IMDb >
Rohtenburg (2006)
Watch It
Buy it at Amazon
Rent it at Blockbuster.com
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
BETA
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsRohtenburg (2006) More at IMDbPro »
| Photos (see all 5 | slideshow) | Videos (see all 2) |
Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writer (WGA):
T.S. Faull (written by)
Release Date:
2009 (USA)
more
Tagline:
Inspired By the True Story That Shocked A Nation more
Plot:
In Germany, as graduate student Katie Armstrong researches cannibal killer Oliver Hagen for her thesis...
more
| add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Cannibal
|
Germany
|
Based On Fact
|
Knife
|
Psychopath
more
Awards:
9 wins
&
1 nomination
more
NewsDesk:
(12 articles)
One-Page Screenplay: Ts Faull's Throat Babies
(From Movieline. 13 July 2009, 3:45 PM, PDT)
Ban lifted on German cannibal movie
(From digitalspy. 27 May 2009, 5:47 AM, PDT)
(From Movieline. 13 July 2009, 3:45 PM, PDT)
Ban lifted on German cannibal movie
(From digitalspy. 27 May 2009, 5:47 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
The Cannibal ate my homework ....
more (9 total)
Cast
(Credited cast)| Keri Russell | ... | Katie Armstrong | |
| Thomas Kretschmann | ... | Oliver Hartwin | |
| Thomas Huber | ... | Simon Grombeck | |
| Rainier Meissner | ... | Young Oliver | |
| Angelika Bartsch | ... | Viktoria | |
| Alexander Martschewski | ... | Rudy | |
| Nils Dommning | ... | Karl | |
| Marcus Lucas | ... | Felix | |
| Pascal Andres | ... | Young Simon | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Helga Bellinghausen | ... | Simon's Mom | |
| Sigrid Burkholder | ... | Mourner 1 | |
| Tatjana Clasing | ... | Hanna | |
| Stefan Gebelhoff | ... | Simon's Dad | |
| Jonas Gruber | ... | Rainer | |
| Bojan Heyn | ... | Bully | |
| Nikolai Kinski | ... | Otto Hauser | |
| Renate Naujoks | ... | House Wife | |
| Valerie Niehaus | ... | Margit | |
| Jörg Reimers | ... | Oliver's Dad | |
| Dagmar Sachse | ... | Mourner 2 | |
| Sybille J. Schedwill | ... | Frau Schinder (as Sybille Schedwill) | |
| Horst Scheel | ... | Prof. Zech (as Horst D. Scheel) | |
| Pierre Shrady | ... | The principal | |
| Anatole Taubman | ... | Eager Man | |
| Axel Wedekind | ... | Domino | |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
Germany:90 min | Argentina:86 min (DVD version)
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Certification:
Germany:18 |
Australia:R |
Finland:K-18 |
New Zealand:R18 |
Portugal:M/18 |
UK:18 |
Argentina:18 |
Canada:R (Ontario)
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
"Inspired" by the real life story of the "Cannibal of Rotenburg", Armin Meiwes, who mutilated, killed, and finally ate a man who had previously agreed to Meiwes doing just that with him. Both men met on the Internet where media subsequently discovered vast communities of people fantasizing about eating and being eaten by others sharing their "quirk".
more
Quotes:
Katie Armstrong:
Oliver Hartwin wanted to eat someone. Simon Grombeck wanted to be eaten. They were a perfect match.
more
Movie Connections:
References Faces of Death (1978)
more
Soundtrack:
I Like Plastique
more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (9 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Rohtenburg (2006) moreRecommendations
If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
Show more recommendations
|
|
|
|
|
| 23 | Boy A | Sass | Sophie Scholl - Die letzten Tage | Deadly Is the Female |
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Crime section | IMDb Germany section |
| Add this title to MyMovies |






Both this film and Marian Dora's "Cannibal" were inspired by the unbelievably inhuman yet real-life horror case of Armin "The Rohtenburg Cannibal" Meiwes. Meiwes was a lonely and introvert homosexual who placed an internet add, looking for volunteers to get slaughtered and consumed by him. It didn't take that long before he got a response from Bernd Jürgen Brandes, another homosexual who treasured a life-long dream of having his penis chopped off and eaten. Like the script states at several occasions: these two formed a perfect match. Even though both films remain faithful to the grueling and sickening facts, they are two completely different viewing experiences. This film is more like a 'light' version of the facts (but, mind you, still shocking enough to upset people with a weak stomach), whereas "Cannibal" is a downright brutal and uncompromising film. "Grimm Love" supposedly takes place after the facts and the story is re-enacted via the research and profiling of an American psychology student (Keri Russell) residing in Germany to work on her thesis. This wraparound story is actually rather redundant, since Russell only appears on screen in order to link together all the flashbacks that build up towards the two men's fatal cannibalistic meeting. Unlike "Cannibal", this film dedicates a large amount of time digging up the men's backgrounds and illustrating their personalities. The voluntary victim Bernd Jürgen Brandes (renamed Simon Grombeck) forcefully hated the reproduction organ between his legs and apparently blamed himself for his mother's suicide, because she once caught him and another boy playing doctor. Armin Meiwes (renamed Oliver Hartwin) had issues with his mother as well, but she was more of a dominant and overly protective type. He developed cannibalistic tendencies after she died and eventually the endless opportunities of the almighty internet brought these wandering souls together. I find it praiseworthy that both films, especially considering the gruesome themes, succeed in clarifying to the audiences that this is, in fact, primarily an (unusual) love story rather than a gratuitous exploitation flick. It's a portrait of two men who're social outcasts due to their unacceptable sexual desires. This was even clearer in "Cannibal", since the two men shared all the screen time together as from the opening sequence, but even "Grimm Love" successfully reflects the affectionate and deeper relationship between the two 'monsters'. However, this movie suffers from a handful of dreadfully tedious moments and it sadly remains too vague about the disturbing things that happened after the castration. Meiwes stored Brandes' corpse on a meat hook in his basement and continued to eat his pal for several more months after the actual killing. This film only briefly mentions this little detail somewhere at the beginning. The cinematography is pleasingly dark and depressing, and the slow pacing and grim set-pieces contribute to the building up of an overall uncanny atmosphere as well. Martin Weisz' direction is subtly creepy and he clearly doesn't aim for sensationalism here. The German actors are very competent as well, even though they are for some reason forced to speak their lines in hesitant English My main complaint regarding this production, as stated by other reviewers already as well, is the international character of the film. Why the involvement of a fictionalized American student character working on a psychology thesis? Why narrate the story through flashbacks, for that matter? Russell's role is entirely redundant and her character isn't even plausible anyway. For someone who has been obsessed and fascinated with the case for more than 3 years, she really sucks at watching graphic cannibalism on tape.