quick check
“Tatort” from Zurich
Art or Mutilation? This thriller is not for the faint of heart
The artist Kyomi (Sarah Hostettler, left) stages a farewell party for the late Max Gessner
© SRF/Sava Hlavacek / ARD Degeto
Zurich investigators Isabelle Grandjean and Tessa Ott have to solve the death of a young man who lived in a sect-like artists’ community. Their leader splits the commissioners.
- 2 out of 5 points
- Disturbing film about trauma management under the guise of art
What’s the matter?
Plastic surgeon Beat Gessner (Imanuel Humm) finds the disfigured corpse of his son Max (Vincent Furrer) in an abandoned factory building. Its body is wrapped in nylon like a cocoon and hung on a hook. Gessner states to investigators Isabelle Grandjean (Anna Pieri Zuercher) and Tessa Ott (Carol Schuler) that he has had no contact with his son for years. Instead, he lived in a cult-like artists’ commune, led by a woman named Kyomi (Sarah Hostettler). She calls her followers “objects” that are supposed to carry her pain outwards – illustrated by tattoos on the face and the cornea of the eyes. Grandjean and Ott have to deal with the bizarre world of the artist in order to solve the death of Max Gessner.
Why is this “crime scene” worthwhile?
There are few bright spots in this third case involving Zurich investigators Grandjean and Ott. The architecture and landscape shots are particularly positive: romantic alleyways in Zurich’s old town, idyllic shots of Lake Zurich, a chase in the multi-storey car park. And the viewer learns a lot about Tessa Ott’s past, which gives the investigator more profile.
What bothers?
The mood is somber from beginning to end. It starts with severely traumatized young people who report abuse and change their faces beyond recognition. Just the sight of Max Gessner’s corpse should repel some viewers. If you don’t switch off afterwards, let me tell you: It won’t get any better. Abuse, desecration of corpses, suicide attempts, broken families: This “crime scene” wants to provoke and does not omit any difficult subject.
The commissioners?
As colleagues, Grandjean and Ott don’t harmonize perfectly, their characters are too different: one dutiful policewoman, the other a nonconformist rebel who has a problem with weapons. This is exactly what is always the topic between the two. The investigators also have different opinions when it comes to dealing with the suspected Kyomi. While Ott feels a certain fascination for the artist’s work, Grandjean takes a more sober view. “We’re dealing with a madwoman who mutilates young people and sells it as art,” she says in one scene.
Turn on or off?
At a time when horrific images of the Ukraine war determine everyday life, this crime thriller is no good as a distraction. Anyone tuning in needs a thick skin.
Inspectors Grandjean and Ott have so far investigated the following cases: