The Rüden (2019)

Four convicted violent criminals, three extremely vicious dogs, and a woman who is ready to fight against helpless institutions, the cycle of violence, and--above all--her own doubts about salvation from evil. "Die Rüden" leads to the heart of a darkness that today is described as toxic masculinity and lights it up: In an arena made of dark, scarred concrete, four violent young criminals met three belligerent dogs with metal muzzles. Pure testosterone if not for Lu, the fearless, highly-concentrated dog trainer who accepts the challenge of putting out fires with fire. Lu places her project, which is as risky as it is suspiciously monitored by the prison authorities, beyond questions of perpetrator and victim, guilt and atonement. She lets herself into the inexpressible, the uncontrollable, and the uncertain into which it leads--the perpetrators, the animals, themselves. In this way, she becomes a provocation and her approach to an explosive device for a system that still believes that one can really separate good and bad. Lu also explores the limits of masculinity. At the abyss of aggression, violence, and lack of insight, the male becomes the human limit. And overcoming it becomes a topic for all of us: the angry and the timid, the doer and the repressing, but above all: men and women. "Die Rüden" is an impressive, disturbing journey to the center of humanity.