Theo’s demons threaten to overpower him, in spite of his and Nettie’s deepening friendship. One night he follows a shop girl to her apartment house, then waits on the landing until she’s asleep. He breaks into her apartment and creeps into her bedroom, uncovers her and watches her sleeping for a few seconds. We can see the struggle he’s undergoing within himself. He reaches over and lays his hand gently on the girl’s buttocks for a moment. Then he stands back up and turns slightly, which ends the scene. We’re left unsure what happened after the slight turn. Did he simply walk away? Did he rape her? Did he kill her?

Upon returning to her hotel in Belgium, Nettie spots Theo sitting calmly in the bar. An even more uncomfortable and sometimes clumsy love affair ensues. The couple returns to Germany, moving in together and clearly enjoying one another. Nettie calls home one evening to let Theo know she’ll be late because of a going away party for a coworker, and it’s clear watching Theo’s face the turmoil that begins developing within. He stews and boils until he decides to go to the bar where the party is being held. He waits outside, simply watching the group inside, his mind clearly working overtime. He leaves and begins pacing the city aimlessly, obviously very upset and confused.

At some point he stops walking, and the ensuing events make it clear that Theo is losing his struggle. When he arrives back at the apartment, his breakdown becomes complete. It was at this late point in the movie when I suddenly realized that I’d been watching him steadily and progressively self-destruct. It seemed that the intent of director Glasner was to create the illusion of Theo addressing and overcoming his demons, while it’s actually a losing battle he’s been fighting.

The remainder of the film deal with Theo’s preparations for the inevitable, and how he deals with Nettie. It’s both quite frustrating and emotional for Nettie, and causes both frustration and despondence for Theo. These final scenes bring everything to a conclusion, but one which is unsettlingly final and highly emotional for the viewer as well.

The Free Will is a psychological study of a man crumbling as we watch. Despite both main characters (as well as some others in the cast) being damaged goods, at the same time they’re very likeable and appeal to the viewer's emotions. It’s not a pleasant sight to watch their disintegration, particularly when I found myself rooting for the couple throughout the film. This film has won many well-deserved awards, including Best Actor for Vogel at both the Tribeca and Chicago film festivals.