In “Tatort: Blinder Fleck” (September 24th, Das Erste), the Swiss detectives Isabelle Grandjean (Anna Pieri Zuercher, 44) and Tessa Ott (Carol Schuler, 36) had to solve a brutal triple murder. A girl was the main witness and a drone was the murder weapon. The motive is related to the Ahmići massacre.
“Of course it’s extremely exciting for a crime thriller to address new developments in drone technology. Technologies that can be used both civilly and militarily – to the benefit or harm of people,” says director Tobias Ineichen about the apparently realistic murder weapon. The fact that the crime thriller is also about “long-ago war crimes and questions about coming to terms with the past” is for Ineichen “in the middle of a neutral Switzerland […] a quite explosive mixture for a ‘crime scene'”.
Carol Schuler also warns in an interview with the broadcaster: “Camera drones in films are a great stylistic device – but in the real world, if left unchecked, they can easily become an attack on privacy. They have a lot of potential for misuse. I much prefer a sky full of birds “, she says. Referring to the war in Ukraine, she adds on the subject of drones: “In the military context there are certainly pros and cons in the debate, but in general I have the feeling that we lose a bit of our humanity as soon as we get behind ourselves hide from technology.” This can also be seen very clearly using the example of internet trolls. “I therefore always prefer direct contact, as empathy suffers due to the physical distance and the filter of technology,” says Schuler.
Anna Pieri Zuercher explains the opportunities and limitations of the technology shown in the film: “It is a complex topic that requires a thorough examination of the social, legal and ethical implications. And in my opinion it is important to regulate these technologies legally, to prevent abuse.”
A long-ago war crime becomes the motif in the crime thriller. The Ahmići massacre took place on April 16, 1993, during the Bosnian War. At that time, Croatian soldiers attacked the village of Ahmići in central Bosnia, set fire to the houses of Bosnian Muslims and killed 116 civilians, as “NDR” recalled on the anniversary. The crime was dealt with at the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague.
Little Maura Landert played an important role in “Tatort: Blinder Fleck”. Director Tobias Ineichen raves about the collaboration: “In addition to her great acting talent, Maura Landert has a very expressive face and incredibly intense eyes. Since she doesn’t speak a word for a long time in her role as a traumatized victim, her subtle, non-verbal acting is all the more important for her Action.”
How do you find such a child actress and how do you make her feel comfortable on a film set? “Thanks to careful casting, detailed preliminary discussions with Laura, her parents and the production, the presence of specially trained children’s coaches, child-friendly rehearsals before filming and ultimately limited filming times to just a few hours, working with Maura went absolutely smoothly and she enjoyed it immensely made,” explains the filmmaker.
He himself works with young actors and actresses “always on an equal footing, that means I take them as actors and actresses just as seriously as the adult professionals, I trust them one hundred percent.” He knows that the seriousness in teamwork with child and young actors promotes their joy in acting enormously and adds: “The trust in their acting abilities motivates them to find a very personal approach to their role.”
