Schrotten! (2016)

Mirko Talhammer works for an insurance company in Hamburg and cuts crooked deals to earn his commissions. As a result, however, he owes his company 100,000 euros, and his boss gives him an ultimatum. In this situation, two unwashed, burly men show up in Mirko’s smart office, knock him unconscious, and take him to a scrapyard in the countryside. It is his father’s business, which Mirko left behind years ago and which is now run by his younger brother, Letscho. Their father has died, leaving the two brothers a business that is on the verge of being bought out by Kercher, the local scrap-metal magnate. For Mirko, the matter is clear: he wants to sell his share to Kercher and promises him, in exchange for a large cash advance, that he will also get his brother to sign the purchase agreement. But then Mirko learns that his brother is planning a daring, high-risk scheme that promises a big payoff. A freight train car carrying 40 tonnes of copper is to be stolen without anyone noticing. Mirko sees his chance to clear all his debts at a stroke, joins in with the preparations, and thanks to his plan, the heist succeeds. They use Rotwelsch as a secret language to communicate with one another without attracting the attention of outsiders. Kercher soon hears about the scheme too and sees his prospects slipping away. He therefore gives the brothers a choice: either sell him the scrapyard or go to prison. But they are not so easily beaten. Guided by the family motto, “Better dead than enslaved!”, they go on the offensive and leave Kercher a big poisoned chalice to deal with. Family members steal a bronze sculpture from the city center and smuggle it into Kercher’s warehouse. Kercher is quickly taken away by the police. In the end, the fight is lost, and the family sets off south with Mirko, full of optimism.