They're rare, but they're there - good TV-movies made in Germany. This remarkable film, skillfully directed by Markus Imboden, THE young filmmaker talent of Switzerland, proofs that there is a place for serious teenage drama indeed.
The story is about 15-year-old Kathi (Anna Brüggemann), who lives in a small village and whose schoolmate Tina (Isabella Jantz) is found murdered after a big party of the local fire department. As Kathi doesn't want to just sit and wait for the results of the police, she takes on her own investigations. Soon she discovers aggression, greed, mistrust, personal intrigue and sexual obsession behind the fascade of a peaceful and secure community.
"Ein Dorf sucht seinen Mörder" succeeds on many levels.
The script draws a realistic and vivid portrait of a village that may seem lovely and inviting to you if you're on holiday there, but beneath the surface it's always seething.
As far as the cast is concerned the film offers excellent acting, including the supporting roles. In the lead, Anna Brüggemann is the emotional core of the story and though her bavarian dialect sounds a little bit artificial at times, she is totally believable and delivers an outstanding performance. In the role of her murdered friend Tina, Isabella Jantz is good, too. Despite the fact that the important story of her character has begun long before the movie's start and that she's visually off-screen after some 30 minutes she manages to make the audience feel sorry for her Tina. *SPOILER-WARNING* Thomas Schmauser, who plays Tina's emotionally confused and incalculable brother Hannes is the film's secret weapon. When he is finally arrested and pushed into a police car, he looks back to his embittered mother with an insane smile on his face and begins to whistle a funny melody. This scene is especially memorable. Other fine performances come from the charming Kai Scheve as Kathi's young father-in-law who is trying to integrate into the community and who gets prime suspect in the murder case; Monika Baumgartner as the pitiable woman, whose husband is dead and whose daughter is killed by her own son; the amusing Thomas Feist as the mayor's son who falls in love with Kathi; and Josef Bierbichler as the lawyer Dr. Haake who has a secret relationship with Tina.
What's equally as impressive as the acting is the cinematography by Jo Heim. With the exception of the party sequence the images are always cool with dominating blue and grey what underlines the atmosphere of the village.
Last but not least, the score must be mentioned. The use of zither music that evokes a feeling of a friendly and comfortable home stands in fascinating contrast to the sad story.
In conclusion I can highly recommend this film to everyone who has already lost his faith in well-made german TV-movies!
The story is about 15-year-old Kathi (Anna Brüggemann), who lives in a small village and whose schoolmate Tina (Isabella Jantz) is found murdered after a big party of the local fire department. As Kathi doesn't want to just sit and wait for the results of the police, she takes on her own investigations. Soon she discovers aggression, greed, mistrust, personal intrigue and sexual obsession behind the fascade of a peaceful and secure community.
"Ein Dorf sucht seinen Mörder" succeeds on many levels.
The script draws a realistic and vivid portrait of a village that may seem lovely and inviting to you if you're on holiday there, but beneath the surface it's always seething.
As far as the cast is concerned the film offers excellent acting, including the supporting roles. In the lead, Anna Brüggemann is the emotional core of the story and though her bavarian dialect sounds a little bit artificial at times, she is totally believable and delivers an outstanding performance. In the role of her murdered friend Tina, Isabella Jantz is good, too. Despite the fact that the important story of her character has begun long before the movie's start and that she's visually off-screen after some 30 minutes she manages to make the audience feel sorry for her Tina. *SPOILER-WARNING* Thomas Schmauser, who plays Tina's emotionally confused and incalculable brother Hannes is the film's secret weapon. When he is finally arrested and pushed into a police car, he looks back to his embittered mother with an insane smile on his face and begins to whistle a funny melody. This scene is especially memorable. Other fine performances come from the charming Kai Scheve as Kathi's young father-in-law who is trying to integrate into the community and who gets prime suspect in the murder case; Monika Baumgartner as the pitiable woman, whose husband is dead and whose daughter is killed by her own son; the amusing Thomas Feist as the mayor's son who falls in love with Kathi; and Josef Bierbichler as the lawyer Dr. Haake who has a secret relationship with Tina.
What's equally as impressive as the acting is the cinematography by Jo Heim. With the exception of the party sequence the images are always cool with dominating blue and grey what underlines the atmosphere of the village.
Last but not least, the score must be mentioned. The use of zither music that evokes a feeling of a friendly and comfortable home stands in fascinating contrast to the sad story.
In conclusion I can highly recommend this film to everyone who has already lost his faith in well-made german TV-movies!
