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WHO WAS HERBERT?

IM HAUS DER ALTEN AUGUSTIN

GERALD PRIBEK PRODUKTION - as PROD / FIN

Crime - Completed 2024

One evening at a vernissage, artist Albin meets the mysterious Herbert, who immediately afterwards takes his own life. When Albin finds out about it by chance the next day, he gets to the bottom of the matter and discoveres more and more connections to his girlfriend Ida's family.

- Year of production
- 2024
- Genres
- Crime, Comedy, Thriller
- Countries
- AUSTRIA
- Languages
- GERMAN
- Budget
- 0 - 0.3 M$
- Duration
- 108 mn
- Synopsis
- On a fateful evening, Albin crosses paths with a mysterious stranger named Herbert at an art exhibition. With a disfigured body supported by crutches, Herbert exudes an enigmatic presence, pulling Albin into a deep and intense conversation about God, the afterlife, and the fragility of existence. Albin, already on edge, carries the emotional weight of the previous night, when an explosive argument at his girlfriend Ida’s parents' birthday dinner spiraled out of control. His scathing speech openly criticized Ida and her family, prompting Ida to storm out. By morning, their relationship was over with a cold, final phone call.
  
  Desperate for answers and consumed by regret, Albin seeks comfort from his artist friends in their studio. The evening’s unsettling calm is shattered when a friend bursts in with chilling news: Herbert, the stranger Albin had just met, had thrown himself in front of a train mere hours after their encounter. Shocked, Albin realizes he might have been the last person to speak with Herbert. But what did they discuss? Why does their conversation feel like it’s slipping through his memory, leaving him haunted by fleeting fragments?
  
  As these fragments grow more vivid, Albin can no longer ignore them. He turns to Ida, and together they embark on a gripping quest to uncover the truth about Herbert. What begins as a search for closure soon spirals into a labyrinth of secrets and revelations. The trail leads them into the shadows of Ida’s own family, unearthing a buried connection to Herbert’s tragic fate. As Ida finds herself increasingly drawn into Herbert’s story, a darker reality surfaces: her parents are hiding far more than she ever imagined.
  
  Set against a backdrop of wealth clashing with the raw, unfiltered world of artists, the film masterfully intertwines eerie suspense with biting Viennese humor and the haunting strains of classical Austrian music. The narrative builds a charged tension as themes of prejudice, betrayal, and ambition unfold within tightly-knit circles of family and friends. With echoes of film noir and arthouse drama, it delves into a forgotten chapter of history—the story of the world’s first artificial insemination—while crafting a deeply personal tale.
  
  The journey crescendos into an electrifying revelation, culminating in the powerful emancipation of Ida. As secrets unravel and loyalties are tested, her strength becomes the key to a liberating and unexpectedly hopeful ending. This is a gripping and genre-defying story of love, loss, and the courage to break free.