At age 4, Alva and Linnea still wore diapers; Monika Adler slept every night with three or four children in her bed; and Luise, the eldest of the 8 Adler children, was the only one to have her own – enormous – room. That was in 2010, when we accompanied the Adler family of Düsseldorf for a documentary, observing their everyday lives, but also joining all 10 on a thrilling journey on their own houseboat through the canals of Alsace. “Eight Children and Happy“ – but was it really true? Yes, it was. Not, of course, without a certain degree of conflict and stress. And how is the Adler family doing 9 years later? They are still called Pummi, Putzi, Pitter, etc. What does happiness or luxury mean to them today? What kind of dreams do the children have? In this very special film, which features both flashbacks and new footage, we encounter these children after an interval of 9 years. And it is these then-and-now sequences that account for the film’s appeal. Nine years is an awfully long time for children – most of them are barely recognizable. And as for Paul and Monika? As they grow older, does life with many children, and without much leisure or time for themselves, appear increasingly challenging? Or is life with a large family simply their secret recipe for a well-balanced and satisfied existence? We make another visit to the Adler family, sharing in both everyday life and vacations.
