Staatsschutz

Summary

Prosecution

With all the resources and authority of the state behind her, young prosecutor Seyo Kim is determined to confront far-right violence in eastern Germany. But when she, herself, becomes a target – surviving a racist attack on her life – Seyo decides to investigate on her own, defying explicit orders from her superiors and putting her life further at risk.

Seyo finally succeeds in bringing one of the attackers to trial and fights to expose him as part of a wider right-wing network. She digs deep into her office's archives, reopens long-closed "isolated cases" and manoeuvres seemingly harmless witnesses into revealing their ties – not only to the network but also to the attack on her own life.

Germany's public prosecution service is the most objective institution in the world – or so the myth goes. But throughout the trial, Seyo learns firsthand what it means to entrust the pursuit of justice to a state that applies double standards and not only downplays far-right violence, but at times even protects it.

Source: 76. Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin (Catalogue)