... too cautious sometimes. Jeanette's perhaps 30, single mother. She handles the "Every day's guy stuff" but lacks the right tools to deal with her parents and more and more even with her own son. We never get to know why, anyway, Jeanette prefers to fall for her married new neighbour and to enjoy the company of the local soccer-team she's working for. Beautifully shot the film captures a close to life atmosphere in Jena. It's historical "outlaw part" is still called "Paradise" - nice title for those who still have dreary clichés on their minds when it comes to an eastern German town. "Jena Paradies" tells you something about Jeanette's strength, hopes, and disappointments but seems to be afraid of the most dramatic parts in her life. Mittelstaedt's watching with joy and so do we, but he doesn't show what lies beneath. Thanks to the actors it never gets too boring. Stappenbeck e.g. is an astonishing mixture of down to earth woman-power and childlike-borderline-behaviour. Heartwarming.
