Under Strain

Alice and Niklas live in Austria and endure several failed IVF attempts. Their dream of having a child begins to unravel, placing emotional pressure on their marriage.

Key Events

• Married Life In Austria — Alice and Niklas live together as a married couple in Austria. Characters: Alice, Niklas Location: Austria
• First IVF Failure — The couple experiences another failed attempt at in-vitro fertilization. Characters: Alice, Niklas Location: Austria
• Repeated Treatment Setbacks — Several failed IVF attempts gradually undermine their dream of having a child. Characters: Alice, Niklas Location: Austria
• Dream Begins Unraveling — Their hopes of becoming parents begin to feel increasingly uncertain. Characters: Alice, Niklas Location: Austria
• Decision To Escape — Alice and Niklas decide to take a vacation to escape the emotional burden. Characters: Alice, Niklas Location: Austria

Escape To Sardinia

The couple travels to Sardinia to escape the emotional weight of infertility. At the resort, they meet a lively German family with two children.

Key Events

• Decision To Escape — Alice and Niklas decide to take a vacation to escape the emotional burden. Characters: Alice, Niklas Location: Austria
• Journey To Sardinia — The couple travels to Sardinia, hoping the holiday will provide emotional distance. Characters: Alice, Niklas Location: Sardinia
• Arrival At Resort — Alice and Niklas settle into their holiday resort in Sardinia. Characters: Alice, Niklas Location: Holiday resort in Sardinia
• Meeting A German Family — They meet a lively family from Germany, including a couple and two children. Characters: Alice, Niklas Location: Holiday resort in Sardinia
• Children Intensify Longing — The neighboring family's children constantly remind the couple of what they lack. Characters: Alice, Niklas Location: Holiday resort in Sardinia

The Holiday Crucible

The neighboring children intensify Alice and Niklas's longing and envy. Their frustration and unspoken grief turn the vacation into a test of their relationship.

Key Events

• Children Intensify Longing — The neighboring family's children constantly remind the couple of what they lack. Characters: Alice, Niklas Location: Holiday resort in Sardinia
• Holiday Friendship Deepens — The new friendship makes the couple's emotional struggle more immediate. Characters: Alice, Niklas Location: Holiday resort in Sardinia
• Marital Tensions Surface — Frustration, envy, and unspoken grief create growing tension between Alice and Niklas. Characters: Alice, Niklas Location: Holiday resort in Sardinia
• Unspoken Grief Emerges — The vacation exposes the grief they have struggled to express to each other. Characters: Alice, Niklas Location: Holiday resort in Sardinia
• Alice Disappears Briefly — Alice briefly disappears, causing panic and reflecting her internal emotional collapse. Characters: Alice, Niklas Location: Holiday resort in Sardinia

A Disappearance And Return

Alice briefly disappears, causing panic and symbolizing her internal collapse. Her return provides a moment of grounding within the couple's unresolved grief.

Key Events

• Alice Disappears Briefly — Alice briefly disappears, causing panic and reflecting her internal emotional collapse. Characters: Alice, Niklas Location: Holiday resort in Sardinia
• Alice Returns — Alice returns after disappearing, creating a moment of emotional grounding. Characters: Alice, Niklas Location: Holiday resort in Sardinia
• Teenager Takes Medication — The neighboring teenage son attempts suicide by taking several over-the-counter medications. Characters: Alice, Niklas Location: Pool area
• Unconscious By The Pool — The teenager is found unconscious by the pool, shocking the adults at the resort. Characters: Alice, Niklas Location: Pool area

A Terrible Reminder

The neighboring teenage son attempts suicide with over-the-counter medication and is found unconscious by the pool. The incident makes the couple reconsider parenthood.

Key Events

• Unconscious By The Pool — The teenager is found unconscious by the pool, shocking the adults at the resort. Characters: Alice, Niklas Location: Pool area
• Parenthood Reconsidered — The suicide attempt makes Alice and Niklas reconsider what having children would mean. Characters: Alice, Niklas Location: Holiday resort in Sardinia
• Accepting Possible Childlessness — They begin confronting the possibility of a future without children. Characters: Alice, Niklas Location: Holiday resort in Sardinia

Redefining The Future

Alice and Niklas begin accepting the possibility of a life without children. Their final tender moment suggests fragile peace and the beginning of healing.

Key Events

• Tender Shared Moment — Alice and Niklas share a small, tender moment after confronting their loss. Characters: Alice, Niklas Location: Holiday resort in Sardinia
• Fragile Peace — The couple reaches fragile peace, with healing beginning and their future left open. Characters: Alice, Niklas Location: Sardinia

Story Breakdown

• Marital Foundation — Alice and Niklas begin as a married couple whose shared life is shaped by their desire for a child.
  • Life In Austria — The couple lives together in Austria before leaving for their vacation.
  • Shared Parenthood Dream — Their wish to have a child is central to their relationship.
• IVF Grief — Several failed IVF attempts gradually transform hope into uncertainty and emotional pain.
  • Repeated Failures — The couple has made several unsuccessful attempts at in-vitro fertilization.
  • Unraveling Hope — Their dream of having a child slowly begins to fall apart.
• Escape To Sardinia — Alice and Niklas seek distance from their pain through a holiday at a Sardinian resort.
  • Leaving Austria — They decide to take a vacation to escape the emotional burden.
  • Resort Arrival — The couple arrives at a holiday resort in Sardinia.
• Family Encounter — A lively German family with two children makes the couple's absence more visible.
  • New Friendship — Alice and Niklas meet and interact with the neighboring family at the resort.
  • Children As Reminder — The children intensify the couple's awareness of what they lack and desire.
• Internal Collapse — The vacation exposes tension, envy, frustration, and grief within the marriage.
  • Marital Tensions — Alice and Niklas confront the strain created by their infertility and unspoken feelings.
  • Alice Disappears — Alice briefly disappears, causing panic and symbolizing her internal collapse.
• Poolside Crisis — A teenager's suicide attempt forces Alice and Niklas to reconsider their assumptions about parenthood.
  • Medication Overdose — The neighboring teenage son takes several over-the-counter medications.
  • Unconscious By Pool — The teenager is found unconscious by the pool.
• Fragile Peace — The couple begins accepting a possible childless future and finds a tentative emotional closeness.
  • Redefined Future — Alice and Niklas reconsider having children and begin imagining another future.
  • Healing Begins — A small tender moment suggests fragile peace and the beginning of healing.

Directed by

Ulrike Kofler

Key Cast

• Lavinia Wilson — Alice
• Elyas M'Barek — Niklas
• Anna Unterberger — Christl
• Lukas Spisser — Romed
• Iva Höpperger — Denise