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The Cuckoo and the Donkey

Conrad!

I'm proud of you.

You have the strength to achieve
something that I wasn't granted.

And I will support you,

so God help me.

I know, Dad.

Thank you.

Everyone has a Weitzmann inside them. You
get underestimated, you fight, you give up.

But the Weitzmann in you breaks the bonds
and there's no going back.

I mean, I like the material,

but there's something still missing.

And? What's that?

We'll discuss on the phone some time.

You don't understand anything.
No one's going to fuck with me.

We're going to do the film.

What firm please?

Wildgrill Schorfheide.

Hey Stuckradt! You're as white as snow.

Yep. Still, eh?

Stuckradt!

Nicolette!

How are you? Nice to see you.

You're looking good.

Hello Andreas!

You haven't done much in a while.

Cheers.

Mr Halmer, excuse me.

I've re-edited my tape.
I wanted to give you a copy.

Ah, thanks.

You know, depression isn't always the end.
Sometimes it's just the start of something...

A young lady asked me to tell you
that she's been waiting for you.

Her name's Shoshanna.
She said you'd know.

She's very beautiful, if you ask me.

Come with me.
I'll show you the way.

Back in a moment.

Good morning, Mr Halmer.

I'm very glad you're here.

Mr Halmer is 41 years old, a TV producer,

and responsible for cinema co-productions
at German state television.

Mr Halmer studied theatre in Tubingen,

dropped out,

then became dramaturg
at the Waldbuhne in Erfurt,

and since 2003, so for 10 years,

he has been producer at a state TV network.

These recordings document
what really happened.

If this ever goes to trial,

it will be acknowledged that

I worked on this material for a decade,

and banged my head against a brick wall
with you for five years.

This is for you.

"The Orange Grove".

I would like to ask your forgiveness.

I'm fully aware that a kidnapping,
let's call it that,

is only morally justified
in an absolute emergency.

But this is what it was
for me and my family.

We would like to apologise.

I am Conrad Weitzmann - with a "tz",
you'll remember?

Five years ago, more than five years ago,

I sent you the story of the great love
between Shoshanna and Safit,

"The Orange Grove".

To your department.

At the time you were the
youngest producer there.

New... and they told me I should try you.

Since then we have communicated
via this correspondence...

but nothing has actually happened.

That's why you're sitting here now.

You don't need to work anymore.

What a shot!

Right in the eye.

She's already a better shot
than her battle-hardened old man.

I hope you're not vegetarian?

My father says
you have to get behind the gate first.

Security first. Always.

My father says.

It's a bit embarrassing for me too.

Everything alright, son?

Yeah, course it is.

Good night, Mr Halmer.

And I'm sorry.

The knock signal wasn't right.

Dad, please. Open up.

Always say your name first.

Damn it.

Dad, it's me. Conrad!

I'm opening the door.

Thanks.

Rosel, please!

Just leave her alone.

Bread.

Cheese.

Are you sure he's not hungry?

I asked him twice.

Pass me the sausage?

We can't do any more.

If he's hungry he'll say so.

Delicious wine. To us!

To Mr Halmer.

- And to you.
- And to Conrad!

I think the adjustment is getting to him.

He's more than welcome.
There's nothing else I can do.

Maybe...

What?

Maybe he's scared alone in the cellar.

He's not a child anymore, Marlene!

We'll put a TV.
He can watch films if he gets lonely.

It'll work out with Mr Halmer.

I'll keep him company a bit.

Only if it doesn't put you out. Okay?

You don't want
anything to eat, Stuckradt?

I think he's just a bit tired.
He's only just arrived.

We'll get you a TV.

Then it'll be a bit more comfortable.

Conrad, you want to work with me...

I don't understand.

You want to work with
me on "The Orange Grove",

because you think I never listened to you.

The problem is... I never
got your screenplay.

I would've remembered a title like that.

I told you, the title
used to be "Shoah 2.0".

I would've remembered a title like that
too. What I'm saying is, as sorry as I am

it's not my responsibility.

But I promise

I will recommend your material warmly.

Miss Trave would be the person to speak to.

Hang on.

Just a second.

