The Swing (Die Schaukel) was advertised as a German Fanny and Alexander, but somehow never achieved the same fame. True, it is not a masterpiece in the same league as Fanny and Alexander, and Percy Adlon isn't Ingmar Bergman, but it is an excellent film nonetheless.

The Swng is the story of three sisters in a middle-class German family fallen on hard times, set just before the First World War. It tells of ordinary things - a love that comes to nothing, a girl who wants to be a writer, darning socks, and so on. There is nothing in the plot that gives a clue to the beauty of the film; you just have to watch it.