ARD
Leaden veil: New thriller in the first
Julia (Emily Cox) spent five years in prison. photo
© Christine Schroeder/ARD Degeto/Filmpool Fiction GmbH/dpa
A woman is imprisoned for five years until she is acquitted. When she returns to her village, another difficult time begins for her.
“I am free – finally free.” With these words Julia Brandt (Emily Cox) in front of the prison gate of the press. She was found guilty five years ago. She was convicted of the murder of the student Felix (Eloi Christ). A crime she didn’t commit. Now she is acquitted. But her job is gone, and so is her husband. The two-part thriller “Innocent – The Case of Julia B.”, which can be seen on May 4th from 8:15 p.m. on Das Erste, shows what happens next.
Word of Julia’s acquittal spreads quickly, including among her ex-husband Jan (Jan Krauter), his new fiancée Katrin (Katharina Marie Schubert) and Felix’s parents (Peter Schneider, Gerti Drassl). Julia returns to her home village on the Baltic Sea and stays with her friend Meike (Bettina Burchard), who lives in a remote house on the coast. She is insulted and shunned in the village, but she really wants to stay and return to her old job as a teacher.
Inspector Max Kauth (great: Thomas Loibl) reopens the case, although he is still mourning his beloved colleague Jessica (Christine Große), who died in a traffic accident. Kauth is a funny guy, as he has a rare trait: he can talk to the dead and tries to shed light on the darkness of this story. Witnesses suddenly become suspects, monstrous secrets come to light, lies and deception reign everywhere.
In their exciting crime thriller, director Ute Wieland (67, “Eisland”) and author Florian Oeller (45, “The Driven”) show a story about suspicion, destruction and betrayal – until the veil that lies heavy as lead over everything gradually lifts. The many figures – even the dead come back to life – are quite confusing, but like chess pieces they are part of a sophisticated game in which basically no one can trust anyone.
Emily Cox (39, “Invisible Attacker”, on May 13th on ZDF) plays a woman who can basically only watch as her entire environment falls apart and gradually literally crumbles. She acts just as believably as all the other actors. Right up to the astonishing, completely shocking conclusion, which is quite a surprise. Maybe now the dead can finally find peace.