Das Haus (2021)

The film is set in 2029. Johann Hellström is a journalist who has been banned from working by Germany’s right-wing populist government. Frustrated, he retreats with his wife Lucia to their luxurious, fully digitized weekend house on an island. According to Hellström, it is not connected to the outside world. After a suspected left-wing terrorist attack, the political situation continues to escalate. The house’s AI-powered control system usually anticipates the wishes of its occupants, especially Johann, but displays sporadic “disobedience”: Lucia’s shower water only gets warmer after she insists, it locks the couple out overnight, and it orders unusually large quantities from the grocery delivery service Farhood. While the couple are having sex, the system displays photos of Lucia, and later Johann sees his wife having sex with his superior, Paschke, in stored videos. A visit from a service technician fails to explain these malfunctions, but he advises Johann to make the house more familiar with his wife’s wishes, since it only knows him. One day, doors and the elevator lead Johann straight to Lucia’s photo lab and to a hidden submachine gun, which Lucia cannot explain. Then two terrorists being pursued by the regime show up at their door; Lucia knows them personally, and they are seeking shelter with the couple. When Johann learns this way that his wife is part of the political resistance, the situation in their refuge escalates completely. The two terrorists, a young couple, are lured into the sauna by the house that evening and killed. Johann discovers their bodies the next morning. He and Lucia decide to flee to England with Farhood’s help. As Johann is packing some things for the journey, Paschke appears with a pistol and demands the documents and evidence Hellström has gathered about the recent attacks. A confrontation ensues, and Paschke is killed. The house switches into alarm mode and shuts down its system. Lucia manages to escape the house in time, but Johann is trapped inside. At daybreak, Lucia flees the island alone, taking the documents with her.