Synopsis

With 57 years on his back, the German engineer for wind power plants Julius Schmitke, a man of few words, finds himself in the middle of a midlife crisis: He feels old and his bodily health has seen a lot of better days. One day he and his colleague Thomas are sent to the Czech Ore Mountains in order to repair a mysteriously creaking turbine, which seems to be run-down and as shabby as Schmitke himself. Hardly arrived, the colleagues are warned by the freaked-out local residents – rumour has it, the dark woods are haunted by a ghost that goes by the name “Marzebilla”. And oddly enough, strange happenings actually do become more frequent, climaxing in Thomas’ sudden disappearance. Needless to say, Schmitke tries to get to the bottom of the story, starting his own investigations, and the more time he spends in the rough and foggy forest, the more the enigmatic expedition evolves into a journey to self-discovery. The cheerful but serious film lies somewhere between comedy, character study and mystery, excelling through its impressive visual imagery and splendid sound design. Not less laudable is the portrayal of Julius Schmitke by the skilful German actor Peter Kurth. The production was awarded Best Feature Film Debut at the Cottbus Film Festival 2014.

Guests

Stepan Altrichter

Stepan Altrichter
Director, writer Schmitke 
In Vienna: October 7-9