ORF-E
1 x 52 min
German
Worldwide

The documentary examines the positive and negative aspects of being alone. One third of all Austrians, Swiss and Germans live alone, and the number is rising. Take a look at the property market and you will see that single flats are almost the only ones to come onto the market. As a large minority, single people still face prejudice: This is especially true of single women, who are said to have “not yet found the one”. Being alone has a bad reputation. But more and more people, especially women, see it as a positive: For them, it is “being with oneself” that can awaken creative energy. It is also associated with independence, making it easy to defend with confidence. On the flip side, being alone can also descend into loneliness, especially when old or sick – and since the drastic Covid measures were enforced, loneliness itself has been described as an epidemic.The governments in Austria and Germany want to introduce initiatives to address this and are looking to places like Great Britain, which has had a loneliness minister in office since 2018.