COPS
Drama. Thriller.
After her training at the police academy, policewoman LAURA (24) begins her service in a task force of the Hamburg riot police. The everyday life of the police in the hot spots of a divided, disinhibited society does not leave the young police officers unscathed. The stressful images of the day and the boredom between assignments are cured with alcohol during the long evenings in the shared accommodation. Laura finds support in the esprit de corps of her colleagues and the friendships that develop. As Laura’s group becomes more and more radicalised in their actions against drug dealers and leftists, Laura also discovers that she is not only capable of violence – but also genuinely enjoys the power of the uniform, the thrill, the adventure. Until she makes a momentous mistake in the field and Laura has to decide what kind of policewoman she wants to be. Does she stand by her former ideals out of which she originally entered the service – or does she become a profiteer of a system characterised by displays of masculinity, racist cop culture and esprit de corps? When Laura makes her decision, it is already too late. She has to realise that she can no longer escape her past evil deeds and must take responsibility for her actions.
"Laura's dilemma is the starting point for a moral reflection on what happens when representatives of the state have to decide every day when and how the use of violence is justified, sometimes within a few seconds. "Violence is our right and the containment of violence is our duty," says the police. COPS is showing this thin line with impressive immediacy. The idleness, the strictly defined INSIDE and OUTSIDE of this task force and the immediate dangerous situation that suddenly turns from the most banal moments into mortal danger - all these are the fascinating moments that attracted me to the story."
"To me it was important to have a look behind the current - and quite pertinent - battle cry ACAB, to where the sometimes very young people in uniforms meet social-human reality on the streets of the republic - and in doing so to show in a universal way, what happens when an individual in search of belonging submits to the rules of such a system."
Hof International Film Festival 2021
Braunschweig International Filmfestival 2021 - nominated for best actress
Lisa Vicari, Ludwig Trepte, Meryem Ebru Öz, Pascal Houdus, Nathalie Thiede, Daniel Michel, Ibrahim Al-Khalil, Konstantin Benedikt, André M. Hennicke, Caroline Junghanns, Momo Beier, Imme Beccard, Fabian Harloff, Annalena Haering, Ulrike von Gawlowski
Director: Nina Vukovic
Script: Lena Fakler
Casting: Anna Kowalski, Director of Photography: Neels Feil, Music: Chris Köbke, Costume Design: Christian Hofmann, Set Design: Martha Brenner, Editor: Angela Tippel, Make up: Melanie Ott & Janika Kreutzer, Sound: Per Ruschke, Mixing: Reemt Allerding, Production Manager: Benedikt Maurer, Executive Producer TV: Donald Kraemer, Executive Producer: Titus Kreyenberg, Producer: Linus Günther
A klinkerfilm production in co-production with Norddeutscher Rundfunk
in cooperation with MAGIC MEDIA PRODUCTIONS GmbH
supported by MOIN Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-HolsteinÂ
nordmedia - Film- und Mediengesellschaft Niedersachsen/Bremen mbH