Could I get some wine?

Of course.

Red or white?

I don't mind.Thanks.

Here.

Here's my email from...

05/02/2007

and here's the reply from 12/07/2007

Who did you write to?

Viola Trave.

Trave. She does minor TV productions.

"My colleague forwarded me your
impressive debut work "The Orange Grove".

However since it is a cinematic work...

Please!

Thank you!

Marlene, please!

Oh, you're still working.

I better go.

"since it is a cinematic work, the department
responsible is Cinema Co-Productions,

and the responsible
producer is Stuckradt Halmer.

I am pleased to forward
you his contact details,

and wish you every
success, best wishes etc..."

I never got anything.

You never got anything!

Never got anything!

"Dear Mr Weitzmann,

We thank you for your screenplay
'The OrangeGrove'

since the story is more than 27 years old,
it is a historical work.

But at the moment our network is focussed
on the production of contemporary works.

On behalf of Stuckradt Halmer."

On behalf of!

I think I can assume that no one can
write something on your behalf.

It just got stuck...

So... I set it in 2008.

Now read your next refusal.

But it is much too expensive
shooting it in Israel.

Totally understandable reason.

They didn't shoot Star
Wars in space either.

We're going to go through
everything together.

We're going to read out loud,

and you're going to tell me
why this or that doesn't work, or does.

If you convince me that my script is bad,
I'll let you go. I promise.

And if I can't convince you?

Then - we'll make the film.
Together. I promise.

You have lost a tooth.

A healthy one. That's very painful.

Next time I'm going to
pull one of your incisors.

They have much better circulation.
That'll hurt a lot more.

I told Conrad,

Mr Producer here will
only cooperate with us

if he knows...

That we're serious.

Like how you Germans

were serious that time, with us.

I think Mr Halmer has understood.

Can you leave us alone please.

We have to talk about something.

Keep reading.

I made one great mistake in my life

I left my wife Shirlaine

when our daughter Monika
was born with Down Syndrome.

There are always two
people in a separation...

Please keep reading.

The guilt has overtaken me.
I can't carry on.

Don't worry, I won't turn that on myself.

I can only be reached by email,

and then only intermittently.

From now on I will only care about things
I've neglected for so long.

Thank you for your understanding.
Yours, Stuckradt Halmer.

That's not how it was at all.

Of course a handicapped child is a burden, but
that didn't have anything to do with Monika...

Everything's alright.

You know they can locate
the position of a laptop.

If anyone looks for me.

But this isn't our computer.

We borrowed it, from Lorenz.

Makes no difference...
every computer has a TCP-IP.

A what?

A TCP-IF'.

And what does that mean, a TCP-ID?

TCP-IP.

TCP-IP.

I don't know exactly either.

Coffee with milk and
sugar. How you like it.

You do drink a lot of coffee!

Do you have any biscuits?

I think so.

Hello? Hello?

Get help! I've been kidnapped.

Call the police.

This isn't a joke. Here!

Call the police.

We don't have any.

Pity!

Sorry

It's nice here.

Especially in the morning.

You have this man on your conscience.

Here.

He had this in his wallet.

My father told me he showed you the area?

Did you have a nice day?

Yes.

We even went for a little boat ride.

Fine. Then I'm looking forward to tomorrow.

Conrad, I promise you.

As of tomorrow,

Stuckradt will work with you.

Just be patient.

You know, Dad,

it's so tiring to keep fighting.

I just want to stop and give up.

You know,

that time,

when your mother was
suddenly no longer there,

you came to my bed in the morning too?
Even though you were 12 already.

You asked me to tell you the story

of the cuckoo and the donkey.

That really touched me

it'd been so long since we'd played that.

The cuckoo was clever,

he always knew what he wanted,

and he was always the winner.

And the donkey always lost,

even though he was much stronger.

And you were always the cuckoo.

And that was right.

Conny, can you pass me the coffee pot?

And please don't smoke so much.
It's not good for you.

Can I have one?

Marlene, please!

Dad, I'm an adult.

An adult! But sick.

But I can't just sit around waiting to die.

I just want to start the day normally for
once. Coffee, cigarette, and no strawberries.

