A family gets a rifle when the law fails them. What could go wrong?
Seitz has been abusing his underage daughter for years and is the father of her first child. He is a brutal perpetrator of violence and has several relevant criminal records. When Tanja confides in her new boyfriend, he persuades her to go to the police. Seitz is sentenced and threatens to beat Tanja to death while still in court. Tanja and her boyfriend have long been married and have children of their own when, after seven years, fate catches up with them again: they are terrified of Seitz, who is soon released from prison and threatens revenge. Tanja and her family turn to the authorities in vain. They can only intervene if there is a concrete threat. But then it will be too late, Tanja fears. Too late for her children and herself. Together, the family gets a rifle...
Acting
Redl is genuinely terrifying as Seitz.
Writing
Unflinching script refuses easy catharsis.
Director
Bernd Schadewald
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This 1994 TV movie aired on German public television, reflecting real debates about legal protection for abuse survivors and the limits of restraining orders.
Jürgen Vogel, playing the boyfriend-turned-husband, became one of Germany's biggest stars—this early role shows his range for quiet desperation.
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