Leberkäsjunkie (2019)

Village police officer Franz Eberhofer has once again partied far too long at the inn in Niederkaltenkirchen, Lower Bavaria. So he only rubs the sleep from his eyes when his ex-girlfriend, Susi Gmeinwieser, appears beside his bed the next morning and reminds him that he promised to look after their son Paul, who is now almost a year old, for a week while she prepares for a final exam. The phone rings just then, and Eberhofer learns that Liesl Mooshammer’s house is on fire. Because the case is outside his jurisdiction, he refuses to go to the Mooshammer woman’s house—until the mayor personally orders him to the scene, where a charred body has been found. Mooshammer, who is involved in primal scream therapy and witchcraft, decides to move in with the Eberhofers while her house is a fire-damaged ruin. When Franz Eberhofer hears this, he develops circulatory problems and collapses. His blood test shows high cholesterol, caused by regularly consuming huge quantities of meat products, including the butcher Simmerl’s Leberkäse rolls. He also has poor stamina and other health problems due to his unhealthy diet. From now on, his grandmother will serve only healthy food. For Franz, it is a nightmare—especially since, on top of withdrawal symptoms, he is also sleep-deprived because of his son Paul. Eberhofer wants to prove to his ex-girlfriend Susi that he is a good father, and with help from his friends, he seems to manage reasonably well. One night, though, his craving for Leberkäse rolls becomes overwhelming, and butcher Simmerl has to be dragged out of bed. Simmerl calls the person disturbing him a “Leberkäse junkie.” Eventually, the body in Liesl Mooshammer’s house is identified as Saskia Grimm, who had been living there. She was beaten to death with a blunt object and then set on fire. The socially troubled neighbors in the house opposite initially come under suspicion of murder, but they can prove that they were working on road construction that night. They shift suspicion onto Buengo, the FC Rot-Weiß Niederkaltenkirchen’s star Black player, who also lives in Mooshammer’s house. It turns out Buengo had bombarded the murdered woman with hundreds of text messages. Although Eberhofer does not believe Buengo is guilty, he has to execute the footballer’s arrest warrant and take him to prison. The idyllic atmosphere in Niederkaltenkirchen is also badly strained because plans to build a large hotel have split the community into capitalists, represented by Flötzinger, and defenders of creation, a group that includes Eberhofer’s brother Leopold. Eberhofer’s friend Rudi Birkenberger comes to his aid, offering unsolicited advice on parenting and nutrition and helping with the investigation. The murdered woman’s mother, who has come from Spain, also has a motive: as her next of kin, she is the sole heir to the considerable fortune her divorced husband left to their daughter. That does not stop Eberhofer’s father from developing romantic feelings for the distressed woman. However, Mrs. Grimm reveals that the mysterious friend “Conny,” about whom Rudi Birkenberger gathered information after illegally entering Saskia Grimm’s apartment, is actually a man. He is the wealthy Konrad Ziegler from Landshut, known as “Conny.” He is gay, but for a long time was considered the dead woman’s “soul mate” and had repeatedly sent her letters and postcards. Further investigation establishes Buengo’s innocence, and he is released from prison just in time for the football team’s local derby. Suspicion then falls once more on Conny Ziegler. During questioning by Rudi Birkenberger, it emerges that Ziegler caught his partner, Rafael Schäfer, in flagrante with Saskia Grimm and then murdered her. An attempt to arrest him fails, and Rafael Schäfer kills Conny Ziegler with a golf club out of jealousy. He then plans to kill himself and the bound Birkenberger using gas flowing from the stove. Because of his poor physical condition, Eberhofer arrives at the crime scene much later, but he manages to prevent something even worse at the last moment. Rafael Schäfer then tries to commit suicide by jumping out of a window, but lands on an awning and is arrested. At the end, Eberhofer celebrates his son’s first birthday with friends and family. Shortly beforehand, his father leaves to spend an extended period in Spain with Mrs. Grimm. A reconciliation between Franz and Susi is hinted at, while their son happily plays in his new crib.