Das Vorspiel, internationally released as The Audition, is a 2019 German drama film following Anna Bronsky, a dedicated violin teacher at a Berlin music conservatory who becomes intensely consumed by the talent of a young applicant, Alexander. Over the fierce objections of her colleagues, Anna pushes through Alexander's admission and begins orchestrating an obsessive, demanding training regime that causes her to deeply neglect her own family. Her domestic life with her French violin-maker husband, Philippe, and their young son, Jonas—who struggles under the heavy weight of his mother's immense musical expectations—rapidly disintegrates. Seeking an escape from her mounting domestic anxieties and career frustrations, Anna engages in a passionate extramarital affair with Christian, a fellow cello teacher and colleague. As the high-stakes final exam approaches, Anna's hyper-fixation on her star pupil drives a massive psychological wedge into her household, creating a toxic environment of jealousy and pressure that ultimately culminates in a sudden, tragic outburst of violence.