Crime scene: The Eskimo
| Episode of the series Tatort | |
|---|---|
| Original title | The Eskimo |
| Country of production | Germany |
| original language | German |
| Production company |
MR |
| length | 89 minutes |
| classification | Episode 894 ( List ) |
| First broadcast | January 5, 2014 on Das Erste |
| Rod | |
| Director | Achim von Borries |
| script |
Hendrik Handloegten Achim von Borries |
| music |
Christoph M. Emperor Julian Maas |
| camera | Bernd Fischer |
| cut | Stefan Blue |
| occupation | |
| |
The Eskimo is a television film from the crime series Tatort and the sixth and penultimate case of the Frankfurt investigator Steier . The report produced by Hessischer Rundfunk is the 894th Tatort episode and was broadcast for the first time on January 5, 2014 on Das Erste . Steier investigates a murder case that takes on very opaque forms. Both he and his divorced wife are in danger.
action
Frank Steier always had a drinking problem, and when Conny Mey has now left the office, he feels even more alone. He doesn't go home completely drunk from the pub, but sleeps on a bench in the park. Barely halfway sober, he sees a jogger in bright red clothes stabbing a man approaching her. The victim is Rainer Hartwig, a teacher at the Mildred Harnack School. When Steier found out, he contacted his ex-wife Jutta, who is also employed there. She thinks an act of jealousy is possible, but Hartwig wasn't a very popular colleague either. In an interview with Jutta, he learns that she is newly in love and that her new partner Lars Quinn likes her very much and even wants to get married.
Another corpse is discovered hanging in a sack from the iron bridge . This shows a similar injury as the stabbed teacher. The dead person is Gregor Samsa, which makes Steier think immediately of Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis . The inspection of the dead man's apartment reveals that not a single piece of furniture can be found there, but that the hiding place of a hard drive is clearly presented. It also turns out that Samsa is just an assumed name and that the dead person is actually called George Reginald Whitmann and served in the US Army until 2002 . The only thing the neighbor knows about him is that his girlfriend - a queen - moved out about three weeks ago . Steier's new assistant, Linda Dräger, then does research, but since no other person was officially registered, the identity cannot be determined.
Steier observes Jutta's new friend and finds out that he seems to be leading a double life. In a hotel, Quinn meets the wealthy Julia Mantler, with whom he seems very familiar. He learns from the bartender that Quinn meets here regularly with women who want male company. He wants to warn his ex-wife carefully, but she doesn't want to hear about it.
Forensic technician Michael Viersen analyzes the found hard drive and finds various mp3 files, including Quinn the Eskimo and other texts by Bob Dylan . Since Whitmann was stationed in Germany, Steier goes to the barracks of the US Air Force . There he learns that there used to be a General Quinn here. He is now retired and in a nursing home, but so demented that a questionnaire only reveals that he has a son who served in the Army with Whitmann.
When Steier followed Lars to a travesty bar, where he appeared in women's clothes, he was attacked after a while in the car by a person in a red jogging suit.
The case becomes more and more confusing when the forensic doctor discovers that Samsa, alias Whitmann, has judged himself with a Seppuku because he believed the Army had cloned alien genetic material and because his lover had left him.
When Commissioner Seidel finds out that a certain Lars Randolph Quinn was a student at the Mildred Harnack School, it becomes clear to Steier that his ex-wife may be in great danger. But it is also becoming increasingly apparent to her that Lars has a secret from her. Quinn reveals to her that he has been in love with her, his teacher, since school. So he killed Rainer Hartwig in the park because he wanted to rape Jutta Steier years ago in the classroom and he watched it go unnoticed. When Quinn confesses this to her, she turns away from him, whereupon he locks her up and sends a message to Steier on her cell phone. He then goes to her apartment, where Lars Quinn is waiting for him: in a red jogging suit and a blonde wig. He tries to overpower Steier, but does not succeed, whereupon he escapes. The cell phone tracking leads to the barracks, where he is holding Jutta prisoner. When the police arrive, he pours gasoline over himself, sets himself on fire, and later dies in hospital.
