October 12th, ZDF, 8:15 p.m.:
On February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. Since then, the war has been a daily topic in the news. The fate of the refugee families has long been the subject of various dramas. The political and economic dimensions, on the other hand, have been neglected so far, and that makes this 23rd “Stralsund” episode special.
This 23rd “Stralsund” episode “Kaltes Blut” begins with inhospitable winter shots of the Hanseatic city. A woman tells her husband that she is pregnant. Later she gets up, goes into the garden and talks to her father on the phone when suddenly a masked figure appears and kidnaps her. A neighbor saw the attack, grabbed a gun and injured the attacker, but was shot by a second man. The woman’s family is informed of the kidnapping via text message and is also told to dispose of the body and, of course, keep the police out of it.
The opening promises a captivating crime thriller, especially since Irina (Patricia Ivanauskas), who is now locked in a dark cellar, is obviously surprised that such a kidnapping isn’t fun if it’s supposed to be realistic. The police, in turn, don’t wait long to reach her family: the neighbor who was shot and dumped in the sea was the brother of Irina’s mother-in-law. Anett Viet (Johanna Gastdorf), to some extent the title character, reacts reservedly to the news of his death; she supposedly had “little contact” with her brother. She, like her son Oskar (Max Koch), does not claim to have heard any shots. Both assure that Irina is away.
The third case becomes a special story for Jule Zabek (Sophie Pfennigstorf) when she and her boss Karl Hidde (Alexander Held) receive a surprise visit to the station. Polina Kross (Heike Trinker) works for the economic crime department at the Berlin BKA and asks for administrative assistance. She has had the Viets in her sights for a long time: the family company produces maritime control technology for underwater drones. The technology serves scientific purposes, but can also be used for military purposes, which is why it is subject to certain requirements; It is certainly not allowed to be delivered to Russia. Kross is convinced that the company is violating the trade embargo. In fact, as Petra K. Wagner (writer and director) soon reveals, there can be no doubt about this, especially since Irina’s Russian father serves as a middleman. But then why the kidnapping, which was also probably carried out by Russians? And what game is Anett Viet playing, who as matriarch has all the strings in her hands?
For the third time it is confirmed how good it was that ZDF did not stop “Stralsund” after Katharina Wackernagel left. Jule Zabek’s psychological problems are no longer an issue, but it is precisely because of Sophie Pfennigstorf that the inspector is still an unusual investigator. Thanks to her unconventional nature, she can obtain important information through official channels, even without a court order. The fact that the random acquaintance (Philipp Seidler) with whom she spent one of the last nights turns out to be the son of the kidnapper (Tom Keune) sounds more contrived than it appears in execution. Stralsund is not Berlin; Hidde and the murder victim were even in the same class. What is more interesting, however, is the constellation in the area. Polina Kross appears tidy and affable, but the notoriously suspicious Jule still develops an instinctive dislike, and not just because the woman is making her presence felt in her office: When the Berliner sees her own mission in danger, she hinders the murder investigation. The smugness with which Jule counters her colleague could have the potential for further conflict.
Wagner also wrote and directed the last “Stralsund” crime thriller (“Dead Dreams”, 2023). “Kaltes Blut” is technically solid, but not particularly exciting (camera here and there: Peter Polsak). The visual design is rather calm, so that the music (Oliver Kranz) provides overly strong counterpoints with its sometimes violent drums thundering into the harmless action. Like all of Wagner’s films, this one is also worth seeing in terms of acting. Johanna Gastdorf in particular imbues her role with an attractive ambivalence. A small insertion suggests that Anett Viet does have a heart, but when she says “We are a family!” says, it sounds like a threat.
