Ich bin nicht Gott, aber wie Gott

Summary

I Am Not God, but Like God

Guenter Kaussen, the "slumlord" from Cologne, who shaped public discussion from the 60s through to the 80s, is, to this day, a synonym for property speculation and exorbitant rents in Germany.

Behind all of this is the rise of a man from the poorest of backgrounds through a successful university career to excessiveness. Kaussen becomes a regular feature in magazines and yet stays in the dark - a "German Howard Hughes" for the media. The wealthy man lives increasingly in the belief that he is being followed. He has bodyguards, purposely dresses shabbily and unpresupposing when he goes out, stays undetected. He prefers, best of all, to stay at home in his fortress-cum-flat and now really only has his lady companion, four daughters and the completely devoted employees and lawyers around him. For Kau-en pays well, but forces the people around him to be there to meet his needs. Kaussen has failed as a one-man enterprise. In the film, the few people who knew him say whether he was a case of someone between genius and madness.

Source: German films Service & Marketing GmbH