Der Goldene Handschuh

The Golden Glove
Hamburg’s St. Pauli district in the 1970s is a neighbourhood of night-time entertainment and its nocturnal figures: habitual drinkers and prostitutes, gambling addicts and other lonely souls. Fritz Honka, a short man with thick horn-rimmed glasses and an unfortunate face, is one of them. An unskilled labourer, he picks up lonely older women, down-at-heel drinkers, in a local boozer called ‘Zum Goldenen Handschuh’ (The Golden Glove). Nobody realises that he batters and strangles these women in his attic apartment, then dismembers them and disposes of their remains behind the attic wall. Distributing scented air-fresheners throughout the building to disguise the stench of decay, he blames the neighbouring Greek family for the penetrating smells.
Based on the true case of serial killer Fritz Honka and on Heinz Strunk’s 2016 crime novel, Fatih Akin has created a portrait of a socially depraved, violent criminal, driven by misogyny, sexual greed and sentimentality. Akin’s film is a social study of the flip side of the then recent economic miracle; it is about individuals thrown off-kilter by the war and post-war turmoil in a dark Germany wholly lacking in confidence.
by Fatih Akin
with Jonas Dassler, Margarethe Tiesel, Katja Studt, Martina Eitner-Acheampong, Hark Bohm, Jessica Kosmalla, Barbara Krabbe, Tilla Kratochwil, Uwe Rohde, Marc Hosemann
Germany / France 2019 German, Greek 110’ Colour World premiere

With

  • Jonas Dassler (Fritz Honka)
  • Margarethe Tiesel (Gerda Voss)
  • Katja Studt (Helga Denningsen)
  • Martina Eitner-Acheampong (Frida)
  • Hark Bohm (Dornkaat-Max)
  • Jessica Kosmalla (Ruth)
  • Barbara Krabbe (Anna)
  • Tilla Kratochwil (Inge)
  • Uwe Rohde (Herbert)
  • Marc Hosemann (Siggi)

Crew

Written and Directed by Fatih Akin based on the novel by Heinz Strunk
Cinematography Rainer Klausmann
Editing Andrew Bird, Franziska Schmidt-Kärner
Music FM Einheit
Sound Joern Martens
Production Design Tamo Kunz
Costumes Katrin Aschendorf
Make-Up Maike Heinlein, Daniel Schröder, Lisa Edelmann
Assistant Director Scott Kirby
Casting Monique Akin
Production Manager Klaus Spinnler
Producers Nurhan Sekerci-Porst, Fatih Akin, Herman Weigel
Co-Producers Willi Geike, Jérôme Seydoux, Sophie Seydoux, Ardavan Safaee
Co-Production Warner Bros. Entertainment Hamburg
Pathé Films Paris

Fatih Akin

Born in Hamburg, Germany in 1973, he studied at the University of Fine Arts in Hamburg (HfBK). After making several short, documentary and feature films, he won the Golden Bear in 2004 for Gegen die Wand which made him one of the most celebrated directors in Europe. His next international hit, Auf der anderen Seite, won Best Screenplay at Cannes as well as the European and German Film awards. With his production company corazón international he also produces the work of other directors including the films Chiko, Takva and Min dît. His film Aus dem Nichts won, among other prizes, a Golden Globe.

Filmography (selection)

1998 Kurz und schmerzlos 2000 Im Juli · Wir haben vergessen zurückzukehren 2002 Solino 2004 Gegen die Wand (Head On); Golden Bear 2006 Crossing the Bridge – The Sound of Istanbul 2007 Auf der anderen Seite 2008 New York, I Love You 2009 Soul Kitchen 2012 Müll im Garten Eden 2014 The Cut 2016 Tschick 2017 Aus dem Nichts 2019 Der goldene Handschuh (The Golden Glove)

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2019