Der Fall Collini (2019)

Der Fall Collini is a German courtroom drama which premiered in 2019. A young and inexperienced lawyer is assigned to be the public defender in a murder case. The main story is set in Berlin, capital of Germany, in 2001, but there are several flashbacks to earlier events. Here is some basic information about this drama:

** Director: Marco Kreuzpainter
** Writers: Christian Zübert, Robert Gold, and Jens Frederik Otto

** Based on a book by Ferdinand von Schirach (German version published in 2011, English version published in 2013)

** Language: German

** Run time: 123 minutes

The cast includes the following:

** Elyas M’Barak as Caspar Leinen – a young lawyer, public defender
** Heiner Lauterbach as Richard Mattinger – an experienced lawyer, supporting the prosecution

** Alexandra Maria Lara as Johanna Meyer – Hans Meyer’s granddaughter

** Franco Nero as Fabrizio Collini – the defendant

** Rainer Bock as public prosecutor Reimers

** Catrin Striebeck as the presiding judge

** Sandro Di Stefano as Claudio Lucchesi

** Manfred Zapatka as Hans Meyer – the murder victim

** Pia Stutzenstein as Nina – Caspar’s assistant

** Peter Prager as Mr Leinen – Caspar’s father

This drama is inspired by real historical events, but certain details such as names and places have been changed in order to protect the identity of those involved.

I do not wish to spoil the viewing for anyone. Therefore I am not going to say too much about what happens in this courtroom drama. I will only tell you how the story begins:

An old man (Collini) shoots and kills another old man (Meyer) in a hotel room in Berlin. Collini is accused of murder. The case is simple and mysterious at the same time. There is no doubt Collini did it. But nobody seems to know why he did it, and Collini himself does not say anything.

A young and inexperienced lawyer (Leinen) is assigned to be the public defender in the case. He is up against the public prosecutor (Reimers) as well as an experienced and famous lawyer (Mattinger) who is representing the family of the murder victim.

This is how the story begins and this is where my presentation ends. If you want to know what happens with the case, you must watch the movie (or read the book) all the way to the end.

What do reviewers say about this drama? On IMDb it has a rating of 72 per cent, which corresponds to 3.6 stars on Amazon.

On the German version of Amazon there are at the moment more than 1,100 reviews of this product. The average rating is 4.7 stars.

If you ask me, the former rating is too low, while the latter rating is much more appropriate. I wish to go all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars.

When the drama begins, you may be confused. But as the drama begins to unfold, more and more pieces are revealed. It is like a jigsaw puzzle where bits and pieces are put together. As the full picture begins to emerge, you will be captivated and shocked at the same time. In other words: this drama will make a big impression on you.

PS # 1. The German television series Schuld is based on a book written by Ferdinand von Schirach. There are three seasons (2015, 2017, and 2019). The English title of the series is Shades of Guilt.

PS # 2. The Collini case reminds me of a famous court case which began in ancient Rome more than two thousand years ago: the case against Gajus Verres which began in the year 70 BC.

Verres had been the governor of Sicily 73-71. According to the inhabitants of Sicily, he had abused his power to rob and steal from the people of the island. Now they wanted to charge him with extortion. They asked Marcus Tullius Cicero to work for them. They knew him, because he had been an accountant in Sicily a few years before Verres was there. They regarded Cicero as an honest man.

Cicero was a young and inexperienced lawyer. But he agreed to be the public prosecutor in this case. His first big case. His opponent was Quintus Hortensius, who was at the time the most famous lawyer in Rome. The defendant Gajus Verres was rich and powerful. It seemed like a hopeless case for Cicero.

At first, Hortensius and his client did not take Cicero seriously. But when Cicero began to investigate, he found a lot of evidence, and when Hortensius realized just how much evidence Cicero had found in a short time, he advised his client to run: Verres went into exile in Massilia (present-day Marseilles).

The court case against him was never completed, because he disappeared. But Cicero’s evidence was published; it has been preserved until our time. This is why we know so much about the case.

In Berlin in 2001, Leinen is a young and inexperienced lawyer in a case which seems to be hopeless. His opponent Mattinger has fame and experience. At first he does not take Leinen seriously. He thinks Leinen will offer a symbolic and futile defence. He thinks Leinen can be manipulated and controlled.

But when Leinen begins to investigate the case, Mattinger realizes that Leinen has more talent and more resources than he ever thought. Like Hortensius more than 2000 years before him, Mattinger understands that his opponent may be young, but he deserves a lot of respect.

I cannot say more than this without revealing too much.

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Ferdinand von Schirach (born 1964)

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