SHADOW-CHILDREN
2021 / 89min / SRF
Contrastfilm
CONTENTS
Beat Gessner (Imanuel Humm) has not had any contact with his son for a long time. It is all the more shocking for him when he finds the body of his son Max (Vincent Furrer) in an empty factory hall. Wrapped up like a caterpillar in its cocoon, the sight is hard to bear. At the crime scene, Tessa Ott (Carol Schuler) and Isabelle Grandjean (Anna Pieri Zuercher) immediately notice that the victim not only has a tattooed face, but also the cornea of her eyes is tattooed. This leads the investigators to an artists' commune led by the artist Kyomi (Sarah Hostettler). What is striking is that, like Max, her “disciples” also have a shaved head, tattoos and a tattooed callus. The gallery owner Bruno Escher (Fabian Krüger) sells Kyomi's art. Could it be that he might have had an economic interest in Max's death because it would make it easier for her works to sell?
CAST
Anna Pieri Zuercher, Carol Schuler, Sarah Hostettler, Zoe Valks, Vincent Furrer, Imanuel Humm, Fabian Krüger u.v.a
TEAM
Regie: Christine Repond
Buch: Stefanie Veith, Nina Vukovic
Kamera: Simon Guy Fässler
Ausstattung: Urs Beuter
Kostüm: Linda Harper
Schnitt: Ulrike Tortora
Musik: Marcel Vaid
Produzenten: Stefan Eichenberger, Ivan Madeo
Redaktion SRF: Gabriella de Gara, Urs Fitze, Fabienne Andreoli
Redaktion ARD / Degeto: Birgit Titze
PRESS
Arthouse director Christine Repond stages the third crime scene from Zurich with “Schattenkinder”. Crime has never been so good. The New Zurich Times
The new case about a mysterious art cult is visually impressive and overall the best of the new investigative team. Berliner Zeitung
The new Zurich crime scene is one of the most straightforward episodes of the past few weeks. Welt
In this case from Zurich, eyeballs are tattooed and clichés are spread against the art world. Nevertheless, the Swiss remain the most promising crime scene team. Süddeutsche Zeitung
If the “crime scene” from Zurich continues in this form, there will soon be a risk of murder rates in Germany. Bild
The crime scene “Schattenkinder”, staged by Christine Repond, becomes an unusually sensual experience, comparable to the “Polizeiruf 110” trilogy by Christian Petzold, who used the crime as a backdrop to fathom the emotional depths of the investigator couple. Whether Petzold or Repond – when auteur filmmakers take on traditional television formats, it becomes apparent what they otherwise lack. NZZ on Sunday
This Swiss episode does a lot of things right: despite all the absurdity, the plot remains exciting. For once the dialogues are not wooden. The obligatory vocal interlude makes perfect sense where it is used. The camera work and the dark mood of the whole thing is really good. Sonnatgs Blick
To dispel the fears of some “Tatort” critics straight away: The Zurich team’s third mission is great! (…) Director Christine Repond is responsible: So far only known in insider circles, she is definitely drawing attention to herself with her “Tatort” debut. TELE
Oh well!: The third Zurich “crime scene” “Schattenkinder” saves Switzerland’s reputation.
The Swiss director Christine Repond, who works in Germany, draws attention away from the weaknesses of the Zurich “crime scene” concept, its almost pathological fixation on Zurich. (…) Repond leaves out city bashing, biting irony and cynicism. As in her feature films “Silberwald” (2011) about young neo-Nazi sympathizers or in the relationship drama “Vakuum” (2017), she gets very serious about her characters, who go through initiation rites that change their lives.
Aargauer Zeitung