Black Box (2023)

Tensions are running high in an old apartment block in Berlin, home to a wide variety of residents. The activities of the new building manager, Horn, who has a glass-walled office container installed in the courtyard, are being watched with suspicion—especially since the future of the block and all its apartments is uncertain. Horn would like to gain control of the apartments his company does not yet own. The garbage bins have to make way for the office container and are moved beneath the windows of Erik, a teacher, so more trouble is already in store. Erik stands up against the intruder in his building and tries to counter the provocations by collecting signatures. Some residents agree with him and want to get rid of Horn as soon as possible. Others, however, try to come to terms with Horn, hoping they might then be able to buy the apartments they have grown fond of, with priority rights. Then, one morning, the police cordon off the courtyard, and because of a police investigation the residents are no longer allowed to leave it or their apartments. The situation grows more tense. Henrike Koch, who is unemployed, was just about to go to a long-awaited job interview, which she can no longer attend. Only a woman who needs dialysis is permitted to leave the courtyard. Confined together, the residents come into conflict. Karsten and Mrs. Karin, for instance, go along with Horn’s ideas, even though they had previously sided with Erik. Henrike’s financial problems, and those of her husband David, who wants to grow their savings on the stock market, become a point of contention between them. According to Horn’s plans, the small bakery and café run by the young Elias is apparently to become an art gallery. Ismail, who comes from Dagestan, is visibly alarmed by the police presence and later tries to destroy banners from a demonstration the previous day. The police find a dead man in the attic. Henrike had given him a light that morning. Based on what they have observed and other evidence, Ismail becomes a focus of the investigation into possible terrorist activities. The police quickly arrest him and “Madonna,” a Lebanese woman who also lives in the building, and take them away. After a pillar collapses in the basement, Erik gathers the others and points out other strange things he has noticed. Erik reiterates that they must not put up with everything. Heated discussions break out about renovations, possible departures, and the sales that would follow. Horn accuses the others of using the signature drive to set the residents against one another. The situation finally escalates when Karsten lunges at Erik and bites off part of his ear, causing Erik to collapse. Henrike returns to the group after she manages to conduct her job interview by video call. When she decides to accompany Erik in the ambulance, she gets into an argument with Daniel. As she gets into the ambulance, Henrike sees that the state of emergency is over. On the way to the hospital, Erik has to be resuscitated as they reach a bridge closed by the police. The film then ends.