One of the more common clichés in modern indie film is the multiple story line featuring "strangers whose lives come together." Out writer-director Angelina Maccarone has somehow managed to avoid all of the pitfalls usually associated with this format with Vivere, a new film opening in limited release today. Maccarone has delivered an honest, genuinely interesting film about three women at their own personal crossroads, and makes a few statements about sexuality, culture and age along the way.

The story line follows the three women as their lives literally and figuratively collide one night. There's the shy, sexually frustrated Francesca (Esther Zimmering); her rebellious 17-year-old sister, Antonietta (Kim Schnitzer); and a heartbroken older woman, Gerlinde (Hannelore Elsner).

The events of the film are portrayed three times (each from the perspective of one of the characters), with story details falling into place piece by piece. Unique before-and-after scenes for each character reveal the layers of connections between incidents, and some events are played out very differently from each point of view. The approach recalls films such as Memento and Crash, but with genuinely compelling, predominantly queer characters.

Set on Christmas Eve in Cologne, Germany, the film opens on Francesca, a 27-year-old taxi driver tasked with tracking down her younger sister when the teen tries to run away with her rocker boyfriend. On her way to extricate Antonietta from a Rotterdam punk club, she picks up a woman who was left in a car accident (Gerlinde) and takes her to a hospital. Gerlinde finds her way back to the cab, and the two misfits journey to Rotterdam to find Antonietta.

Esther Zimmering

After the initial setup, we follow each character's story in turn. The cinematography in each segment subtly reflects the changes in narrative tone and complements the characters' personalities. Thankfully, the effect is unobtrusive and adds a subtle layer of detail to the story.

It also makes for a fascinating exercise in character study. Francesca is complicated, cynical and serious, a misfit who would rather chat with women online than go out and meet someone. Her insecurity is matched only by her sense of guilt and responsibility for her sister; she has a sort of loner pride that complicates her relationships. Her sequences are filmed in longer shots, with a distance between the character and the camera, indicating a sense of alienation.

In contrast, Gerlinde's story is told more intimately, with a close-up camera and an eye for her own point of view. Gerlinde is suffering from the worst kind of heartbreak: Her closeted lover has refused to see her on Christmas, despite promises otherwise. She initially finds solace in wine and wistful anecdotes about love, and though her path is easily the darkest and most dramatic of the trio, she eventually becomes a guiding light for the other women.

Hannelore Elsner

Antonietta is a classic rebellious teenager, but she has a great deal of heart and strength to balance her naïveté. When her boyfriend's stoned bandmates get into a car accident and leave the victim, Antonietta tries to get them to contact the authorities, and runs away (again) on principle when they fail to take action. She also adds a bit of youthful optimism and buoyancy to the film, in comparison to her sister's cynicism and Gerlinde's heavy emotional journey.

Maccarone said in her director's statement that the characters could represent the same woman at different stages of life. Seen in this light, Vivere becomes a commentary on the fluid nature of sexuality across a lifetime, with characters that literally span the range of the spectrum from gay to straight.