German movies stand in contrast to the more adversarial and theatrical style of American legal dramas, instead illustrating the German cultural and procedural logic of managing conflict by minimizing direct confrontation and focusing on thorough, impartial investigation and mediation.
movies
Baader Meinhof
Der Baader Meinhof Komplex. (The Baader Meinhof Complex, 2008). This film examines the rise of the Red Army Faction (RAF), a left-wing terrorist group in 1970s Germany. Through investigative sequences, archival materials, and a focus on the motivations and societal conditions that led to radicalization, the film reconstructs the circumstances behind the violence. It provides a multi-faceted, evidence-driven exploration of why such a movement emerged.
“rubble film”
Die Mörder sind unter uns (The Murderers Are Among Us, 1946). This is one of the first German films made after WWII and a classic of the “rubble film” (Trümmerfilm) genre. Set in the ruins of Berlin, it follows a traumatized doctor who discovers that a former Nazi officer responsible for atrocities is living unpunished among the survivors. The film centers on the protagonist’s moral and psychological investigation into the past, piecing together evidence and memories to confront personal and collective guilt. It dramatizes the process of uncovering the truth about wartime crimes and seeking accountability, embodying the German approach of reconstructing causes and circumstances
Das letzte Schweigen
Das letzte Schweigen (The Silence, 2010). A crime thriller where a girl’s disappearance echoes a decades-old unsolved murder. The film follows detectives as they meticulously gather evidence, revisit past testimonies, and reconstruct the sequence of events. The narrative is structured around the gradual revelation of facts, mirroring the German logic of resolving conflict through objective investigation and analysis.
Namibia
Der vermessene Mensch (Measures of Men, 2023). This recent film confronts Germany’s colonial past and the genocide of the Herero and Nama in Namibia. It reconstructs historical events through the lens of a German ethnologist, using documentary evidence and personal testimony to explore the causes and consequences of colonial violence. The film’s structure emphasizes the importance of historical documentation and objective analysis in understanding and reconciling with the past.
Serviceability is reliability
Reliability in the U.S. also means serviceability. No product is perfect. Service can make up for it. And service is based on a product’s serviceability. After sales comes service. Should be fast, easy and profitable.
From Ford’s Model T which came with a tool box, all the way to today’s call centers responding 24/7 via 1-800 numbers, to the service trucks on the road, Americans tolerate suboptimal reliability if their concerns are listened to and acted upon.
But wait. Earning profits on a product’s imperfection? The German engineer winces at this. Products should work as developed. The German consumer winces at this. Products should work as promised.