Erleuchtung garantiert (Enlightenment Guaranteed) is a 1999 German film directed by Doris Dörrie about two brothers, Uwe (Uwe Ochsenknecht) and Gustav (Gustav-Peter Wöhler), who travel to Japan in order to find themselves. The two plan to retreat for a while at the Monastery in Monzen, Ishikawa in the Noto Peninsula, well away from Tokyo. On their way there, in a rather literal Buddhist moment, the brothers lose all of their belongings. When they finally make it to the monastery, they find that even there, enlightenment can be elusive.

Plot

The film begins by detailing the troubled lives of the two brothers; each is experiencing a mid life crisis. With four young children, Uwe and his wife Petra find their obligations overburdening, having little compassion for the other's problems and constantly bickering. Uwe leaves for work after a particularly stressful morning, during which he once again argues with his wife; while at work as a real estate agent, his wife packs up most of their belongings and moves out. Uwe finds a note when he comes home and is immediately distressed to tears.