And put something warm on!

Stuckradt has been in
the shower for half an hour.

He's in the shower?

He's in the shower!

Hello?

Are you out of your mind?

I want to draw your attention,

that it's fundamentally
impossible to concentrate

when you're scared for life and limb.

I will work with you.

But only under protest.

I'll be alright by myself, thanks.

I'm very unsure about it all now.

Because of all the feedback over the years

I'm sometimes worried that I've lost

the honesty of the
original story somewhere.

The characters are so cliché...

the language is so clean.

Not for my taste.

Shall we start?

Of course.

I'm a bit excited.

How do we start?

Do... a summary?

You have to convince the listener.

I'll give you five minutes.

A good story can be told in two sentences.

Of course.

"The Orange Grove",

by Conrad Weitzmann.

Shoshanna works for an NGO in Tel Aviv.

She is young, attractive,

left-wing.

She's against occupation of the West Bank,

and thinks what's being done to the
Palestinian population is a major injustice.

Clear exposition.

The character is clear.

Very good. Carry on...

oh, quick question:

You mean the Gaza Strip?

No, the West Bank is occupied. Not Gaza.

Put the Gaza Strip. People know that.

And Strip sounds better.

Nice and tight.

But that isn't true.

Conrad, you have to make a basic decision.

Do you want to impress a few historians
or a wide audience?

There's this historical
film about a sinking ship.

Called the Titanic,

and it really did sink. The
love story was invented.

So are we going to shred it?

So put Gaza.

As the anniversary
of the Yom Kippur War approaches,

Shoshanna decides to travel into the
West Bank, with some other activists...

I mean the Gaza Strip

to show solidarity with
the people of Palestine.

While they're looking for a hotel
in Ramallah...

Or wherever.

Or wherever,

the unavoidable happens:

two of her companions are shot dead,

Shoshanna gets kidnapped

and raped.

Very good. Plot-point 1.

It is an ordeal for the young Israeli.

Everything she has believed in,

up till now is threatening her.

Then Safit enters her life.

He has green eyes and hair like ebony,

he's a young lad who helps Hamas.

He's not an active fighter,

and to him her kidnapping
is a great injustice.

He asks the fighters

to take Shoshanna to a clinic.

She wouldn't be any use to them dead.

The clinic...

is at an old lady's place
in an orange grove.

Safit and Shoshanna
arrive in a dusty Ford Transit

and the young Israeli
is nursed back to health.

And tears fall from Safit's eyes.

In the evening he tells the old woman

that he has fallen in love with Shoshanna

With a Zionist.

A Jew.

Goosebumps.

The conflict is...

terrific.

It's...

so horrible what happens to Shoshanna.

You empathize with her.

You want things to work out for them.

It's very...

well-rounded.

Stuckradt!

Here you are.

I've been looking for you everywhere.

Dad used to work here.

And he used to live here, in this house,

until our mother died.

God bless her soul.

Since then he lives
over there, with his sister.

And Conrad and me live here.

We've got a room each.

We're grown up.

Oh, I'm getting all chatty.

Are you interested in Ephraim's works?

Yes...

It's all so old...

so long ago.

This was supposed to become
"The Poems of the Emigrants".

Germans who had to leave.

Look, this is by Walter Benjamin.

This is by Tucholsky,

and this is my favourite, by Stefan Zweig.

It's not a poem... it's farewell lines.

Before he killed himself. With
Lotte, his wife. Do you know it?

No... I don't think so.

"I greet all my friends,

may they still see the dawn,
after a long night.

I, all too impatient, go on ahead."

And he painted this.

When he was in his early twenties.

He wanted to study painting.
Head still full of dreams.

It's very beautiful.

Oh... I have to go and rest.

Come with me.

Look here... Stuckradt.

"The Orange Grove" is
also very political, isn't it?

I mean, for you, as a German...

I mean, what's your position
on the Jewish-Palestinian conflict?

Well... that's

I mean for a German...

we could talk about that all night.

Right.

I don't really want to
express a view on it.

An opinion is just an opinion. No more.

Well I think...

if the Israelis

really want peace, permanent peace,

they1lhave_.

