Ninety Degrees in the Shade

Plot

It's very hot, putting a strain on everyone. A beautiful woman works in a shop in Eastern Europe during the Communist era. She is in the late, disillusioned stages of an affair with a married man. Two government inspectors arrive to carry out an audit. The shop sells expensive alcoholic drinks. One inspector is relaxed, an old hand, but the other is a newcomer and meticulous. The heroine's boyfriend has stolen some bottles with her compliance. She manages to hide this from the meticulous inspector during the first day of the inspection. That night she and her boyfriend raise money and buy bottles to replace those he stole. That night also, we see the unhappy home life of the meticulous inspector - his alcoholic wife and lazy son. We are led to wonder if he has feelings for the heroine (the shop worker). On the second day of the inspection, the relaxed inspector of the pair drops a bottle and it breaks, leading to the discovery that almost all the bottles have had their contents stolen and are filled with tea. We (the viewers) wonder if the meticulous inspector will allow the heroine to go unpunished - his boss actually suggest that. The film ends with an ambiguous act by the heroine, her motives unclear. It's a sad story with a subtext of men subjugating women and another about immorality under Communist rule.

Cast

Awards and nominations

Berlin International Film Festival

Golden Globe Award