User Reviews

"Achterbahn" or "Rollercoaster" is a German documentary from 7 years ago and it runs for slightly under 90 minutes. The writer and director is Peter Dörfler and with his possibly most famous work, he gives us an insight into the life and work of Norbert Witte, a German roller coaster tycoon. Bit sadly, his "achievements" are mostly of a negative nature. He is the one to blame for Germany's biggest roller-coaster catastrophe when almost 10 people fell to death in the 1980s. Not being allowed to work in Germany anymore he moved on to other countries where he still managed to get a license. And another crucial aspect in the film is the history of his family, especially his son, who is in prison in Peru for drug trafficking and it looks like the father also has his dirty hands in this sad story. All in all, it seemed strange to me how Witte acted trying to appear likable almost throughout the entire film, but it's your choice what to make of it. Maybe the best thing would have been if Dörfler had not given him the attention and screen time. Other than that, it is an informative documentary and I liked the fact that there is no narrator and all the information we get come directly from the protagonists, even if you may want to be careful as certainly not everything they say is true. It's recommend to take a neutral perspective on the main character here and not be fooled by his actions and words. I recommend the watch.