To give the Palestinians their land back.

THEIR land.

Yes. The occupied land, I mean.

What you just said

is what I hate more than anything else:

bourgeois

disguised anti-Semitism.

This is what I meant when I said
that we could go on about this all night.

And then have the last word too.

I think Stuckradt is right.

"Stuckradt, are you
mad? Without telling me.

Is this supposed to be a joke?
I can't believe it.

Our flight to Corfu goes tomorrow! Britta."

You'll have to go on your own, Britta.

How can we be getting
nowhere for five years...

and then I suddenly come here

and say everything's great?

My readers completely underestimated
your material

and I would like to apologise to you
formally on behalf of the broadcaster.

The screenplay is absolutely heartrending

and there are just a
few details to iron out.

That's very kind of you to say,

but it isn't just a few details.

I've been going over
all your rejection letters.

You said that a love story between
a Jew and a terrorist would be implausible.

You complained that Safit's character
was too negative.

No one wants to identify with a terrorist.

And that's true...

but Safit is a lot more sympathetic now.
You did that well.

But Safit grew up with Hamas.
He's a fighter, a terrorist,

He's tortured...

He's not a terrorist. He's the driver...

I think he doesn't even know what going on.

And he's a decent man too...

"He's a decent man!"

Listen, he helps with kidnappings!

You're making Safit into a nice guy
who's just lost his way.

You're softening him.

But I think he's an arsehole

yet I still empathise with him.

He's insane but he has a dream

and that's what makes him strong!

I can't empathize with an arsehole.

But okay, maybe he's ambivalent.

You've been telling me for five years

that ever since 9/11

terrorists falling in love

is an absolute taboo.

I'm helping you with your story.

Don't make me responsible for it.

Sorry, but you're talking
about ambivalence...

That's a hobbyhorse of mine.

Hobbyhorse?

What about "Snowflakes on Sylt"?

I don't understand.

You were the producer
of "Snowflakes on Sylt",

episodes 1 to 279, weren't you?

Oh, you did SAS?

Marlene, please.

What are you getting at?

The fact that "Snowflakes on Sylt"

never had any ambivalent characters.

On the one hand you had Sarah
the environmentalist,

whose daughter has asthma.

On the other hand you
have Torsten Seidelmann,

head of the corrupt energy giant.

And then she falls in love with Benno,

a farmer who lives alone,

whose heart is in the right place.

Where's the ambivalence there?

Did you watch all the episodes?

You didn't?

Of course not,
I haven't got time for all that.

Now you will watch
all the episodes of "Snowflakes on Sylt",

so that I know what you
mean by ambivalence.

It's important or else we'll just be
talking past each other!

It's a series!

What is your...
I mean, what do you actually do?

What does a producer do?

I can't exactly
give you a crash course right now.

A baker bakes. A teacher teaches.
A trader trades. And a producer?

Decides.

Really?

That's a very important post.

What do you decide?

Everything.

Shoshanna's love for Safit
takes on a much greater urgency.

I think she should have cancer.

No way.

Conrad, you can't tell a love story

about a Jewish woman living in a country

where it's hot, it's stony,

the people are hostile.

Shoshanna wants to help the Palestinians.

That's her job, at first.

I want something emotional, not political.

No one wakes up in the
morning as a politician.

I believe in visions.

Visions create facts.

Help. She offers help.
She's lonely, we said.

Empathy can only arise

when I experience something myself.

And I want Shoshanna and Safit to...

Your desire is here!

Mine is here!

Tell me, why is there

in all of American cinema
not one overweight actress?

There was one

and she won an Oscar, last year,

and she's fat and black,
and anyway she's...

And what does she do with it?

Wins an Oscar!

She underpins the establishment!

Dramaturgy can be so simple.

Would you want your
girlfriend to have cancer?

Forget your fucking arthouse cancer.

Artists create, hacks imitate.

But I want to create.

And of course I do have the odd fat cow,

but in my work that one fat cow
has her heart in the right place.

I'm sorry...

I'm... always so tired.

Haven't missed anything.

You're very beautiful, Marlene.

