Covered in tattoos, nicknamed "the Panzer" (the German word for tank), famous as a former East German boxing champion, and earning income based solely upon his muscles and bulk, Herbert is not someone you want to mess with. With few friends beyond the young boxer he is mentoring, a tattoo artist and Olga his angelfish, the Panzer lives a solitary and isolated life in apparent bachelor bliss. Even the diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease) hardly slows Herbert down. He treats ALS as just another physical adversary.
As Herbert drifts into total paralysis and it becomes clear who the victor in "Panzer versus ALS" is going to be, Herbert tries to make amends with the daughter he abandoned many years ago. This battle, like that with ALS, can't be won with his fists and Herbert finds himself in unfamiliar and unfathomable territory in more ways than one. While slow-paced and dark, the film is poignant and moving as a punch to the gut. Seen at the Toronto International Film Festival 2015.