Plumber Martin and his younger colleague Frank are on call on Christmas Eve of all days. Frank's girlfriend Regina, who is expecting her first baby at any moment, is anything but thrilled. But it doesn't help, duty is duty. One emergency call follows another, but this evening it's not just broken water pipes that are waiting for the two plumbers...
Acting
Ulrich Thein's weary everyman carries the whole thing.
Production
Gritty 80s East Berlin locations, no snow globe filter.
Writing
Script finds poetry in clogged pipes and broken heaters.
Director
Helmut Krätzig
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
DEFA's holiday output often subverted Western Christmas sentimentality; this trades miracles for mutual survival.
Director Helmut Krätzig specialized in blue-collar stories; this was one of his rare comedies after decades of industrial dramas.
DE