background
The film was shot by HR in Frankfurt / Main and the Frankfurt area. The world premiere took place on September 30, 2013 at the Hamburg Film Festival.
reception
Audience ratings
The first broadcast of Der Eskimo on January 5, 2014 was seen by a total of 9.37 million viewers in Germany and achieved a market share of 25.30 percent for Das Erste .
criticism
Rainer Tittelbach from tittelbach.tv writes appreciatively: “In this HR 'crime scene', the crime story functions more according to the principle of association than according to the rules of logic and credibility. It is the story of a mad sense. It is told accordingly cryptically. [...] The atmospherically strong film, culminating in a nightly showdown, comes up with bizarre pop cultural references. "
At Süddeutschen.de, Holger Gertz said: “The penultimate Frankfurt 'Tatort' with Joachim Król as Inspector Steier is well staffed and extremely exciting. The figure of the lonely alcoholic Steier still suggests an unpleasant end. "
Elmar Krekeler at Welt.de comments: “Steier opens the gates wide for glimpses into his hitherto closed, disturbed being. It's wonderfully photographed, could also be shown in the cinema. And Volker Bruch [...] as a lover with a triple life is a madman who has not been seen as perfect for a long time. You can't get this out of your head, this mysterious, disturbed, injured guy. "
The critics atquotemeter.de approve of the stylish and atmospheric production and say: “Even if Kunzendorf might be missing in places: Król is an excellent actor, probably one of the best that the 'Tatort' has right now. He can thank Achim von Borries and Hendrik Handloegten for writing him a book that is free of all the pretentious notes that are often struck elsewhere. The fact that the viewer put the puzzle together faster than the investigators is more of a blemish. The core elements are right: a gripping, broken main character who gets by without cheap crowd; a well-structured plot that only progresses a little too slowly in the last third. "
T-online.de judges the crime scene: “Despite the bizarre story, or perhaps because of it, the Frankfurt 'Tatort' remained exciting until the very end and delighted the fans. Captivating and touching gray 'crime scene' story with a very convincing Joachim Król. One of the tastiest treats lately. A dusty, cool crime ballad with pictures that suit the mood. "
The critics of the television magazine TV Spielfilm judge this crime scene: "Atmospheric psycho crime, not quite round."
controversy
In several scenes, people leaf through old photo albums and sometimes show an old class photo in close-up. After several people recognized each other, they lodged a complaint with ARD against showing the photo without their consent . As a result, the film was not repeated until 2020 and was one of the Tatort episodes that are no longer allowed to be broadcast .
Web links
- The Eskimo in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Summary of the plot of Der Eskimo on the ARD website
- The Eskimo at the crime scene fund
- The Eskimo at Tatort-Fans.de
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Production details and audience rating at tatort-fundus.de, accessed on March 28, 2014.
- ↑ at the Hamburg Film Festival 2013
- ^ Rainer Tittelbach: Film review on tittelbach.tv, accessed on March 28, 2014.
- ↑ Holger Gertz: That doesn't go well on sueddeutsche.de, accessed on March 28, 2014.
- ↑ Elmar Krekeler: This Sunday evening endangers your health on welt.de, accessed on March 28, 2014.
- ^ The critics: «Tatort: Der Eskimo» on quotenmeter.de, accessed on March 28, 2014.
- ↑ Great success for the "Tatort" double pack on t-online.de, accessed on March 28, 2014.
- ↑ Short review on tvspielfilm.de, accessed on March 28, 2014.
- ↑ The crime scene was broadcast for the first time on January 20, 2020 on hr-fernsehen : Der Eskimo. In: fernsehserien.de. Retrieved April 15, 2020 .
- ↑ News from the poison cabinet - blocking notice for TATORT episode "Der Eskimo". Retrieved April 5, 2020 .
|
previous episode January 1, 2014: Turkish honey |
Crime scene follow |
next episode January 5th, 2014: Franziska |
A Better World (2011) | The Dead on the Night Train (2011) | It's Bad (2012) | In the name of the father (2012) | Who breaks the silence (2013) | The Eskimo (2014) | The House at the End of the Street (2015)