Die Gerechten von Kummerow (1982)

The shepherd Krischan has lived in the small Prussian village of Kummerow for 24 years. The children like him because he is always telling them fantastic stories from his days as a sailor, and the villagers like him because he never asks for payment for his work. Everyone knows—but has also successfully managed to forget—that Krischan lives in the village without papers. One day, the wealthy miller Düker beats his horse because it stands with its legs spread on the village square and bobs its head while standing, amusing the villagers. They bet Düker that he will not be able to teach his horse manners, but Düker tries anyway, using force. Krischan, who loves animals, stands up to Düker, who beats him. The children finally drive Düker back, but he kills his horse with one last brutal blow. Soon, complaints begin piling up at the court: while various villagers sue Düker for animal cruelty and causing a public disturbance, Düker in turn sues the village for tolerating a man without papers—Krischan. The next day, Krischan leaves the village and never returns. The village children—above all the clever Martin, poor Johannes, and dim-witted Hermann—swear revenge and start regularly pelting the miller’s house with potatoes at night. At the trial, Düker is sentenced to four weeks in prison for animal cruelty. The judge praises the three boys as “Righteous Ones,” saying that their actions were meant to help not only Krischan but also the horse. The judge also urges the villagers to look for Krischan and honor him for his love of animals and his many years of voluntary service to the village. The villagers, however, do nothing, which angers the children. Now, as “Righteous Ones,” they try to report further acts of animal cruelty, but they cannot always trust their instincts and their actions end up doing more harm than good to those around them. One day, it becomes clear that the friends are to be separated. When Johannes’s grandfather dies and his mother then leaves the village, leaving the boy behind, the community decides to send Johannes to another village to be cared for and educated. Clever Martin, meanwhile, is to attend a school in the city the following year. Johannes manages to escape and return to Kummerow after only a short time. He now runs away with Martin so they can finally find Krischan. The two drift away in their boat and are eventually picked up by a farmer, who informs Martin’s father. Soon both boys are back in Kummerow, and now real life begins: Martin packs his things for city school. Together with Johannes, who has to return to his new foster parents, he leaves Kummerow in a horse-drawn cart. They look back at their village one last time.