The Left-Handed Woman

The Left-Handed Woman

1978 · 116 min · ★ 6.9 · Drama

Mourning for a lost relationship can be every bit as devastating as mourning for someone who has died. In this drama based on the director's own novel, a couple with an unhappy marriage agree to a trial separation. They try to patch things up, and at the same time other relationships begin to develop for them.

Directed by Peter Handke · Written by Peter Handke

Your Rating

Where to Watch

Streaming

Amazon Arthaus Channel

Rent or Buy

Amazon VideoApple TV Storemaxdome Store

Cast

Make it a double feature

3h 46m together

The Left-Handed Woman

Alice in the Cities

Both from Peter Handke.

More from Peter HandkeSee all →

Wings of DesireWings of Desire · 1987
Wings of Desire
★ 7.81987
MovieDramaFantasy
Two angels, Damiel and Cassiel, glide through the streets of Berlin, observing the bustling population, providing invisible rays of hope to the distressed but never interacting with them. When Damiel falls in love with lonely trapeze artist Marion, the angel longs to experience life in the physical world, and finds — with some words of wisdom from actor Peter Falk — that it might be possible for him to take human form.
Alice in the CitiesAlice in the Cities · 1974
Alice in the Cities
★ 7.71974
MovieDrama
German journalist Philip Winter has a case of writer’s block when trying to write an article about the United States. He decides to return to Germany, and while trying to book a flight, encounters a German woman and her nine year old daughter Alice doing the same. The three become friends (almost out of necessity) and while the mother asks Winter to mind Alice temporarily, it quickly becomes apparent that Alice will be his responsibility for longer than he expected.
Short Letter to the Long GoodbyeShort Letter to the Long Goodbye · 1978
Short Letter to the Long Goodbye
★ 7.51978
MovieDrama
A young German man who has just arrived in America, hopes to get over the collapse of his marriage. However, he soon discovers that his ex-wife is pursuing him.
City of AngelsCity of Angels · 1998
City of Angels
★ 6.81998
MovieDramaFantasy
When a guardian angel – who invisibly watches over the citizens of Los Angeles – becomes captivated by a strong-willed heart surgeon, he ponders trading in his pure, otherworldly existence for a mortal life with his beloved. The couple embarks on a tender but forbidden romance spanning heaven and Earth.
Wrong MoveWrong Move · 1975
Wrong Move
★ 6.71975
MovieDrama
Six days in the life of Wilhelm: a detached man without qualities. He wants to write, so his mother gives him a ticket to Bonn, telling him to live. On the train he meets an older man, an athlete in the 1936 Olympics, and his mute teen companion, Mignon. She's an acrobat in market squares for spare change.
The AbsenceThe Absence · 1993
The Absence
★ 6.51993
MovieDrama
Four nameless people -- the old man, the woman, the soldier, and the gambler -- journey to a desolate wasteland beyond the limits of an unnamed city.
The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty KickThe Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick · 1975
The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick
★ 5.91975
MovieDrama
Goalkeeper Josef Bloch is sent off after committing a foul during an away game. This causes him to lose his bearings, and he wanders aimlessly through the city streets and spends the night with the box-office attendant of a movie theatre.
3 American LPs3 American LPs · 1969
3 American LPs
★ 5.31969
MovieDocumentaryMusic
Another short was 3 American LPs, which was the first film I did with Peter Handke. It was a film about American music, about three pieces of three LPs. There was a song by Van Morrison, another by Harvey Mandel, and one of Credence Clearwater Revival. It was mainly the music and some shots out of a car, landscapes out of the car window. And it had a little bit of commentary – dialogue between Peter and me about American music and about how American rock music was about emotion and images instead of sounds. That is to say, about a kind of phenomenon, that it was in a way a kind of film music, but without a moving picture. It was a 12-minute film and it was never shown. – Wim Wenders
The Beautiful Days of AranjuezThe Beautiful Days of Aranjuez · 2016
The Beautiful Days of Aranjuez
★ 4.42016
MovieDrama
A man and a woman share their musings on love and freedom one summer night. The couple’s conversation meanders through memories, unspoken desires and passion through poetic dialogue.
KasparKaspar · 1974
Kaspar
1974
MovieTV MovieDrama
Related to the well-known story of how a young man, who came to be called Kaspar Hauser, appeared in a German town in 1828, apparently not able to speak more than a single sentence; A söchener Reiter möcht i wärn wie mei Voter aner gween is ( I want to become a horseman like my father once was).
Dichter Forum GrazDichter Forum Graz · 1967
Dichter Forum Graz
1967
Movie
Five young writers from the 'Forum Stadtpark' in Graz who were little-known back then play bizarre characters from their manuscripts, which often appeared in book form much later.
To Duration: A Tribute to Peter HandkeTo Duration: A Tribute to Peter Handke · 2017
To Duration: A Tribute to Peter Handke
2017
MovieDocumentary
Based on Handke's 1986 poem "Canto alla Durata". The film explores the concept of duration through the Austrian writer's life and work, featuring actor Bruno Ganz reading poems written by Handke.
The Malady of DeathThe Malady of Death · 1985
The Malady of Death
1985
MovieDrama
In the space of a short 65 minutes, a woman enters the luxury apartment of a wealthy man with an eccentric fascination for the female form and is paid both for her sexual favors and for lying there naked and letting him examine the aesthetics of her body. For most of the hour, as the concise narration of Marguerite Duras' novel on eroticism and aesthetics fills the aural gaps, actress Marie Colbin's form fills the visual gaps. But unless viewers consider the feminine eyeball or microscopic views of skin exotic and worth lingering over, the eroticism lies more in the imagination than on the screen. In fact, the female body lying on the bed, taken away from the spirit that animates it, is really just a corpse -- raising the question, exactly what is the "malady of death?"

