Auf Teufel komm raus

“We don’t want child-abusing swines here!” chant the enraged village residents of a village in the German countryside. Neighbours are quick to react when convicted repeat sex offender Karl D. moves in with his brother and family. They’re afraid for their own safety and that of their children. Karl was released from prison after serving a 15-year sentence and is classified as being at risk of reoffending. While disgusted demonstrators gather outside the house on a daily basis, Helmut’s family teeters on the verge of breaking up. Trapped in their own four walls they come under ever increasing pressure from the demonstrators, the local police and the Youth Welfare Department, whose officers consider taking Helmut’s son into care. After weeks of heavy confrontation the demonstrators begin to question their protest and make contact with the ostracized man. Removing the question of guilt, this documentary analyses a social conflict and the small-town environment in which it takes place. (Zurich Film Festival)