Sleeping with a Tiger is a hybrid film about the Austrian painter Maria Lassnig. A film about her struggle in the male dominated art world and the quest to find her own personal artistic way of expression in which she brings her inner pain on canvas. And of course a film about her great artistic success.
Barely 22, Franz Klammer finds himself at the “eye of the storm” when he shows up for the men’s downhill competition at the 1976 Winter Olympic Games. Since the previous season the charismatic newcomer has won virtually every race. The pressure from the media and the public and the hopes of an entire nation are off the scales. His sponsor is pushing him to switch equipment right before the competition, the weather is getting steadily worse, and his toughest rivals know that Franz has to do better than just a flawless run. Franz senses that he has to find his own path and that only the love of his life can give him the strength to do that. This is the most important race of his life in which he skis a line that nobody even thought was possible and which will make him to this day a legend in the sport of downhill skiing.
Opera countertenor Alex Gottfarb is not alone – his inner self is crowded. Some other personae live within him – shy Alexander, sexy Sandra, teenager Lex and a seven-year-old prodigy Xandi. Each one of them has different ideas of what life should look like and yet they are all extremely dependent on each other. With the help of Helene, who loves him, Alex succeeds to get in touch with his cohabitants. Cascades of turbulent events and tragicomic misunderstandings accompany Alex’ struggle for identity, love and freedom.