quick check
“Tatort” from Ludwigshafen
Angry children, overwhelmed adults: an emotional case for Lena Odenthal
Lena Odenthal (Ulrike Folkerts) interviews the student Pit (Finn Lehmann)
© SWR/Christian Koch / ARD
A boy dies at a school festival, but nobody seems to be mourning. He was considered a “problem case”, a so-called system crasher. Inspector Odenthal and her colleague Stern reconstruct the whole drama.
- 4 out of 5 points
- Moving social drama that shows serious conflicts between children and adults
What’s the matter?
A school festival is to take place at a primary school in Ludwigshafen. Nine-year-old Marlon Janson (Lucas Herzog) was expelled from the celebrations for breaking school rules too many times. The fourth grader appears anyway – and is found dead at the top of a staircase a little later. The fact that a child died doesn’t seem particularly shocking to many at the school and those around Marlon. He was a “problem case,” says a father whose daughter’s arm was broken by Marlon. Others describe the boy as conspicuous and difficult, “there was constant stress”. The only ones who stood by him were his classmate Pit (Finn Lehmann) and social worker Anton Leu (Ludwig Trepte). He took care of children with behavioral problems at school. Inspector Lena Odenthal (Ulrike Folkerts) and her colleague Johanna Stern (Lisa Bitter) reconstruct the last days of Marlon’s life to find out what happened to him.
Why is the case “Marlon” worth it?
Director and screenwriter Nora Fingscheidt achieved a surprise success in 2019 with the drama “Systemsprenger”. A year later, the then eleven-year-old Helena Zengel received the German Film Award for Best Actress. Similar to the cinema production, the “crime scene” now deals with angry children and overwhelmed adults. “Children are not the problem. They have one,” says social worker Leu in one scene. Above all the dead Marlon, who was not only a perpetrator but also a victim. Author Karlotta Ehrenberg has made an emotionally extremely touching film that pays special attention to the youngest actors.
What bothers?
Tragic enough that it’s about the death of a child. The resolution robs the already sad case of any hope. For “Tatort” fans, it should also be a bit too predictable.
The Commissioners?
Commissioner Lena Odenthal took up her duties in October 1989. This is her 75th case. No other “crime scene” police officer investigates as long as she does. Her chief inspector Mario Kopper stood by her side for many years, and Johanna Stern has been part of her team since 2014. In this episode, the private is largely left out. The viewers only learn that Odenthal was also a wild, angry child and that Stern is once again in trouble with her ex-husband about their children.
Turn on or off?
A case that is disturbing, but well worth seeing.
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