71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance 2005

The film begins with impactful intertitles that detail a horrific mass killing. It then unfolds through flashbacks over the preceding months, illustrating the lives of various individuals in Vienna. One poignant story follows a young Romanian boy who daringly crosses the border under the cover of night, navigating a treacherous swamp and concealing himself within a truck. Upon reaching Vienna, he finds himself living on the streets, begging to survive.

Among the other characters, we see a security worker making routine pickups at a bank, where tensions run high at home as he argues with his wife and spends countless hours in prayer. There’s also a young man engaged in criminal activities, stealing weapons from a military armory. In a lighter, yet risky twist, a college student spends time with friends playing games where they bet against each other; in one round, he stakes his watch against a stolen pistol. Meanwhile, a retired man fills his days watching television and sharing conversation with his daughter, who is too occupied to give him her full attention. Another subplot involves a married couple striving to adopt a young girl, showcasing their hopes and challenges.

As the Romanian boy’s story garners media attention, he is eventually taken in by the couple looking to adopt. On one fateful day, while the wife runs errands, she leaves him in the car outside the bank. Coincidentally, the retired man visits the same bank, initially under the pretense of collecting his pension, but is primarily there to see his daughter who works at that location.

Tension escalates as the college student makes a stop for gas. Finding himself low on cash and frustrated at an out-of-order ATM, he becomes impatient in a crowded bank. In a moment of rashness, he attempts to jump to the front of the line only to be confronted aggressively by another customer. Overcome with stress, he exits the bank, retrieves a gun from his car, and returns to the bank in a tragic turn of events. What follows is a devastating eruption of violence as he begins firing indiscriminately at the patrons inside, leading to a heart-wrenching conclusion when he then takes his own life.