The film carrier of the versatile talent Herbert Achternbusch could be followed by Rotterdam audiences since its very start. His dry humour, absurdism, political acumen, wealth of language and intelligence make him a unique figure in German cultural history. For his latest – low-budget – film, he used the studios and actors of the Münchner Kammerspiele conducted by Dieter Dorn.At Mariënplatz in Munich, a policeman says to Hick, the alter ego of Achternbusch: ‘It’s all Helmut Kohl’s fault!’ That is all that Hick needs to know. He decides to rub out the Chancellor, albeit in a non-violent way. He calls in several police officers to help solve the problem.Achternbusch: ‘When the high-ups mess things up, then the people get a scapegoat. The police thinks that Helmut Kohl is responsible for the misery in Germany. The homeless Hick picks up the idea and demonstrates for the abolition of the Chancellor. The police adopt his posters and slogans and contribute with perseverence to Kohl’s disappearance without trace. But things are not very peaceful. A woman talks all about the primaeval power of people, how they have developed from animals. A policeman says he would rather be dead than tolerate Kohl any longer. Magical powers should not be underestimated. They give us clever and correct ideas, behaviour, ways out and income.’