I... I have to tell you a secret.

Whenever me and Conrad

argued over the "The Orange Grove"...

and we were working on Shoshanna...

I had to think about you.

You have the same grace

the same aura.

It's the truth.

It's nice to spend time with you.

I dreamt about you.

You dreamt about me.

We slept together.

In the forest.

In the forest?

Why in the forest?

Here in this cellar?

I love the forest.

Already in my childhood...

The soft moss.

The fern.

You want to escape and you need me.

If that's what you think...

If that's really what you think of me...

then go.

Please go now.

Right now.

Right, I'm back.

I've thought everything through again.

We have to do everything
completely different.

I can't do it anymore.

You've said that often enough.

I mean it.

Your father can pull all my teeth.

I can't do it anymore. I give up.

We've been working on
this story for moooonths!

And it's got so much better!

I don't know what you want anymore

It's totally normal
a few months working on a screenplay.

But you've been working
on it for nine years!

Because I kept having
to re-write everything!

Because I kept trying
to make it right for you.

For others. People's
taste. Now that's over,

now we're writing something we both like!

But I like it already!

The script is good!
The script is very good!

The artificial language is gone.

The characters are ambivalent.
The love story is incredibly powerful.

The script is finished.

You're scared, Conrad.

If someone doesn't take
the script off you now,

then all you'll do is destroy it.

Stop with all this self-doubt.

Isn't it always the way

when you're close to finishing something,

it's like a painful goodbye.

It's like a Child.

Now it's grown up.

Maybe you're right.

I'm so proud of you.

Silly bun.

I'd love to see their faces now

the way they used to talk about you
behind your back

and poured cocoa on your short stories.

I love you, my dear brother.

You're sweet.

Do you think I can trust him?

I think so.

He's a good guy.

I like him.

Otherwise we'll be at his mercy, boy.

I say: let's finish the job.
Then we'll have him where we want him.

Dad... let's... think about it...

There must be another way.

We need leverage.
Anything else would be suicide.

You know Germans don't dither for long.

But if you don't want to,

I'll do it on my own.

Don't start that again!

Why not? Who's always passing out?

I can cope, Dad! I'm grown up.

You don't know violence, boy.

You're not made for it. You never were.

I don't have a good feeling about it.

We're defiling ourselves.

We're not.

Him and Gunther are.

See you soon, Marlene!

With amazing news.

I promise!

Let's go

GO? Why go?

Lorenz!

Here you go.

Won't take long.

Gunther!

Gunther knows.

Just imagine it's a sheep.

What's going on?

What happened?

How was it?

Stuckradt, say something.

Hello, it's me. It's Daddy.

Hello Moni.

I love you.

I love you too.

Next time don't forget her birthday.

Don't forget my birthday again.

I promise.

Nice of you to call.

Daddy could do that more often.

Yes, I'll do that. Promise.

I'm going to come and visit you.

How are you?

What's the weather like in Atlanta?

I can't hear you very well
because of the connection.

Are you alright?

Yeah, I caught a chill snorkelling.

The connection is really bad.
I'm in Corfu at the moment.

Bye!

Bye! See you soon!

Britta sends her regards.
The camera is broken.

Bye!

Bye!

I love you.

You're going to put that on the web
if I say anything, right?

You've thought of everything.

You've got me.

I admit...

I would've preferred
you to trust me anyway...

Because you can...

But that doesn't change anything for me.

I want to make "The Orange Grove".

That's great, Stuckradt.

I'm so ashamed of myself.

No...

No...

I'm so glad...

to have had this kind
of writing experience.

Until yesterday everything was fine.

It was Ephraim's idea, wasn't it?

I swear to you, dear
Conrad, we're so close.

It's like in our "orange grove",
everything will be okay.

That's the first time you've said "our".

After all this time, it's
become my baby too.

But we can't let ourselves be divided
by your father anymore.

We can trust each other now.

With this story,

we're going to blow them away.

I always had to sit in the back as a
kid too, because I got sick otherwise.

What are you going to do when we get there?

What do you mean, Conni?

What's going to happen?

We'll go in there and do it.

So we'll go into your office

Hey, quark balls are on offer.

