| Love in Thoughts | |
| Runtime: | 89 min. |
| Language: | German |
Love in Thoughts (German: Was nützt die Liebe in Gedanken) is a German film directed by Achim von Borries. It was released in Germany on February 12, 2004. The main characters are played by August Diehl, Daniel Brühl, Anna Maria Mühe and Jana Pallaske.
The movie takes place in late 1920s Berlin. It opens with Paul being questioned by police about a note he had written. The scene then fades out, and the movie shows what happened. Paul, a shy virgin poet who is tired of being alone and heartbroken, is friends with an openly gay aristocrat boy, Guenther, who is suffering unrequited love for Hans. Paul is staying at Guenther's parents' country home over the weekend. The parents are absent. Guenther's sister Hilde, who stole Hans' heart besides, is loved by Paul, for whom Guenther has budding feelings, which complicates the brother-sister relationship. Hilde has no interest in committing to a relationship with Paul, however. Guenther invites some people over to have an all-night party, filled with alcohol, music, and sex. It is one of their last parties, since Paul and Guenther have made a suicide pact. Guenther, Paul, Hans and Hilde go through a series of couplings, conversation and partying before proceeding to Hilde and Guenther's parents' apartment in the city. There the drama ends with gunshots. The question is what actually happened. The film is based on a "true" story, the so-called "Steglitz school tragedy".