Marlene
| Marlene | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Ursula Müller |
| Screenplay by | Nicklas Albus |
| Produced by | Karl Neidenburg |
| Starring | Emma Fellstedt Anton Schrumpf |
| Distributed by | Flingor Studios |
Release date | 13 August 2024 |
Running time | 1h 40min |
| Country |  Besmenia |
| Language | Besmenian |
| Budget | BS 5,8 million |
Marlene is a 2024 Besmenian action-drama film directed by Ursula Müller.
Plot
1972
10-year-old Marlene Gruber lives with her parents Johannes and Klara Gruber in a suburb near Laitstadt. One night, Marlene wakes up because of loud noises coming from the living room and goes there carefully. Once there, she sees with her own eyes how both her parents are killed by a burglar. After her parents died, Marlene is taken care of by her uncle and aunt.
A few weeks later she recognizes the burglar on the street and secretly follows him to his house. The next night, Marlene sneaks into the burglar's house and kills him. After the murder she realizes what a good feeling the killing is.
1989
Marlene, now 27, works as a secretary in an investment company. She live alone in her uncle and aunt's house since 1984, after they both moved to Lenzborn and left the house to Marlene. Since killing her parents' murderer 17 years ago, she has found a secret pleasure in murder and, as a teenager, made it her mission to kill murderer, criminals and other people with malicious intentions in order to ensure the safety of Laitstadt and the surrounding area. She was always successful and was never discovered once. Marlene hides the bodies of her victims in a 10 meter deep hole in the basement. While she presents a friendly and helpful appearance outside of killing, Marlene is a lonely person with no friends and little contact with other people in her private life.
One day she targets a woman named Yvonne Brüning who, as Marlene has observed, often insults and even hits homeless people. After spying on the woman for some time, Marlene goes to the woman's apartment one night. When she gets there, she notices that the woman is sleeping in bed with her boyfriend named Ulrich Falk. In order not to wake Ulrich, Marlene secretly gives the woman a cyanide capsule. When she wants to leave again, Ulrich begins to hum a melody in his sleep that Marlene knows from her childhood and brings back memories of her parents. When she hears the melody, tears come to her eyes.
The next morning, after Ulrich noticed the dead body next to him in bed and alerted the police, he is interrogated by them. The police start watching him secretly because police chief Christoph Späth suspects Ulrich of being the murderer. He has been amazed for years that so many criminals suddenly disappeared and were never seen again. When Ulrich tries to throw himself off a bridge into the river on the way home to commit suicide, Marlene, who has almost always watched him since he hummed the melody in his sleep, jumps after him without thinking twice and saves Ulrich. A tender rapprochement follows in which Marlne, through Ulrich, gets to know normal life, which is completely alien to her after many years of loneliness. However, Ulrich soon realizes that he knows practically nothing about Marlene. That's why he pursues her one morning, unaware that Marlene is about to commit a murder. Because of Ulrich's surprise appearance, Marlene's planned murder fails and her victim runs away. Ulrich is shocked by Marlene's secret and runs away from her.
One evening Marlene comes to Ulrich's apartment. Ulrich reluctantly lets her in. In the living room, Marlene, in tears, tells Ulrich about the murder of her parents, how her secret passion for killing came about also confesses to Ulrich that she killed his girlfriend Yvonne. Marlene then realizes for the first time that she has a physical problem. Ulrich, who, based on Marlene's history, shows understanding for her murderous passion, offers her help to end her desire to kill once and for all. The two then get close and start kissing. Shortly afterwards, the police ring at Ulrich's door; they have received information about her from Marlene's victim who ran away and, through secret surveillance of Ulrich, now believe that Marlene and Ulrich are a murderer couple. In between, police storm Marlene's house and discover the bodies in the basement.
The two flee from the police together, whereupon a high-speed chase begins through the streets of Laitstadt, which continues outside the city. Their car comes to a standstill on a country road, forcing Marlene and Ulrich to flee on foot. They are followed by police chief Späth However. In an abandoned cemetery, Späth meets Marlene and holds a gun in front of her. At that moment, Ullrich hits Späth on the back of the head with a shovel, causing Späth to faint. A little later the two manage to outrun the police.
1995
The final scene shows Marlene and Ulrich living happily together on a farm in a wasteland in Maurenmark. Although the search for the two of them ended in 1991, neither of them wanted to return to Laitstadt. With the help of Ulrich, Marlene has managed to put an end to her passion for killing. They also both have now a five-year-old son, whom they named after Marlene's father.
Cast
- Emma Fellstedt as Marlene Gruber
- Anton Schrumpf as Ulrich Falk
- Bruno Kehring as Police Chief Christoph Späth
- Marie Heilbaum as Yvonne Brüning
- Holger Fässel as Johannes Gruber
- Hannelore Weinreich as Klara Gruber
- Larissa Saal as 10-year-old Marlene Gruber
- Johannes Winkler as a burglar and murderer of Marlene's parents