Emil and the Detectives

Two years after the sensational success of "Pünktchen und Anton," the new film adaptation of the Kästner classic EMIL UND DIE DETEKTIVE brings another modern, lively comedy for young people and the young at heart to theaters. Emil Tischbein (Tobias Retzlaff), a 12-year-old boy from a small East German town, is overjoyed when his single father finally finds a job as a vacuum cleaner salesman after a long period of unemployment. Now a new life begins! But then Mr. Tischbein (Kai Wiesinger) has a car accident, ends up in the hospital and loses his driver's license. While Mr. Tischbein is in the hospital, Emil goes to Berlin for two weeks. He is allowed to stay with the sister of his favorite teacher Hummel (Rudolf Kowalski), a pastor (Maria Schrader) who lives in a small villa with her son Gustav (David Klock). On the train to Berlin, Emil meets the dubious Max Grundeis (Jürgen Vogel), who tricks the boy into believing he can help him get a new driver's license for his "pops." Just when Emil begins to trust Grundeis, he steals 1500 marks, the savings from Emil's "future fund". So it happens that Emil, while Gustav and the pastor wait for him, pursues the scoundrel Grundeis in an extremely adventurous way across Berlin. In the process, he meets Pony Hütchen (Anja Sommavilla), the daredevil boss of a motley band of Berlin children. The children spontaneously decide to help Emil. To give him a free hand, they smuggle the gang member Gypsi (Maximilian Belfort) into the pastor's house instead of him as "fake Emil". So while Gypsi plays Emil's role with wit and chutzpah, turns the pastor's house upside down and gradually wins the heart of the loner Gustav, Emil, Pony and the detectives set off on the hunt for Grundeis and the 1500 marks. In the process, they become entangled in a chain of breakneck adventures, in the course of which Grundeis is pursued to a luxury hotel, the children cause confusion in a posh restaurant, a suitcase full of stolen jewels turns up, two cunning driving license dealers try to play their evil game, Gypsi is unmasked as a fake Emil and Grundeis finally kidnaps Pony. When this happens, everything seems lost - but then the children have an idea that no adult in the world would come up with...