Nonkonform

Who is the man with the polished bald head and the distinctive little mustache? A Prussian disciplinarian or a Hitler impersonator? One of the key prosecutors in the young Federal Republic? Or one of the quirkiest supporting actors in German cinema? The answer is, yes!

Dietrich Kuhlbrodt, born in 1932, is a retiree in the Hamburg district of Blankenese. He is alert, combative, sometimes pensive, and consistently witty. Brigitte, with whom he spent 50 years, is unfortunately already gone. But what does that really mean? Her room remains as it was; her spirit still lingers. Even Dietrich’s favorite stuffed animal, Wauwi, has never left and is always by his side.

But how did little Dietrich become the great Kuhlbrodt, the senior prosecutor who pursued the perpetrators of the Third Reich, yet enjoys playing different roles in private? Kuhlbrodt takes us on a breathtaking journey through Germany’s dark post-war history, through all the stuffiness, mediocrity, pettiness, and malice.

Kuhlbrodt had flings with R.W. Fassbinder, wrote a screenplay for Werner Schroeter, directed an episode for Michael Bryntrup’s Jesus epic, but above all, he let loose with Christoph Schlingensief: he played Nazis like Joseph Goebbels or turned former East Germans into sausage. And that’s just a small glimpse!

A paradoxical, colorful life in a sparkling documentary film! A huge goodie bag full of rare film clips – and featuring the jazzy, fluffy soundtrack by Helge Schneider.