Synopsis
Marcel and Carla’s life would be in harmony if Marcel had not fallen ill with schizophrenia a year ago, which has been treated with tablets ever since. Unfortunately, the side effects of these tablets are so unpleasant for Marcel that he recently stopped taking them. As a result, a strong schizophrenic attack has occurred, in which Marcel falsely imagines that he has been cheated on by Carla several times with other men. In revenge, he has Carla bound and gagged and abuses her with a knife and with blows. However, he is not even aware of this, but hallucinates a harmonious loving coexistence with Carla. He is thus extremely split in personality. The film shows both dimensions of this split, the real and the hallucinated one. When a visitor, Janna, rings the doorbell, the hallucinating Marcel kindly lets her enter the apartment, even though he is covered in blood and Carla is badly battered in the living room.
When Janna realizes this, she runs yelling out of the apartment to call the police. Marcel is annoyed and continues to talk to the hallucinated Carla, while the bound Carla is voiceless and distraught. When the hallucinated Carla asks Marcel if he doesn’t love her, he reacts desperately and, crying on her lap, confesses his love for her. The real Carla takes this opportunity to grab a knife and plunges it into his back. This causes Marcel to rage, and he strangles Carla. In the meantime, the police have arrived in front of the house, where they are sent by Janna to Marcel and Carla’s apartment. Just before the first policeman reaches the apartment, Carla’s ghost rises from her corpse and begins to terrify Marcel. The policeman enters the living room thinking that the knife-wielding screaming Marcel will attack him, but instead Marcel fights back against Carla’s ghost, which the policeman cannot see. So it comes to a fatal shot against Marcel. Himself now a ghost in the realm of the dead, the confused Marcel is attacked again by Carla, who appears as a demonic avenging spirit, dragging her screaming victim into the depths.
Best Screenplay