How many?

Six.

Three quark balls please.

Dad, watch what you're doing.

Be careful

You're going to get them all in, right?

Are they all going to
read the script or what?

Exactly. That's how it'll work.

First I'll give it to Friedmann,

I mean Charlotte, my intern,

Why the intern?

Spelling mistakes and configuration...

What's she called?

Who?

Your intern.

Lofle.

No, the surname, it rings a bell.

Lotte? Fried - Mann, yes.

Guys, don't get your hopes up,
she's young and pretty, but taken.

I know that name.

First we're going to draw up a contract.

And then we'll go to accounts

and I'll apply for a few million.

I'll need your account number

Friedmann. Charlotte.

She's the head of TV drama.

Well, no.

She's an old colleague...

Your intern. Young and pretty and taken.

Okay, she's not.

I just like making fun of her.

I just call her that for fun, "the intern".

She's got hair on her teeth.

She's a reptile. A relic
from ancient times.

Everyone laughs at her, really.

And she doesn't have any say anymore.

But you're giving her
the script to read first?

And not because of spelling mistakes.

She's my direct superior.

Everything goes across her desk.

It's just bureaucracy.

I'll wrap her round my little finger.

We thought you could decide it.

And I can. I just have to consult her.

Your intern.

The reptile. Who's taken.

Guys, I was joking. LOL.

Here you are.

You think I can decide everything myself?

Yes.

I can't, but no one can.

I don't want to discuss it anymore.

I'm not just anyone.

There's a reason why you contacted me.

I'm the Grey eminence.

But even in a position like this,
I need contacts, arrangements.

And now you have them, through me!

Maybe I scared you a bit,

but I promise you, all
that's left is procedure.

No one at the broadcaster is going
to dare stand in my way.

What if Friedmann doesn't want to?

She will.

But what if she doesn't?

She'd never do that.

What if?!

I'm not worried about her...

I didn't worry either

when we were standing
at the station in Wroclaw

that these tracks would
lead straight to the ovens!

Not yet!

It won't happen!

Trust me!

He's going to tell them everything.

He's going to say he was held prisoner.

He'll say he wrote under pressure.

He'll say I pulled one of his teeth

without an anaesthetic.

You can forget your script.

Let's just go through the
arguments calmly again...

You don't seriously believe
that this script however good it is,

do you really believe it's going
to be filmed just as it is?

Of course not!

It's totally normal for another producer
to look over it.

But what do we have two ears for?
In one, out the other.

At the end I decide. You can trust me.

Are you awake Stuckradt?

No.

You haven't eaten anything, my dear.

I was so excited. How was it?

Where did Ephraim and Conrad go?

Didn't they tell you?

You're funny.
Would I have asked otherwise?

I want to spend some time with you.

I can't now. The others aren't here.

One more reason!

Let's lie at the edge of the forest.
Just you and me alone.

I adore you!

Now I recognize you, Stuckradt.

You can be so charming.

Yes.

Another time. Forgive me.

First name.

Oh my God.

I mean...

Why?

Please excuse the inconvenience.

This is all a little embarrassing for me.

Just settle in for now,

and then we'll talk.

I don't know what's going on here,

but I warn you:

you're going to regret all this bitterly.

Charlotte Friedmann.

Following a book-trading apprenticeship,
theatre studies in Munich,

countless works as dramaturg,

Hollywood Actors Workshop,

five years as assistant
director in daily soaps,

producer on the children's channel...

What do you want?

And since 2003...

2002.

director of TV drama
at the public TV network.

Before we start with the work,

Marlene will bring you a nice breakfast.

Coffee's fine.

Please explain to her
what this is all about.

Well, Mr Weitzmann and I have over
the past 4 months

developed this screenplay,

and now we need a second opinion,
and we thought that you...

Bullshit. Stuckradt, bullshit!

We kidnapped you because you've been
rejecting my script for the last five years,

and kept asking for re-writes
and kept rejecting them.

The reason why you're here

is because I want to know

if my script really is bad, or not.

And... is it bad?

It was... average.

And now it's very good. Outstanding.

It doesn't help us.

