A man so bad at dying, he has to outsource it—then his luck finally turns.
The unsuccessful inventor Leo Bergert is the awkwardness in person: Everything he tackles goes wrong. His latest project, the development of a totally new fuel goes, clearly failed. Now he is deeply in debt, and the bank will immediately return their money. As also leaves him his Dauerverlobte and also the rich Erbtante nothing rausrückt, he sees only one way out: Suicide. But even while he proves to be a failure: All attempts to convey himself to death, miscarry. He hires a hitman to kill him. But then his situation improves suddenly, he wants to live and make the job undone. But that turns out to be not so easy.
Acting
Dieter Hallervorden's physical comedy is committed to the bit.
Direction
Gregan leans hard into every humiliation with zero mercy.
Writing
The premise is dark gold; the execution is aggressively silly.
Director
Ralf Gregan
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Dieter Hallervorden was already a massive German TV star; this film banked on his 'Trittschall' slapstick persona from his variety show.
1981 West Germany was obsessed with 'Volkstümlichkeit'—working-class comedies that laughed at economic anxiety while barely masking it.
DE
