Quick check
“Tatort” from Frankfurt
“Luna eats or dies”: Two friends against the rest of the world
They are the main protagonists of the film: young author Luise Nathan (Jana McKinnon) and her friend Nellie Kunze (Lena Urzendowsky, r.)
© HR / Bettina Müller / ARD
The Frankfurt commissioners Anna Janneke and Paul Brix have to solve the death of the young writer Luise Nathan. The solution to the case can be found in her debut novel.
- 4 out of 5 points
- A depressing “crime scene” at the end of which there are only losers
What’s the matter?
19-year-old Luise Nathan (Jana McKinnon) has just published her debut novel and is receiving critical acclaim. “Luna eats or dies” is the title of the book, which is about the life of a girl in precarious circumstances. The greater the shock when the young author is found dead the morning after the premiere. What initially looks like a suicide quickly turns into a murder case for Frankfurt investigators Anna Janneke (Margarita Broich) and Paul Brix (Wolfram Koch), because Luise Nathan died as a result of massive violence. Janneke and Brix not only have to find the culprit, but also clarify the question: Did Nathan really experience the things that she describes in her book or is it pure fiction?
Why is this “crime scene” worthwhile?
The film is supported by two strong leading actresses: Jana McKinnon plays the author Luise Nathan, Lena Urzendowsky plays her friend Nellie Kunze. Both have already stood together in front of the camera for the Amazon Prime series “Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo”. In “Tatort” the young women convince again with their emotional game. For familiar faces like actor Clemens Schick there is only a supporting role. In addition, director and screenwriter Katharina Bischof succeeded in an interesting trick: while the commissioners read out individual chapters from the book, the scenes actually play out on the screen. A brilliant idea for staging annoying flashbacks that are otherwise often annoying.
What bothers?
The film is like many novels: Between a strong start and an exciting end there are also some tough moments in which the plot does not move forward and the inspectors seem to go round in circles.
The commissioners?
To solve the death of Luise Nathan, Anna Janneke and Paul Brix cling to the book by the young writer. Together with their assistant Jonas they transform the police station into a reading circle. Chapter by chapter they approach the solution of the case.
Turn on or off?
A few years ago the Frankfurt “Tatort” attempted a horror shocker around Halloween, this time there is a socially critical crime thriller that is worth watching.
The commissioners Anna Janneke and Paul Brix recently determined in these cases: