A tabloid newspaper launches a careful, relentless probe into the life of industrialist and state parliament member Heinz Alfred Giese after a car accident that results in the death of his son Andreas, Maximilian Schell. Although a case for negligent homicide is dropped when evidence suggests Andreas interfered with the steering wheel, Giese loses his driver’s license and is ordered to attend traffic lessons. Sensing a brewing scandal, the paper digs deeper into Giese’s past, seeking any hint that could connect him to reputational damage or hidden motives.
From the newsroom to the street, the journalists shadow Giese through a series of everyday moments that feel loaded with meaning. They document a visit to the Natural History Museum with his grandson, a discreet rendezvous with a lover, and his attendance at a class, weaving these routine scenes into a larger narrative about a man who may be more complicated than his public persona suggests. They lurk outside his home, photograph his comings and goings, and even break in to steal a youthful photograph, each intrusion feeding the sense that Giese’s life is a tapestry of secrets waiting to unravel. As this surveillance unfolds, whispers begin to turn toward wartime actions, with insinuations about Giese’s possible involvement in the liquidation of a Greek village. Yet the incriminating photos do not conclusively prove his direct participation, leaving viewers to weigh doubt against the weight of rumor.
Despite the lack of solid evidence, the newspaper publishes a provocative article that hints at a connection between Giese and the massacre, provoking immediate public outrage. Riots erupt outside Giese’s company, and the man himself is branded a “murderer” by the press, a label that sticks despite the lack of incontrovertible proof. Giese secures a defamation injunction, but a televised discussion surrounding the case intensifies the scrutiny; his silence on air is interpreted by many as an admission of guilt. The report also speculates on a possible link between Andreas’ death and disputes over Giese’s past, deepening the sense that a shadow lingers over the family’s name.
When Giese returns home, he confides in his son, urging him to put the past behind them and to avoid letting history tarnish what remains of their family’s reputation. The narrative threads together the personal with the public, showing how a single tragedy can become a focal point for media frenzy, political intrigue, and a society eager to assign blame. Throughout, the film remains cautious and measured, resisting sensationalism while still probing the consequences of a life lived under intense scrutiny. The tension between truth and rumor, accountability and reputation, threads through every scene, inviting viewers to consider how much of what is reported is fact, and how much is the myth built by the press in pursuit of a story.
