The title itself – in German, Was Wir Wollten – is an indication of unfulfilled wishes, in this case the wish for a child. Alice and Niklas, two successful people from Vienna who are in their early 40s, face fertility issues, and after another unsuccessful round of in vitro, they decide to forget about the stresses of getting pregnant and head to Sardinia for what they hope will be a relaxing vacation that will distract them from their emotional wounds. But the Tyrolean family who have rented the bungalow next door to them in the resort have rather conservative views on family and family planning, only adding to their tension.
The drama is directed and co-written (with Sandra Bohle) by Ulrike Kofler, a first-time feature film director, who had done only one short film in that capacity before, although having had a 16-year career as an editor of TV-movies, shorts and documentaries, a few of which she also co-wrote. The couple is played by Lavinia Wilson and Elyas M’Barek, two actors who hail from Munich and whose Bavarian accent seeps into their dialogue at times. Wilson is a veteran actress who started at age 11 and has been in in over 60 films since then. For Elyas M’Barek, 38, What we Wanted is a departure of sorts: the handsome actor, who is of Austrian and Tunisian decent, is best known for comedies and has starred in such German blockbusters as Bullypara, Fack Ju Göthe and Suck Me Shakespeer, their titles already hinting at the nature of their content. He, too, has acted for almost 20 years and has 58 TV and film credits to his name. South Tyrolean actress Anna Unterberger, who plays their vacation neighbor’s wife, is best known for her regular roles in Austrian and German crime TV series.