The Golden Glove has no mercy. Not with his characters and especially not with us as viewers. The shocking milieu study about the serial killer Fritz Honka (Jonas Dassler) has lost none of its disturbing power since its theatrical release in 2019. The thriller is available to stream on Netflix.
Serial killer thriller on Netflix: That’s what The Golden Glove is about
In the dreary Hamburg of the 1970s, the bar Der goldene Mitten is a catch basin for losers of all kinds: Unemployed people, prostitutes and ex-Nazis drink themselves senseless side by side. One of them is the disfigured unskilled worker Fritz Honka, who primarily uses the shop to get to know women.
However, four of the women never return from these meetings: The sexually frustrated and choleric alcoholic Honka kills her in his apartment, mutilates the corpses and hides the remains in the attic. It was only by chance that the police discovered him.
The artistic disgust makes The Golden Glove unique
Director Fatih Akin could have approached the true story from many sides. But the result is a work of incredible coldness: At no point does the film feel pity for its charactersall of whom are shaken by life. There is no moral authority here; the camera seems to watch the brutal murder of Honka’s victims impassively.
Accordingly, some critics felt that that the film celebrates contempt for women and disgust (via SRF). In fact, the film evades all judgment and shows Honka’s life and deeds as if the camera itself were an alcoholic in a stupor: immobile, helpless, without a basis for morality.
The look of the film is impressive: the worn-out 70s jump out at you with perms, turquoise eyeshadow and Kornbrand advertising. Wanting to get enough of this wealth and then shrinking back in disgust: The Golden Glove has more heart for spirits than for those who drink them. In a fascinating way, this makes it one of the most disgusting German films in a long time.
This article was first published in a similar form on Moviepilot in October 2021.