Wir sind dann wohl die Angehörigen

We Are Next of Kin

Film adaptation of the autobiographical novel of the same name by Johann Scheerer, in which he describes the kidnapping of his father Jan Philipp Reemtsma in 1996 from the perspective of his relatives. For the then 13-year-old Johann, everything changed one morning that year. The kidnapping of his father hits the teenager like a blow. Between shock, fear and panic, he witnesses for 33 days how the police transform his home into a high-tech operations center. The lawyer Schwenn, an old family friend, and Christian Schneider, another friend of the parents with whom Johann gets along particularly well, become confidants and supports. But one money transfer after another fails; at the same time, the father writes Johann and his mother desperate letters. Soon it becomes clear to the family that they must go against the police strategy if they want to save Jan Philipp Reemtsma's life.