The policeman, the murder and the child

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Movie
Original title The policeman, the murder and the child
Country of production Germany
original language German
Publishing year 2017
length 89 minutes
Rod
Director Johannes Fabrick
script Dorothee Schön
production Kirsten Hager
music Manu short
camera Helmut Pirnat
cut Simon Blasi
occupation

The Police Officer, Murder and the Child is a German television film by director Johannes Fabrick , which was broadcast on ZDF on December 11, 2017 . The film drama is based on the true story of Detective Chief Carlos Benede, who adopted two children whose mothers were murdered by their fathers.

action

Eleven-year-old Alexander Mitrovic has to watch his father murder his mother. This not only changes his life, but also that of police officer Carlos Benede. The last thing his mother said to Alex after she alerted the police for fear of her husband was: “Don't be afraid, the police will take care of us now.” While the officers in front of the house secure the entrance , Veljko Mitrovic manages to get into the apartment through the underground car park. Alex becomes the only witness for the murder charges against his father and the police take care of him. Victim Protection Commissioner Carlos Benede is supposed to contact the boy who is currently in the care of a relative. Alex initially refuses to speak to the police because they failed to protect his mother, even though she had promised him to do so. Carlos nevertheless finds access to the boy and explains to him first of all what kind of changes are in store for him in the near future. And that his testimony against his father is very important, so that one can prove to him the intent of his deed. Alex looks very mature to Carlos for his age and so it is not difficult for him to fulfill the boy's little wishes, which strengthens his trust in him. An important point for Alex is a visit to his father in custody. There he wants to know from him why he had stolen the most loved thing in the world from him. Unsatisfied with his father's answer, Alex resolves never to become like him.

In the weeks leading up to the trial, Carlos spends a lot of time with Alex. He draws his attention to the possibility of recording his testimony on video so that he does not have to be directly at the nerve-wracking process. But Alex immediately refuses, he wants to face his father and speak for his mother because she can no longer do it. In addition, his father would otherwise speak badly of his mother and he wants to prevent that. In accordance with his wishes, Carlos is committed to ensuring that Alex can be present for the entire duration of the process. As expected, Veljko Mitrovic is sentenced to life imprisonment. For Carlos, the professional duty to take care of Alex ends. With a heavy heart he bids farewell to the boy, but also promises to be there for him whenever he needs him. This occurs when Alex's aunt has to go to the hospital after an accident and it turns out that the woman has a drinking problem. Alex explains to the youth welfare office manager that he doesn't want to go to a children's home or to a new foster family, but to Carlos. Carlos initially thinks it is out of the question to look after a child in addition to his job. But since he doesn't want to disappoint Alex, he agrees. However, Carlos now renounces his girlfriend Valerie, because there seems to be no more room for it. Alex expresses the wish to be adopted by Carlos so that they both have the same surname. However, this would lead to financial losses for Carlos, because the care allowance would then be lost. But for Alex's sake he agrees. Despite their fears and insecurities, both grow into a real little family over the next few years. There is a conflict six years later when Alex's irascible side surfaced because Carlos does not agree that Alex should start a professional football career before graduating from school. But even this time they get through together and are now both challenged again when the phone rings late one evening and there is a new case of domestic violence. The affected five-year-old boy is brought to Carlos and when Alex sees the child and learns that the same thing happened to him, he urges Carlos to take him in. Carlos agrees and is also proud of Alex, who shows how responsibly he treats his new brother.

Carlos Benede later resigned from the police force and founded a home for children and young people who came out of difficult life situations.

background

The shooting took place from August 1, 2016 to September 6, 2016 in Munich and was broadcast as TV film of the week on ZDF .

reception

Reviews

Matthias Hannemann of the FAZ wrote: “The film does not only focus on the dramas that take place in some families, but also on all those who try to give support to children in need. Which also includes soccer coaches. If the story wasn't real down to the last detail, one would say: a heartwarming pre-Christmas film. "

Thomas Gehringer from tittelbach.tv said this film drama tells: “Precisely and calmly, with great respect for the real role models and with convincing actors. Thanks to the script by Dorothee Schön and the staging by Johannes Fabrick, the film becomes a moving plea for a loving and patient approach to children and adolescents, without any kitsch or heroism, but with an unusual male television type in the center: gentle and but no silt. One would have wished for the fictional revenant Carlos Benedes a little more rough edges. "

The critics of Focus.de assessed: "This is not a Monday crime fiction like any other, even if the less original film title suggests it." The filmmakers implemented the "sensitive topic with sensitivity and without false undertones."

Ulrich Feld at the Neue Deutsche Presse reads: “The film would have been better as a feature film (!) If the makers had had a little more courage to fictionalize. A Benede with rough edges, whose past as a drug investigator would have been noted, [...] would not only have resulted in a much more exciting main character, but would also have gotten a lot more out of Matthias Koeberlin. "

Julian Miller Quotenmeter.de evaluated critically: "This film tells basically a lot of self-contained stories," but "it is not possible to weave these stories make sense together into a larger whole. Because there is a lack of a clear topic or a specific thought that this film would like to convey to us. At the same time, he is constantly drifting off into all sorts of trivialities that cannot add anything essential to the subject and the story, which remains vague. ”“ In the end, unfortunately, only a few touching moments remain from this psychologically superficial material. This is due to the erratic narrative style, which shows hardly any interest in the profound. "

Audience ratings

The first broadcast of Der Polizist, der Mord und das Kind on December 11, 2017 was seen by 5.54 million viewers in Germany and achieved a total market share of 17.4 percent for ZDF .

Awards

The film won under the title The Carlos Benede Story:

  • the Signis Prize at the 2018 Monte Carlo International Television Film Festival.
  • the Prix spécial du jury de fiction européenne at the Festival de la fiction TV de La Rochelle 2018

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Roland Schulz: The police, your friend and father. In: Society / Life. Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazin , 2014, accessed on December 11, 2017 : "The story of an unusual official."
  2. ↑ The policeman, the murder and the child at crew united . Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  3. ↑ Matthias Hannemann: The boy shouldn't end up in the home. In: Feuilleton. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, December 11, 2017, accessed on December 11, 2017 .
  4. ^ Thomas Gehringer: Matthias Koeberlin, Dorothee Schön, Johannes Fabrick. To be too good to be true? at tittelbach.tv , accessed on March 6, 2018.
  5. ↑ The Policeman, the Murder and the Child at Focus.de , accessed on March 6, 2018.
  6. ↑ Ulrich Feld: Friesland - Family Secrets at fnp.de, accessed on March 6, 2018.
  7. ↑ Julian Miller: movie review at Quotenmeter.de , accessed on 6 March 2018th
  8. ↑ Manuel Weis: Primetime check: Monday, December 11, 2017.quotemeter.de , December 12, 2017, accessed on December 12, 2017 .
  9. ↑ Palmarès. Retrieved July 12, 2018 .
  10. ↑ Festival de la fiction de La Rochelle: le palmarès 2018. Accessed September 17, 2018 .