“Crime Scene: On the Day of Wandering Souls”
Is it worth tuning in to the new Berlin crime thriller?
Susanne Bonard (Corinna Harfouch) and Robert Karow (Mark Waschke) in “Tatort: On the Day of Wandering Souls”.
© rbb/PROVOBIS/Gordon Muehle
In “On the Day of Wandering Souls” Bonard and Karow delve deep into the Vietnamese world of life in Berlin. Is it worth turning on?
The new Berlin “Tatort” team Susanne Bonard (Corinna Harfouch, 69) and Robert Karow (Mark Waschke, 52) are hunting criminals for only the second time. “On the Day of Wandering Souls” (Sunday, May 5th, from 8:15 p.m. on the first) presents the two investigators with major psychological challenges that challenge both Bonard and Karow more than they would like. Without giving too much away: After the double episode “Nothing but the Truth” at the start from April 2023, the two of them managed to create an outstanding crime thriller that whetted the appetite for more cases Berlin does. But first things first.
That’s what “On the Day of Wandering Souls” is about
Investigators Susanne Bonard (Harfouch) and Robert Karow (Waschke) are called to a brutal crime scene in Berlin-Lichtenberg. A man was killed by numerous stab wounds in his own home, but the crime raises many mysteries: There are no signs of a break-in or signs of robbery. The initial investigation leads nowhere until Karow discovers a hidden door in the house that reveals a disturbing discovery.
While they search for a fugitive and presumably injured person, Bonard and Karow delve deep into the Vietnamese world of Berlin. They cross the path of Dr. Lê Müller (Mai-Phuong Kollath, 61), a veterinarian from Charlottenburg who knew the dead man from before and knows more than she is letting on. But their mistrust of the police complicates the investigation.
The LKA officer Pham Thi Mai (Trang Le Hong, 37) leads the detectives on the trail of a young Vietnamese woman – is she the one they are looking for? As Karow delves further into the investigation, the clues lead him to a pagoda in Lichtenberg, a place where the souls of the ancestors rest. But this cultural oasis is threatened with demolition, which further complicates the investigation.
To solve this challenging case, Bonard and Karow must not only use their professional skills, but also grow emotionally together as a team.
Is it worth turning on?
In any case. “On the Day of Wandering Souls” is a thoroughly successful “crime scene”. On the one hand, it is an exciting, scary case that captivates you until the end. On the other hand, the script was staged in a modern way with impressive images and disturbing scenes – without going overboard. At the same time, the viewer gets an insight into the large Vietnamese community in Berlin and their way of life. Bonard and Karow reach their limits in their second “crime scene” together and thus move closer together: “On the Day of Wandering Souls” makes you want more.