Marlene Seifert (Inez Bjørg David), Viola Klemm (Sophie Lutz) and Ayla Ömer (Pegah Ferydoni) have been friends for many years. The three all have teenage children and they live with their families on the same street in the Schwachhausen district of Bremen. In order to break out of the bourgeois idyll, the women dare to experiment: for a so-called “dropping” they allow themselves to be abandoned in the wilderness and want to find their way home without any technical aids. But that goes wrong. The next morning, Marlene Seifert lies murdered in the forest. Commissioners Liv Moormann (Jasna Fritzi Bauer) and Linda Selb (Luise Wolfram) investigate in two directions. Selb believes that a serial perpetrator known as the “Handyman” (Alexander Wüst) has something to do with the murder. A few years ago he was lying in wait for women in the forest to photograph them at night and is suspected of killing a camper. For Moormann, the perpetrator could also come from family and friends, because the relationship between the three friends was far from being as close as it appears at first glance.
Luxurious city villas, lucrative jobs and harmonious families: At first glance, the friends Marlene, Viola and Ayla seem to lead a perfect life. But the ideal image quickly begins to crack and it becomes clear that there is something wrong behind the pretty facade. Not only are there numerous problems between the adults, the teenage children are also at odds. The way screenwriter Kirsten Peters reveals the conflicts layer by layer is brilliant and ensures that everyone seems suspicious of having something to do with the murder of Marlene Seifert. The film also uses an interesting dramaturgical trick: the events in the forest are told with a countdown backwards, so that the tension is maintained until the last second.
Many of the scenes in the forest take place at night and were therefore filmed in the dark, which makes it a little difficult to watch. The broadcast of the rather dark crime thriller on Easter Monday may not be entirely optimal. Otherwise there is nothing wrong with the exciting film.
Moormann and Selb are investigating again without their Danish colleague Mads Andersen (Dar Salim). At the beginning of the film it is briefly mentioned that he works at Europol in The Hague. He doesn’t play any other role. Instead, Moormann and Selb convince as a strong duo. It is precisely the differences between the two characters that make them so attractive. One analytical and cool, the other down-to-earth and straightforward. In the episode, the viewer also learns a little more about Selb’s past, who, like the victim, grew up in the Schwachhausen district of Bremen.
Gripping story, a strong acting ensemble and two confident investigators: Be sure to tune in!
Commissioners Moormann and Selb also investigated these cases: