Satan’s Brew

Walter Kranz, once hailed as a revolutionary poet, struggles with debt and writer's block. His bank account is overdrawn, his publisher refuses an advance, and creditors loom. The pressure of money pushes the story into motion.

Irmgard von Witzleben writes him a check, but during a dark roleplay with a gun Walter shoots her. The act shatters the illusion of romance and triggers a police inquiry. The incident marks the onset of Walter's moral decline.

Walter decides to write about a prostitute and interviews Lana von Meyerbeer. The interview becomes intimate as he yields to temptation. Luise complains that Walter has not slept with her in seventeen days, highlighting their strained marriage.

A policeman asks for Walter's alibi regarding Irmgard's supposed murder, casting suspicion on him. Meanwhile movers arrive to repossess their furniture, underscoring their rapid financial collapse. The couple confronts a future defined by debt and deception.

Walter visits his mistress Lisa, whose husband is indifferent to the affair. Lisa agrees to supply an alibi, helping Walter evade police scrutiny. The encounter deepens the web of complicating relationships surrounding him.

Andrée, who has long written to Walter, moves in with him, Luise and Ernst. She offers her savings and unwavering devotion, becoming a focus of Walter's new social scheme. Ernst rapes Andrée in the coal cellar at Walter's suggestion, exposing the group's cruelty.

Walter writes a poem and plagiarizes from Stefan George. He uses Andrée's money to tailor a suit and wear a wig, presenting himself as a serious artist. The readings turn into a cult of personality around his inflated self.

Andrée's savings run out, and Walter's audience stops returning since he is paying them to attend. Only Andrée remains loyal, joined by a young man named Urs who promises to bring his brother. The fragile artistic enterprise teeters on collapse.

Desperate for inspiration and money, Walter goes cruising in a public toilet and meets a gigolo. He cannot go through with sex, and the gigolo cannot help with his readings. Walter declares Stefan George dead as his grip on reality falters.

Walter visits his aging parents to extract their meager funeral savings. Andrée discovers that their wealth and education were only a pretence. The revelation shocks Andrée and deepens her disillusionment with Walter.

With the crisis easing, Walter resumes writing and reads to Andrée and Urs. Money remains a problem, so he confronts Lana again to extract savings through coercion. Lana's protectors beat him in front of Andrée, shattering her faith in him.

Walter finishes his book No Celebration for the Führer's Dead Dog and the publisher approves, praising its power and size. He returns home to find Luise hospitalized, and he has neglected her health. When he arrives with the two remaining disciples, Luise has already died.

Walter calls the policeman to accuse Ernst of Irmgard's murder. Ernst overhears and shoots Walter with a real gun; Walter collapses. The policeman arrives with Irmgard, who pretends to be dead, and the gun turns out to be blanks.

Irmgard pours a bucket of water on Walter and helps him stand. Walter asks if this is paradise, and the policeman and Irmgard laugh as they realize the prank. Walter joins in the laughter, ending the scene with a strange sense of release.