A little boy in a soccer uniform runs through the forest. His breathing is rapid. It almost seems like he’s on the run from something. Then we look into the face of a grown man. Tormented look, fear in the eyes. He’s still running. Already in the opening credits, a short crossfade brings this story of abuse to the point: the sexual violence suffered at a young age and repeatedly repressed haunts the victim for the rest of her life. The moving TV drama “We have a deal” will be shown on ZDF on October 23rd at 8:15 p.m.
The well-ordered life of IT entrepreneur Frank Lechner (Felix Klare) collapses like a house of cards when he returns to his small Bavarian home village for his mother’s funeral. The successful man and family man is plagued by panic attacks, gets into nasty arguments with his older brother Christian (Shenja Lacher), takes pills and alcohol and wants to leave the scenes of his childhood as quickly as possible.
What happened back then only gradually comes to light: between the ages of eight and ten, Frank was sexually abused by his soccer coach Klaus Wille (Peter Lohmeyer) – but he never spoke to anyone about the events. And the perpetrator from back then is still active in the small sports club – an unimaginable situation for Frank. And his own son Tim also plays in the club during the summer holidays.
This TV drama, directed by Felicitas Korn (“Three Lives”), develops the psychogram of a man who almost defiantly claims: “I don’t need any help.” His wife Sabina (Patricia Aulitzky) sees it completely differently. Although her husband remains silent, she gradually uncovers the events of that time. Only when Frank fears that the locally highly respected trainer will attack a boy again does he begin to talk about trauma.
The script by Marie-Helene Schwedler focuses on the convincing lead actor Felix Klare, who most people will know as investigator Sebastian Bootz in Stuttgart’s “Tatort”. But in addition to his crime routine, the actor, who was born in Heidelberg in 1978, has also impressed with explosive TV films such as “Innocent” or the divorce drama “Because you belong to me.”
The topic of abuse in sport, which is always suppressed, is particularly close to Felix Klare’s heart: “I would like this film to move people. That it brings movement to the topic itself, that it encourages those affected to break out of their rigidity caused by others and he thus giving a voice to those who, as is unfortunately so often the case, are the ones who suffer the most – the children,” Klare told ZDF.
The feature film “We Have a Deal” succeeds in making the terrible psychological distress of a victim of sexual violence understandable. Beyond the explosive topic, the story takes on a tension and momentum of its own and shows us a person who is not broken by suffering because he gets help and can exchange ideas with other people affected. The years of silence are finally over.
