A young woman comes to the Munich murder squad and accuses herself of murder. It’s about the young violinist Marina Eeden (Jara Bihler). She fears that she has killed her friend and competitor Lucy on the roof of the Philharmonic Hall in Gasteig. In fact, inspectors Franz Leitmayr (Udo Wachtveitl) and Ivo Batic (Miroslav Nemec) find traces of blood there. However, there is no body. In addition, the young woman is not sure whether she only dreamed the murder. She is a lucid dreamer, but cannot always distinguish dreamed memories from real ones. The investigators believe they will find the key to the case in a dubious sleep laboratory where musicians and athletes optimize their performance.
The young Swiss woman Jara Bihler is a real discovery. Her portrayal of the aspiring violinist who will do almost anything to achieve success is convincing. The setting is also well chosen: crime novels that take place in a musical environment are rare. There is often a lot of pressure there: the stress level of an orchestra musician is just as high as that of a Formula 1 driver, says the tireless assistant Kalli Hammermann (Ferdinand Hofer). Anyone who has seen “Dreams” will believe that immediately.
If the makers of this episode (writer: Moritz Binder and Johanna Thalmann; director: Boris Kunz) had limited themselves to the music scene, it could have been a big “crime scene”. But they mix this exciting subject with a topic about sleep research, medication and self-optimization. All topics that can only be touched on due to their complexity and remain incomprehensible. There is also a parallel plot involving a top athlete who is under similar pressure.
The investigations in the sleep laboratory remind Inspector Leitmayr of his current problem: he cannot sleep, becomes irritable and unpleasant. His colleague Batic, on the other hand, believes that all the fuss about dream interpretation is real. As a child, he dreamed that a classmate would have an accident in the car – which actually happened. Of all people, the tired Leitmayr can calm him down with a rational explanation.
You can safely give this “crime scene” a gift – especially since it is a repeat.
The “Tatort” episode “Dreams” was first broadcast on November 7, 2021. The ARD repeats the case a good two years later, on Friday, November 10, 2023, from 10:20 p.m.
