“Police call 110” with Claudia Michelsen: This is how the “witches burn” case

“Police call 110” in the quick check
Hatred of women and witch madness: Mysterious case for Commissioner Brasch

“Police call 110” investigator Doreen Brasch travels from Magdeburg to the Harz Mountains for her new case: two women were tortured using medieval methods and burned on a kind of pyre.

What’s the matter?

The Magdeburg investigator Doreen Brasch (Claudia Michelsen) has to clear up the death of 32-year-old Tanja Edler in the Harz Mountains. The young woman was tortured before her death and burned on a kind of pyre. Edler had only recently returned to her hometown – in the film it is the fictional Thalrode – and was supposed to take over the hotel and restaurant business from her mother Stefanie (Gabriela Maria Schmeide). For the son of the family, Reiko Edler (Pit Bukowski), only the thankless role of cook remained. Did he murder his sister out of jealousy? Or was it the dead man’s ex-boyfriend, who runs a dusty shop called “Witch Evil” with his father? In addition, Edler belonged to an ominous circle of women who arranged to meet spiritually in the forest. One of the members is also found dead a little later.

Why is the “burning witches” case worthwhile?

Idyllic half-timbered houses, a small village church, surrounding forests: At first glance, everything seems harmonious in the village at the foot of the Brocken. But inspector Brasch quickly realizes that things are amiss. First of all, that there is a deep divide between the men and women in the place. While the women appear strong and self-confident and change things, the men sit at the regulars’ table and remain in the past. This is aptly illustrated by the figure of the village doctor Hans Petersen (Michael Schweighöfer). In one scene he says: “Suddenly everything is different here. Everything that was good should be bad. Cursed be the day on which women were given the right to vote.” Brasch senses that these social tensions are also crucial for solving the murders.

What bothers?

Witches, devils, black magic, exorcism: This thriller wants to play with the supernatural, but unfortunately often drifts off into the quirky. A couple of birds and a pair of siblings reminiscent of the twins from “The Shining” aren’t enough to generate suspense for over 90 minutes. The “crime scene” from Vienna, which dealt with very similar topics, did much better four weeks ago.

The commissioner?

Doreen Brasch investigates objectively and analytically, even if she is shocked by the brutality of the crime. “You see a lot that you don’t want to see,” she says to forensic pathologist Manfred Muser (Hennig Peker) after the first body was found. When a second woman is killed, Brasch gets support from her superior, detective Uwe Lemp (Felix Vörtler). Whereby he initially joins the regulars’ table brothers in a rather unprofessional manner.

Turn on or off?

No compulsory program. Anyone who would like to see a classic of film history can watch the Hitchcock thriller “Marnie” at 8.15 p.m. on Arte.

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