Gorgeous cinematography, a bucolic German setting, and director Piotr Lewandowski’s lyrical storytelling style make Jonathan a uniquely sumptuous visual experience — and illuminate a tale about family, romantic love, and bittersweet regret. At 23 years old, Jonathan (played by the stunning Jannis Niewöhner) and his aunt struggle to keep their family farm afloat while also caring for Jonathan’s emotionally distant father, Burghardt, who is dying of cancer. As Burghardt’s condition worsens, the family hires Anka (played by the equally stunning Julia Koschitz), a nurse from a nearby town. While Jonathan and Anka begin to fall in love, a long-absent former friend of Burghardt’s arrives, revealing a secret that will dramatically alter both the course of Burghardt’s final weeks and Jonathan’s understanding of his family.

This atypical story about a later-in-life coming out — and the repairing of a sundered father-son bond — is at times raw and emotional. Languorous romantic idylls and intimate lovemaking (sensitively lensed by Jeremy Rouse) are juxtaposed with heartrending scenes in which damaged people confront each other and their own fears and regrets. Among a stellar cast, André Hennicke, as Burghardt, gives a standout performance as a man facing his past mistakes and his own sorrow, while making brave choices about how he will live his final days. Jonathan is a beautiful first feature from a filmmaker of great skill and subtlety.