Babett Arens

Stories about citizens of a big city who encounter a variety of fates as a result of their difficulties in communicating with each other.

No synopsis available yet.

In the form of an anthology film, travelers and hosts encounter one another in four different places in Europe via an internet-based hosting network called “Couchsurfing”. In Stuttgart, the Swabian publisher Annette meets the Polish master in the art of living Pawel, while her niece Nina is expecting a big fiesta in Spain, but meets only a deaf old man. In parallel Matti, a freshly minted high school graduate, hopes to find a great adventure in Paris, while the two Erasmus students Reka and Alma wander through Frankfurt desperately seeking their hosts. In the quest of adventure, diversion or just an authentic travel experience, encountering people whom one never would have met otherwise and so they are confronted not only with counterparts, but also with themselves.

The Swiss President, called by all only "big hangover", is in trouble: the election is coming and according to surveys his chances are not very good. From a meeting with the Spanish royal couple, he hopes media attention and a popularity boost. He does not suspect that his closest confidant Pfiff, of all people, is intriguing against him in order to come to power himself. But he does not even shy away from misusing his family for his own purposes. Soon, the president has to fight not only for his political position, but also for his marriage.

Daniel Berger, a devious and corrupt civil servant, is willing to do anything to keep his empire of embezzlement intact. One day, he receives a visit from Werner Schäfer, a Zurich-based consultant tasked with assessing the efficiency of his administration. To make matters worse, Schäfer has taken up residence right next door to Berger's villa. Daniel's entire world is shaken by the arrival of this new neighbor.

Nuclear security expert Katja Wernecke (Ulrike Folkerts) helps cover up a fire in the German nuclear reactor she works in, before the government takes a decision on extending the usage license for it. But the press uncovers it. PR man Steffen Stratmann (Matthias Koerbelin) is brought in to improve the companies image - but before he can implement his plan a nuclear meltdown occurs. 2m people have to be evacuated. Wernecke re-enters the hot zone to investigate the cause...

A young teacher in Zurich in the 1950s falls in love with a transvestite star but is torn between his bourgeois existence and his commitment to homosexuality. He joins a gay organization that is eventually seen as the pioneer of gay emancipation in Europe.

Fredi Rüegg's job is to bring runaway cats (some of which he stole himself in the first place) back to their owners. He lives in a garage and he has come to terms with the lack of excitement in his life. His colleague Alain has other worries: he is both broke and divorced. He cons his daughter into thinking that he is a successful businessman. One day Alain tries to curry favor with his daughter by offering to drive her band to their rehearsal room. But when a car accident happens and they find themselves owing Russians CHF 1500 to pay for their damaged Mercedes, Alain and Fredi need a way to come up with the money fast. They get the idea to kidnap a "healer cat", since her owner will undoubtedly pay a lot to have her back, and begin to plan the abduction...

The Maynards and their children lead an almost perfect billionaire family life. Amon is a passionate hunter, but doesn’t shoot animals, as the family's wealth allows them to live totally free from consequences.

A journey back to the middle of the 20th century: the story of Baden-Württemberg's beginnings 70 years ago.

Enquiries into the murder of a young woman take the private investigator Peter Keller to the idyllic village of Schwant in Emmental. But, the more entangled Keller gets in the treads of the apparently clearcut case of sex murder, the more obvious the flaws in the village idyll become. Keller's quest turns into a deadly mission.

Fred is a journalist who investigates the death of a man in room 36. He interviews the man's widow and her deranged mother for clues as to how the man died in a hotel room that is rented by the hour. Also under suspicion is a stranger named Becker who lives next to the room where the killing took place.

In this interesting World War I drama, Bruno Ganz gives a compelling performance as Jakob, an obsessive inventor who lives in a Swiss village. He receives unconditional support from his friend Otti (Walo Luond), but that is about all; the other villagers do not tolerate Jakob's eccentricities very well, and regard him as a crackpot. He perserveres in spite of this obstacle and finally invents a viable carriage that does not run on wheels but on a tread. Unfortunately for Jakob, the military have already come up with the same invention: the tank. The discovery finally breaks him, and he is quickly shuttled off to an asylum.

Francois Korb is an arms manufacturer who sold both to the Germans and the Allied forces. Korb's home life is less than ideal, since his wife is having an affair with his brother, and his young son is inseparable from a teddy bear. To remedy the son's situation, the parents take in a little refugee girl as a temporary companion and playmate, and the two children become fast friends.

18-year-old Rafael is determined to conquer the world as a musician. "Life is a game," he says, but unexpectedly, it turns into a bitter reality. How much freedom is allowed?

The fact that Paula can't have children doesn't curb her desire for a child at all - then they'll be adopted. And the fact that there are other competitors for 'Lieselotte' only makes the task all the more attractive. In career-conscious times like these, competitors are there to be beaten out of the field. By any means, including criminals.