A little town in the province of Northrhine-westphalia. Elias (Janek Rieke), a young journalist, wants to write a story about the mysterious death of Günther (Thomas Schmauser). He was a highly gifted, intelligent boy - but an outsider. Soon Elias notices that everyone in town is against him - even Günther´s parents. Heike (Julia Jäger) the owner of the little hotel where he Elias lives, Roland a mental handicapped boy, who works on a farm, and Günther´s grandma are the only people he can trust. Was it murder? Was it suicide?
How could Günther´s life fail? Director Jobst Oetzmann decided to tell the story in flashbacks. You see Günther growing up in his parents butcher shop, which was also the center of the story. Everybody in town thought he was crazy, but he wasn´t. It was the outer circumstances that were mad - especially the way his parents treated him. He was a shy rebel with a cause.
It was in 1996 when I watched "Nach fünf im Urwald" - Franka Potente´s debut, where Thomas Schmauser played at her side. It was the first time that I took notice of him. Nice to see him again! He gave an overwhelming performance! It´s long time time ago that a german movie went so deep - maybe with the exception of "Das Experiment", but that was a completely different film. "Die Einsamkeit der Krokodile" is a truly touching tragic-comedy about life in the province.
One absolute giant!