In The Heartbreak Agency (Die Liebeskümmerer), Karl and Maria meet and eventually fall in love, largely due to Karl’s interest in the work of Maria’s eponymous agency.
The Heartbreak Agency follows Karl, a journalist, and Maria Geiger, a heartbreak counselor who runs the Heartbreak Agency.
As the name suggests, the agency helps people deal with their heartbreaks. Maria founded the agency after her ex-boyfriend left.
Driven by her desire to ensure others do not experience the loneliness she felt, through her agency, she helps her clients face the challenges that come with heartbreak.
When Karl’s girlfriend breaks up with him based on her heartbreak counselor’s advice, Karl, skeptical of Maria’s work, takes it upon himself to expose her as a fraud.
However, the article that Karl writes on Maria gets him fired. The only way for him to get his job back is to participate in Maria’s therapy program and write a sincere article on heartbreak.
What Karl did not expect was that his participation in the program would lead to him falling in love and learning a thing or two about heartbreak.
Drawing inspiration from reality
The Heartbreak Agency is loosely based on Goodbye Herzschmerz: Eine Anleitung zum Wieder-Glücklichsein, a self-help book by Elena-Katharina Sohn.
Similar to Maria’s character, Sohn founded Die Liebeskümmerer, or the Heartbreak Agency, in 2011 following her separation from her partner.
Maria’s agency in the film is based on Sohn’s real-life agency, Die Liebeskümmerer, which served as an inspiration for the film.
As depicted in the film, the Berlin-based agency provides psychological services to people seeking assistance with issues related to heartbreak, love, and relationships.
The author’s professional knowledge and experiences were the foundation for the writing of Goodbye Herzschmerz: Eine Anleitung zum Wieder-Glücklichsein.
Sohn compiled her experiences of working with her clients and incorporated them into the book, which went on to become a German bestseller.
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