Das Verhör in der Nacht (2020)

Judith is staying at a hotel and wants to visit her parents on Christmas Eve. State security officers prevent her from leaving, and the police officer Thomas questions her at length in her hotel room. He accuses her of planning a terrorist attack with her ex-husband, who visited her at her apartment in Berlin for several hours the day before. The authorities have also found a prepared statement claiming responsibility on her computer, which is not connected to the internet. The philosophy professor insists she drafted it solely as a teaching example for a seminar on “structural violence.” Thomas is convinced otherwise and has evidence that she and her ex-husband Julian intend to set off an explosive device that evening. He tells Judith that her ex-husband has been under interrogation since the previous evening and urges her to incriminate him. But Judith knows that, without an arrest warrant, he must be released after 24 hours. She demands that the officer formally arrest her and inform her of her rights. Thomas has only the film’s remaining running time to get a confession or an accusation from Judith. Their dialogue is an unrelenting contest of wills: the officer relies on his supposed advantage in knowledge, while the philosopher draws on her composure and the time she has on her side. They also argue about the legality of state and politically motivated violence. Eventually, Judith implicates herself completely, saying she obtained explosives and containers and therefore also wrote the statement claiming responsibility. She rules out violence against people and names vacant buildings or power pylons as possible targets. When asked for further details, such as where the explosives came from, she cannot provide them and cites gaps in her memory. This gives her a tactical advantage in their battle of wits, leading to her ex-husband’s release from interrogation before the deadline. During a formal arrest, Thomas allows her exactly one phone call. Judith uses it to contact her ex-husband after his release, then signals to the officer that he has lost.