His Parents
“His parents” tells the story of Ulla and Didi Högel, who did their best to raise their son Niels with love and common sense. Nothing in their family life indicated that their son would one day become a serial killer. As a nurse, he is believed to have killed hundreds of people and was convicted of 87 murders. This makes him the biggest serial killer in German post-war history. From one day to the next, the guilt of their son has befallen Ulla and Didi and since then their lives have been inextricably linked to these crimes. Years later, the questions are still spinning in their heads because no answer is enough for them to find peace. And then they are reminded from the outside: there is another trial, this time against possible accomplices. Once again, it’s all over the news and in the newspapers. TV series are made about their son. Again and again their names are mentioned, Ulla and Didi Högel, their professions, details of their private life, as if they had forfeited any right to privacy through their parenthood. And then dealing with their son is anything but easy – they have decided to stick by him. But can they trust him? The media reports that he is manipulative. Who is to say that he doesn’t manipulate his parents in the same way? And what does this mean for them, their own judgment, their identity? Ulla is no longer sure whether she feels up to making a documentary. And Didi, who always acts as an equalizer between her and her son, reacts with heart problems. Ulla and Didi have learned to cope with this extreme tension in their everyday lives. And they keep learning it. But they face it head-first and push themselves to their limits, personally, as parents and as a couple.
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