More Like This

Women on the Verge of a Nervous BreakdownWomen on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown · 1988
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
★ 7.41988
MovieComedyDrama
After being dumped by her lover, Pepa finds her life and the lives of those around her spiraling out of control in a deliciously chaotic series of events.
Zero Fucks GivenZero Fucks Given · 2022
Zero Fucks Given
★ 6.32022
MovieDramaComedy
Cassandre, 26, is a flight attendant for a low-cost airline. Based in Lanzarote, she’s always willing to take on extra hours and carries out her duties with robotic efficiency. On the side, she just goes with the flow and floats between Tinder, parties and lazy days. When she suddenly gets dismissed, she is forced to return home.
Five Times TwoFive Times Two · 2004
Five Times Two
★ 6.42004
MovieDramaRomance
As young French couple Gilles and Marion officially separate, we see, in reverse order, the milestone moments in their relationship: Gilles revealing his unfaithfulness at a tense dinner party; Marion giving birth to their premature son while Gilles is elsewhere; Gilles and Marion's joyous wedding; and, finally, the fateful moment when they meet as acquaintances at an Italian beach resort, and their love affair begins.
Lemon TreeLemon Tree · 2008
Lemon Tree
★ 7.02008
MovieDrama
Salma Zidane, a widow, lives simply from her grove of lemon trees in the West Bank's occupied territory. The Israeli defence minister and his wife move next door, forcing the Secret Service to order the trees' removal for security. The stoic Salma seeks assistance from the Palestinian Authority, Israeli army, and a young attorney, Ziad Daud, who takes the case. In this allegory, does David stand a chance against Goliath?
Dan in Real LifeDan in Real Life · 2007
Dan in Real Life
★ 6.62007
MovieComedyRomance
Advice columnist Dan Burns is an expert on relationships, but somehow struggles to succeed as a brother, a son and a single parent to three precocious daughters. Things get even more complicated when Dan finds out that the woman he falls in love with is actually his brother's new girlfriend.
Cherry BlossomsCherry Blossoms · 2008
Cherry Blossoms
★ 7.32008
MovieDramaRomance
After finding out that her husband, Rudi, has a fatal illness, Trudi Angermeier arranges a trip to Berlin so they can see their children. Of course, the kids don't know the real reason they're visiting -- and the catch is, neither does Rudi...
I Am LegendI Am Legend · 2007
I Am Legend
★ 7.22007
MovieDramaScience Fiction
Robert Neville is a scientist who was unable to stop the spread of the terrible virus that was incurable and man-made. Immune, Neville is now the last human survivor in what is left of New York City and perhaps the world. For three years, Neville has faithfully sent out daily radio messages, desperate to find any other survivors who might be out there. But he is not alone.
Lars and the Real GirlLars and the Real Girl · 2007
Lars and the Real Girl
★ 7.22007
MovieDramaRomance
Extremely shy Lars finds it impossible to make friends or socialize. His brother and sister-in-law worry about him, so when he announces that he has a girlfriend he met on the Internet, they are overjoyed. But Lars' new lady is a life-size plastic woman. On the advice of a doctor, his family and the rest of the community go along with his delusion.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter