No boredom in the “Polizeiruf” Munich: Investigations into the amateur porn scene

The debut of the new Munich “Polizeiruf” team last year was a terribly convoluted exercise (“Little Boxes”) set in a woke student environment. Then, in a sizzling arsonist romance (“Spark Summer”), the wonderful Johanna Wokalek had the opportunity to give her investigator character Cris Blohm a few criminal and erotic facets. In her third case, “Beyond the Law,” the actress continues this development.

The director Dominik Graf and the author Tobias Knie do not dilute the crime plot with excursions into the zeitgeist or social milieu. They concentrate entirely on the subtle nuances of a plot that, even in the split screen at the beginning, indicates unstable sensitivities. Young Mia Horschalek (Emmapreisedanz) sits there with the psychiatrist (Michael Roll) and talks about her love: “The four weeks were really crazy.”

Amateur porn scene

She feels understood for the first time, says Mia – by Lucky, a young man who makes his money making porn films and who she naturally lets film her having sex. Mia’s story has something of a redemption fantasy.

When Lucky is found dead in his trailer three days later, Mia’s father (Martin Rapold) returns to the detectives’ focus. Ralph Horschalek was a thorn in the side of his daughter’s dealings with the porn producer, although he was clearly less worried about her reputation than the reputation of his company. Does Horschalek have something to do with Lucky’s violent death?

The film title “Beyond the Law” is: Blohm and her colleague Dennis Eden (Stephan Zinner) cross boundaries during their investigation. Forensic medicine provides them with a DNA trace that they are not allowed to use as a basis for solving the murder. One of the many advantages of this Munich episode is that it remains in the balance for quite some time as to whether Cris Blohm is simply suffering from a large disturbed heart (on the perpetrator’s side one would then have to speak of improved sanity). It is also conceivable that a cross-border worker in her profession is coming out here, who sometimes resorts to lying when she thinks it serves the truth.

Cris Blohm’s spirit of resistance quickly gains momentum when Horschalek tries to stop the investigation out of fear of negative headlines. In a hectic change of perspective, Dominik Graf short-circuits the precipitating events that repeatedly appear at the investigators’ feet as a loss of control. In this crime film, development progresses precisely, as if a carefully constructed clockwork was ticking. Everything here fits together beautifully and thoughtfully.

Promising

In a captivating scene, Blohm gets advice from a lawyer: How can she advance in the investigation and at the same time remain legally invulnerable? It is a special pleasure to watch Wokalek as she oscillates between gentle scratchiness and petulant pride with a quiet voice and an intense look.

Her dreary, baggy jeans-and-blouse outfit is becoming this investigator’s trademark. In more serious cases, Karl Lagerfeld is said to have spoken of people losing control of their lives. It won’t get that far here. After three episodes, Blohm’s mix of determination and vulnerability has caught up with the most dazzling TV investigators. Promising.

“Polizeiruf 110” from Munich: “Beyond the Law”. On Sunday, December 29th, at 8:15 p.m. on ARD.