Die Maßnahme (2015)

The odd, solitary Werner Seiler is suspected of having murdered his underage coworker, Lucy Dirnhost. But so far, nothing has been proven against the mentally ill, alcohol-dependent man. Police officer Roland Prengler is assigned to investigate him and goes undercover at Werner’s workplace. Gradually, he wins Werner’s trust, and Werner opens up to him more and more. The two go on drinking binges, and Roland defends Werner against the villagers and at work. Werner vehemently denies the murder, but during the investigation admits that he had a crush on Lucy. A kind of friendship develops between them, and Roland himself begins to doubt that Werner committed the murder. He helps Werner get parts of his life back under control, and in gratitude Werner even sets up a room of his own for Roland in his house, where he otherwise lives only with his sheep. Eventually, a confrontation breaks out at the village pub with the locals and coworkers, and Werner triumphs with Roland’s help. But the joy is short-lived: when Werner and Roland return, they find the house ransacked and the sheep dead. Together, they bury it. Finally, Roland confesses to Werner to a fictitious murder and pressures him to admit to killing Lucy. Werner does so and is arrested shortly afterward. In custody, Werner initially remains silent, but Roland persuades him to take his colleagues to the supposed place where he buried his alleged victim. However, Werner manages to escape and, after a chase through the woods, overpowers his supposed friend after Roland brings him down. When he has the chance to strangle Roland, he does not, and once again denies having killed Lucy. Another police officer shoots him in the back, and he collapses over Roland.