Von komischen Vögeln

Jockel has a lousy job as a doorman at a chemical company. His daughter Rike alienates herself from him, he doesn’t really know his wife Barbara, he hates his father Helmuth, and his goal to become a musician seems more distant than ever. When he finds out that Helmuth and Rike secretly get together to listen to Schubert, he feels betrayed. After an assault at a pizzeria in the heat of passion, Jockel is sentenced to do social work at a sheltered workshop. There, he is supposed to direct a choir, but he cannot cope with the situation; he doesn’t seem able to connect to the people there and becomes quite aggressive. The director Wiegalt has a clear stance: should he become conspicuous, then he’s off, straight to jail!

Jockel is forced to go on a retreat with the choir, arranged by Wiegalt. Cut off from the outside world, Jockel starts to actually enjoy the choir practice. And the communication via music seems to do him as much good as the rest of the choir. He starts opening up and developing a sense of understanding. But the moment Jockel starts to warm up to the people around him, fate puts him to the test.

Source: 51. International Hofer Filmtage 2017