Unter Verdacht - Ein Richter

In cooperation with ZDF

This time around Eva Maria Prohacek and her colleague André Langner from the internal affairs department catch the case of a shy judicial clerk who attacked a judge. Their investigation leads to an ongoing family tragedy – and to a string of arbitrary and unjust decisions by the victim. But judges are independent and cannot be touched, reprimanded or discharged for their performance. So it takes a shoot-out, a case of domestic violence going awry and a woman from the judge' past resurfacing until the situation escalates. Martin Weinhart directed this bureaucratic thriller, that gives some depressing insights into Germany's kafkaesque judicial system. The equally smart and sensitive protagonist, a wonderfully restrained performance by Senta Berger, pleads for an understanding not only of the bureaucratic rituals but also for the complex personal fates behind the decisions, which the jurisdiction can all too easily overlook.