Only if you greenlight it, Mrs Friedmann,

will we have a chance that it'll get made.

Who Says?

Mr Halmer has seriously
simplified things there.

Even if I do back something,

it all has to go across the desk
of the programme director.

What?

Gem. She means Dr Gerhard Ortmeyer.

There are rules in Germany.
And everyone has to stick to them.

That's why I'm not even
going to read your material.

And I'm not going to let you blackmail me.

You are going to release
me and Mr Halmer immediately,

which will provide
extenuating circumstances,

and soon enough you'll be free too.

That's the best solution.

That zero next to you
already said something

about you having hair on your teeth.

We're not going to get
out of the conflict like this.

Let's say we agree. Let you go.

What happens to "The Orange Grove"?

Then we'll make it, of course.

Rubbish.

At best it'll be assessed.

What does that mean?

I'm not going to give you a crash course
on the German TV landscape.

Cinema!

Cinema...

is 95 percent co-produced by a network.

In short, I can tell you that it takes
a long time for a script to get through.

That would do the "The
Orange Grove" a lot of good.

The script is really good.

The mistakes are gone
and I kept the tone...

I don't give a shit
about the tone right now.

If you're so in love with it, bring it up
at the next production conference.

Then we'll sound out the material
for audience potential

and quality in peace and quiet.

I'll sound out your face in a minute.

Excuse me?

What kind of unholy
rubbish are you talking here?

What do you know about quality,

with all that bullshit you keep spouting?

It's a free country.

You're going to shut
your insolent superior face now

and listen to me

I know the bullshit that the powerful talk.

Everything takes its course,

and everyone walks their obedient way,

then one day you wake up

and you're standing with a suitcase

in Auschwitz!

All the things that have any quality
in Germany are cold.

Machine parts, autobahns,

those tube things...

Radios.

Radios. cars. tanks.

Anything that was alive, different,

colourful,

Jewish,

93%

you exterminated it all.

Beautiful, rich, absurd, grotesque,
expressionistic, gay Germany.

The golden Berlin of the 20s

all gone, disappeared,

to the USA

A history lesson?

My grandfather died in Theresienstadt
thank you.

Blessed be his memory.

I don't even understand
what you're getting at.

Do you know what the costliest thing was,

in that thingy...

The Third Reich.

The Third Reich.

We have no cultural identity anymore.

I say WE. Yes, I'm a German too!

We had Ruhmann and Erhard,

they had Marlene Dietrich
und psychoanalysis!

And our best people!

That's what I blame you.

It's so terrible, so tragic.

Wit is dead.

Intelligence is dead.

"Manitou's Shoe"

that's the late consequence of Auschwitz.

This helps.

Thanks.

Guess.

Noidea.

Guess.

23.

Your turn.

40? 41.

Spoon, please.

35.

Do I look that old already?

Guests?

I'm Lorenz, an old friend of the family.

We know each other from the sheep pen.

Happy Birthday!

Ephra!

And this is Gunther, dogsbody.

Get out of here.

To make you happy I read your creenplay.

No, really?

I'm glad.

Don't misunderstand me.

It's a pure favour on my part.
I won't let myself be blackmailed.

Thank you.

To be brief:

it's no good for our channel.

The market for Jewish conflicts isn't
very big in Germany.

I'm not re-writing it again.

This script will never get made by us.

You can't make generalizations like that.

The cinema co-production department
is always interested in unusual material.

Shut up, Stuckhalmer.

Our TV output is made for the people.

And after a hard day's work,
or after a day without work,

the people don't want to see
the story of Safit and Shoshanna

They want doctors, nurses,

and detectives,

and stories of the rich and beautiful.

That's what the masses want.

Not dead Palestinians lying round
in an orange grove.

And how do you know that?

Ratings. Daily figures.

Every minute of the broadcast is recorded.

They can see exactly when people switch on

and switch off.

Out of all these numbers,

assessed over decades of work,

they can establish the so-called viewing
behaviour of the whole country.

I always thought it was one of the
achievements of publicly-funded TV

that it could work independent of rating
and advertising to create quality TV.

And that's still true.

We're all dependent on ratings.

