Der Mörder (1979)

Dr. Hans Kuperus works as a general practitioner in the Netherlands. He is a highly respected citizen of the town, yet he suffers greatly from a private problem: his wife cheats on him constantly. For a long time, he has watched her wild behavior and tolerated a notorious local lover cuckolding him. One day, the doctor has had enough: he lies in wait for the pair at their love nest and shoots his unfaithful wife and her paramour. Although he planned the crime perfectly, Dr. Kuperus fully expects to be arrested soon. But, astonishingly, that does not happen. Although the neighbors suspect that only he could have shot his wife and her lover, he is left undisturbed. Kuperus had thrown the bodies into the canal, which had since frozen over, and none of his fellow townspeople wants to know the details. Soon a new woman enters the doctor's life. She is Neel, the new maid. Kuperus is taken with the somewhat simple but lascivious woman, and although she does not at all share his desire, she gets involved with him. But Neel has a secret: for over a year, a man named Karl Vorberg, a German, has been living with Neel and considers himself her boyfriend and lover. Time passes, and soon the murder seems to have been forgotten. Kuperus believes he can return to his old life. When the canal thaws, the bodies are released from the ice, yet there are still no consequences for the murderer. No one in town reproaches him; in the eyes of the silent majority, he is the betrayed husband, deserving of understanding, perhaps even pity. Kuperus now feels all too secure: he runs for chair of the Billiards Academy and considers going into politics. In view of the gravity of his guilt, his brazen behavior, which has forgotten all modesty, begins to meet with incomprehension and rejection from his fellow townspeople. Silence gives way to disapproval and gradual social isolation. Neel, his new partner, is also viewed as common and finds no acceptance among the hypocritical respectable citizens. Friends make it clear to Kuperus that it would be best for him to leave town temporarily. But Kuperus believes he is strong enough to resist this advice—especially since there is no proof of his guilt. But he has overplayed his hand: people avoid him, and his patients stop coming too. In his loneliness, Dr. Hans Kuperus gradually becomes a drinker. One day he receives a summons to appear before the examining magistrate, an old school friend. When the magistrate pointedly refuses to shake his hand in greeting, Dr. Kuperus knows that his time of being spared is over.