The Night in Question

The Night in Question

Newly married lawyer CLARA ANDERSEN (35) is willing to go beyond all moral and ethical boundaries to have her father, the famous singer CARSTEN ANDERSEN (55) declared innocent after he is accused of raping her friend LEONIE NOVAK (32) at a family party.

The case leaks to the press and becomes a scandal, putting Clara and her entire family in the spotlight. Clara finds out that her father and her friend Leonie had an affair. So she gets more and more doubts about Leonie’s statement. Because Clara’s father admits to having had an intimate relationship with Leonie, but says he was never violent. Even before the investigation is completed, the prosecution threatens to destroy her father Carsten, who is a well-known musician. A trial is set to take place in which everyone involved will change their position on the facts of the case. Leonie will ask herself if she really said no. Carsten will deal with whether he perceived the limits of the woman he loves. Clara will try everything to protect her family, but bit by bit she will see how the truths on which she has built her life slowly fall apart.

The story is told from three perspectives: That of the perpetrator, that of the victim and that of our protagonist, the daughter of the perpetrator. In the process, the explosive question is raised: At what point is a rape actually a rape?

Spiegel +:

"37 Sekunden" (…) is the most intense study in fiction of the issue of sexual violence that we have ever seen on German television. Director Bettina Oberli succeeds in highlighting the fleeting nature of the assault but at the same time never relativizes the guilt.

FAZ.net:

The film composers Paul Eisenach and Jonas Hofer have written the score with the same care as Penner and Sandreuter have written the dialog: A must-see, multi-layered Me Too, family, and best friend drama that highlights the principle that "No means no", which was enshrined in criminal law in 2016, and is on track for all the available awards.

Tittelbach.de:

'…Taking the 45 minutes six times to watch this excellent series gives the viewer a deep insight into the psyche of the characters…' 

Dwdl.de:

'... "37 Sekunden" is one of the most exciting German series of the year…'

Berliner Zeitung de

'Not one single second of this six-parter, however, is boring, disruptive, or redundant! The dramaturgical skill, the sophistication and accuracy, the great attention paid to all the characters and the quality of acting with which this subject matter is brought to the screen, all of this serves to elevate "37 Sekunden" to another level …'

Zeit online:

…currently the best German series on TV

Brigitte.de:

"37 Sekunden" tells the story of four women and asks all the right questions, (…). Could the makers have guessed how horribly current their work would be? Probably. Because Leonie's story is repeated every day somewhere in this world where power is so unevenly distributed.

HÖRZU :

Disquieting six-parter on intimacy and abuse.

Welt online

The best series about the #MeToo movement is German.