Aus der Tiefe des Raumes (2004)

The film is set in 1965. Its central character is Hans-Günter, a shy man in his mid-twenties who works as an automotive painter, is bullied by his boss, and lives in a petty-bourgeois milieu in some small town on the Lower Rhine. Hans-Günter plays Tipp-Kick almost to perfection. At a tournament where he can qualify for the West German Tipp-Kick Championship, he meets Marion, a pretty newspaper photographer. The two fall in love. During a date, Hans-Günter’s lovingly crafted Tipp-Kick figure—white, with the number 10 on its back—accidentally takes a bath in Marion’s photographic chemicals and turns into a living person who gradually takes on the appearance and role of footballer Günter Netzer. The complications this brings cause Hans-Günter to neglect his relationship with Marion. In a framing story set in the present day, in 2004, the now elderly Hans-Günter tells his fantastic tale to a caregiver in a retirement home, then dies. As a punchline, an elderly woman (Marion) then becomes enthusiastic about the commentary during international football matches (where Netzer had a regular spot in the 2000s).