"Snowflakes on Sylt" got 7
million viewers every week.

7 million!

That's the reason why Mr Halmer is
still a producer with us.

The state channels have to compete
with the commercial ones.

You know,

I think your "Orange Grove" might
actually be easier to get onto one

of the commercial channels than with us.

They had an argument,

About who can sing the best,

Who can sing the best,

In the lovely May,

In the lovely May.

Young man?

You owe me a dance.

I would be very glad if we could bury
our hatchet for a little while.

Please, you are a gentleman after all.

You can't make "The
Orange Grove" without me.

You can shoot as often as you like.

As soon as I notice you're
aiming over his head,

or try any other nonsense with the gun,

I'll shoot you in the neck.

I can't shoot at a human being.

I thought that too

until I went to Gaza.

Please understand, Mrs Friedmann.

We need a reason to trust you.

You're the only person who can help us.

You can believe me,

I'm terribly sorry about all of this.

I swear.

But it has to be...

Mrs Friedmann,

How can we make it easier for you?

I'll only work with you...

Leave me out, you idiot!

If Stuckradt stays alive.

You won't make any conditions!

Only a woman who has
killed a man is trustworthy.

Do it!

Or I'll shoot you!

Right now.

He's a human being.

I can't kill a human being.

A cow, a pig, a deer. Maybe.

It's thirty metres.

I've set it on automatic.

You'll see where the bullets strike.

Then you just start swinging right or left

Like with a lawnmower

trying to behead a thistle.

This is wrong, what we're doing.

Spare him the torment.

Who shot then?

Marlene...

Come here.

Marlene...

she was our only chance.

Stuckradt is our only chance.

How could you do it?

She was the boss...

Believe me, we'll manage
without this Friedmann.

We'll get a new appointment.

Even if Gero delays,
Stuckradt won't betray us.

How do you know?

"Dear Mr Halmer,
it is a great pleasure to me

that you have announced
your return from the US.

Of course I am very much looking
forward to this material,

which you developed in California.

I've never heard of this author Weitzmann,

but "The Orange Grove"
sounds very promising.

It has been a very unsettled time
at the broadcaster.

The disappearance of Mrs Friedmann
has left a big hole.

The police are assuming
it was a... violent crime,

but are still completely in the dark.

It's so awful and has
affected us all deeply,

which makes me all the happier that you
will be back soon.

I have nothing to add to your request
for an appointment.

I remain, with warm greetings,
your Gerhard Ortmeyer."

It was beautiful.

I thought it was very special too.

Are you excited?

Very.

I'm looking forward to it so much.
To tomorrow.

I'd love to come with you.

Yes. Another time.

I'm so happy you did it together,
"The Orange Grove".

At last.

Yes. At last.

Sleep tight.

I love you.

Sleep tight.

So the willy is the regional.

The willy is somewhere else.

This is a weenie.

An Eberswalder weenie.

- Here!
- Thank you.

Morning, Conny.

I just wanted to ask the secretary if
we can park on the network car park

and confirm our appointment.

With Gero.

But he's not at the network at all.

What?

The secretary said something had come up.

He's at a training day for 3D
television in Saarbrucken.

Then he has to go and shoot in Langeoog

and then he's on holiday.

And then Venice starts.

The film festival, she said, the secretary.

I got an appointment for October.

In three months.

Maybe we can go over the script again?

I'm going to get some fresh air.

Where's Stuckradt?

Lunch!

You know, my son there's hardly

anyone who writes scripts like you.

They haven't got the guts.

But promise me one thing

that you'll never give up.

Promise me that?

Dad, I promise.

Thank you, my boy.

I'm proud of you.

And another thing

the masses are always right,

but it's a minority that changes them.

"Love in the Shadow of the Swastika"

is proof for us commercial channels

that quality television
can be great cinema.

And that's why I want to say

thank you on behalf of
the whole production team!

A young lady asked me to tell you
that she's waiting for you.

She's called Shoshanna.

She said you'd know.

I completely forgot.

Nicolette, I'm inconsolable.

If you'd like to follow me,

I'll show you the way.

If you ask me, she's very beautiful.