quick check
“Tatort” from Berlin
The long shadow of the unjust state – a thriller about the crimes of the GDR
Scene from the Berlin “crime scene”: Nina Rubin (Meret Becker) surprises Karow (Mark Waschke) in a moment of loneliness and sadness.
© rbb/Marcus Glahn / ARD
The death of a pensioner takes the Berlin commissioners Karow and Rubin far into the GDR past. Repetition of a “crime scene” worth seeing from 2019.
- 4 out of 5 points
- A touching story, unfortunately told with little tension.
What’s the matter?
A pensioner lay dead in his apartment for eight weeks. Nobody noticed his death. Not even Commissioner Robert Karow (Mark Waschke), whose apartment is next to the dead man’s. While the doctors assume a natural death, Karow works his way into a crude theory: he believes in “eviction by murder” and suspects the landlady. In fact, there are soon indications of an act of violence – the investigations, however, do not lead to the owner of the apartment, but far into the GDR past of the murder victim.
Why is this “crime scene” worthwhile?
Just in time for the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, ARD 2019 brought this film (book: Sarah Schnier; director: Florian Baxmeyer). History shows how relevant the GDR past still is for some people. The unjust state may have been overcome, but many victims have to live with the fact that yesterday’s perpetrators got off scot-free.
What bothers?
Unfortunately, the story plodded along meaninglessly for a long time. Only late does the viewer grasp the meaning and the historical background of this case. Instead of a tightly told plot with an exciting dramaturgy, the camera too often uses images that are pregnant with meaning. In addition, a sideline about the problems in the Berlin rental market distracts from the actual topic.
The commissioners?
Nina Rubin (Meret Becker) is dissatisfied with her professional situation. She applied to the Central Office for Prevention – which her colleague Karow noticed. Although this doesn’t exactly improve the two investigators’ relationship, the two grow closer.
Turn on or off?
This “crime scene” tells an explosive story about injustice in the GDR. You should not miss that.
The “Tatort” episode “Life After Death” was first broadcast on November 10, 2019. ARD repeats the case on Friday, April 29 at 10:15 p.m.