Dresden Tatort episode examines youth placement system
The new Dresden 'Tatort' episode 'Siebenschläfer' investigates the death of a 16-year-old in a youth placement facility. Detectives uncover inconsistencies in the youth welfare system and possible overmedication. The crime drama highlights costs and profits in the industry.
The Dresden 'Tatort' episode 'Siebenschläfer', aired on Sunday at 20:15 on Das Erste, centers on the death of 16-year-old Lilly-Marie. The girl was taken from a difficult family to the 'Siebenschläfer' facility for traumatized children. There, she received riding therapy, homework help, and occupational therapy, costing 9200 euros per month. At night, she climbed out the window, drank schnapps by the lake, and was pulled drowned from the water the next morning. Foul play is likely.
Suspect is primarily 17-year-old Pascal, who lived in the same facility and was with her at the lake. The violent youth cost only 7000 euros monthly, possibly because he was sedated with psychotropic drugs. The children in the home all appear sleepy, which catches the attention of Detective Leonie Winkler (Cornelia Gröschel) and Department Head Peter Michael Schnabel (Martin Brambach).
The script by Frauke Hunfeld and Silke Zertz (director: Thomas Sieben) raises questions about the youth placement system: Who funds it? Who profits? It points to private operators making facilities profitable, and the influence of psychiatrists like Dr. Brückner (Hanno Koffler), who authored 'Heimerziehung 2.0' and may be close to the pharmaceutical industry. References to East German homes and a poem by Thomas Brasch complete the social critique.
Despite thriller elements like a hooded figure, tension is lacking; timelines slip. Characters are sometimes diffuse, sometimes exaggerated. Rating: 5 out of 10 points. Following Karin Hanczewski's exit as Gorniak, Winkler and Schnabel now investigate as a duo.