Torso
A fast-paced political thriller set in present day Berlin
Berlin, December of 2003
When after an anonymous call, the Berlin homicide squad arrives at a derelict high-rise close to Berlin Alexanderplatz, they are confronted with a crime-scene that defies anything they have ever seen before: a female torso, richly clad in what appears to be a mediaeval dress, is leaning against one of the concrete pillars. As the detectives step closer, they stare in disbelief at the head of a goat that has been mounted on the torso’s neck.
Especially Martin Zollanger, the 61-year-old chief detective, has a hard time dealing with the repulsive find. The former East German has been having doubts about his profession for some time, and this case only adds to his disenchantment with the West. The level of corruption and crime, the inefficient legal system, the social injustices and the general decadence have made of Martin Zollanger a very frustrated man whose excellent professional track record has just recently been sullied by a near-outburst of violence during an arrest that nearly cost him his career.
As he directs his team during the early hours of this Friday morning, a second alarm call suddenly comes in: a similar object has just been found in a nightclub that is famous for its very special erotic parties. When Zollanger and his men arrive, they are directed to a bizarre theme-room in the basement where a dead lamb with a human arm in its entrails lies on the cold stone floor.
A few days later a young woman is kidnapped and a third torso of the same kind is found in an office-building downtown. The police can no longer hope just to be dealing with brutal acts of desecration. The pressure to produce results rises with every hour.
But what are theses macabre arrangements of human and animal body parts supposed to mean? Who are the victims? And why does Martin Zollanger, the chief detective, seem to be holding back vital information about the hidden mediaeval symbolism of the strange torsos?
As the case evolves, a disturbing political connection begins to become visible. But no sooner have Zollanger’s colleagues picked up on this, evidence shows that Zollanger himself may be the main suspect. Incapable of defending himself against the overwhelming evidence, he has no choice but to run.
Chased by his own colleagues as well as the henchmen of powerful political circles who must get to Zollanger first in order to cover up a huge scam, Zollanger will decipher the message of the torsi – and unveil the true horrors they symbolize.
With the help of Elin, a young girl from Hamburg bent on investigating the “suicide” of her brother who was also connected to the scam, the former East-German cop and the drop-out adolescent girl team up and expose the writing on the wall for the entire city to see...
"A gripping AND intelligent thriller" (Austria News)
* Published by Droemer-Knaur, 2011
* Film Rights: Ziegler Film
* English Sample Translation Available for International Publishers (info@ava-international.de)