Lothar Schramm is a simple man with complex problems, yet he seems like such a nice guy. He works as a taxi driver and lives by himself where he is happy to answer his door to strangers and kill them outright. As with many shy loner types he has a problem dealing with women so he drugs them and photographs their nude bodies for sexual stimulation. He then murders his helpless victims and so goes the life of a deranged serial killer.
Acting
Florian Koerner von Gustorf's dead-eyed ordinariness chills more than any monster makeup.
Direction
Buttgereit turns 65 minutes into an eternity of dread.
Practical Effects
Zero budget, maximum visceral impact. Gore so cheap it feels real.
Director
Jörg Buttgereit
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Shot on 16mm in Berlin shortly after reunification, capturing a city and national identity in psychic crisis. Buttgereit called it his 'most personal' film.
The 65-minute runtime was partly budgetary—Buttgereit could only afford two film reels. Constraint became aesthetic: no fat, no escape.
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