I have this
dream sometimes.
In this dream, my life
is smooth and ordered,
purposeful.
Everything has a reason,
everything is in its place,
and I am no longer afraid.
Because somehow,
in this dream,
I've left
my old self behind--
the graduate student,
the compulsive note-taker,
the eternal question-asker,
the girl who is
searching for something
to fill that dark
hole inside of her...
and quiet her loss.
I've left all this behind
to become something more,
something pure,
because I've finally found
what I've been searching for,
because in this dream
I am not alone.
Someone else is there.
I can't see them yet,
but all of me is moving
towards this person,
this person obscured...
but most definitely there.
And knowing this person
is there,
I feel all my fears
beginning to lift off me,
like fog
rising from the lake.
And then I wake up.
Is it wrong to want to find someone
who can see inside of you,
into the darkest corners
of your heart...
and still love you?
On September 19th, 1998,
Oliver Hartwin first made contact,
via the Internet, with Simon Grombeck.
Ten days later, they met.
Twelve hours later,
Simon Grombeck was dead.
When I first heard the details of the
case, I didn't sleep for three nights.
Is it a coincidence then
that four years later...
I found myself doing my graduate
studies in Germany...
where, when we had to choose
a thesis topic,
I would have access
to the subjects
I had always known
I would choose:
Hartwin and Grombeck.
Was it coincidence,
or was I meant to be here...
where I could see the houses they
grew up in, the roads they walked on,
where I could maybe learn
to see inside them,
the way they had seen
inside each other.
Oliver Hartwin
wanted to eat someone.
Simon Grombeck
wanted to be eaten.
They were a perfect match.
How's your paper coming?
She's writing a thesis
for her...
Kriminalpsychologische
Vorlesung.
Criminal Psychology class.
It's about Oliver Hartwin.
Why would you want to write about him?
Because she's sick and twisted.
Thanks, Margit.
You're welcome.
What's the paper about?
The trial?
No, it's more psychological.
None of us
have perfect lives,
but people like Oliver Hartwin
and his victim Simon Grombeck--
they took this plunge into darkness
that intrigues me.
I mean, why them and not us?
You know?
Well, he ate him alive,
right?
Just the penis.
He saved the rest for later.
- What?
- Yes.
Grombeck, the victim--
he was sedated at the time.
Half a bottle of vodka,
two bottles of cough syrup...
and a whole package
of sleeping pills.
Hartwin ate 51 pounds of him,
of Grombeck.
He started to
run out of meat,
and he posted another ad on the
Internet, looking for a new victim.
Then someone realized he was
serious, reported him to the police,
and apparently people
taste like pork.
Good to know.
Are you going to look for the
video, the one Hartwin made?
The dinner. The murder.
Well, it's not murder
if you want to be killed. Right?
Wait. There's a video?
Yeah!
The man got the whole thing
on tape.
You know
way too much about this.
She's infecting me with her sickness.
I'm not sick.
It's morbid curiosity.
We all have it.
Anyway, I'd love to
see the tape.
- You could really watch that?
- I don't know.
But it doesn't matter anyway.
It was never leaked.
The only people to see
the tape where the cops,
the lawyers, the
psychiatrists and the jury.
I actually-- I just--
I think it's really sad.
You know,
they were so lonely...
that they had to create
these secret lives.
Think about what
that's like, to be so alone...
that you'd go through such extreme
measures to be understood,
to finally feel safe.
This house--
I couldn't stand
to stay here by myself.
But I'm not by myself.
I'm with you.
What seems to be a common
characteristic among many cannibals...
is that many of them have been
diagnosed with schizophrenia...
or some other form
of personality disorder.
This theory suggests
that there may be...
an underlying
neural-chemical component...
related to
cannibalistic behavior.
Many cannibals
have been diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Oliver Hartwin located
his victim Simon Grombeck...
in a cannibal chat room
on the Internet.
When clinical psychologists
reviewed the case,
it was revealed that
Simon's traumatic childhood,
starting with the suicide of
his mother at the age of nine,
had caused him
such irreparable guilt...
that he was never able
to overcome it.
Did she tell you
about Simon?
What about him?
She caught him
playing doctor...
with another boy.
Probably
just a phase.
I had to tell her,
these things happen.
It doesn't mean anything.
Shame, to get upset
over something so silly.
"And every evening...
"darkness
came over the forest.
"The wild animals
would soon come...
and tear them
to pieces."
Dad?
Yeah?
Why wouldn't Mom
read to me?
Mom had to go to bed early.
She was tired.
She doesn't love me anymore,
does she?
Of course she does.
Why would you say that?
Simon remained in his
family home with his father...
until meeting his partner Felix
Schneider in his early 30s.
Man Singing
In Foreign Language]
Same thing?
I like plastique
It's so trs chic
And fantastique
I want plastique
You like the music?
- Huh?
- The music. You like it?
Yeah.
I like plastique
It's so trs chic
And fantastique
I like plastique
I like plastique
It's so trs chic
And magnifique
I like plastique
Okay.
All done.
I know what that means.
"Forever."
Sexual union.
Two become one.
Completeness.
I love it here.
It's beautiful.
Yeah.
I think it's amazing how people can
live here their whole lives...
and never walk in.
Yet total strangers
walk in and out every day.
Well, show me around,
tour guide.
I want to see it all.
Please.
I don't want to
make a scene.
No one is paying
any attention to us.
They don't care.
I'll show myself around.
Felix.
Felix.
Hey, I'm sorry.
No, it's okay.
Sometimes
I just get ahead of myself.
I shouldn't be so pushy.
You still want
to have lunch?
Of course.
Yeah?
I brought something for us.
Okay.
Let's go over there.
Here.
Made them this morning.
Mmm.
Have you ever
done something--
something you regret?
Who hasn't?
No, I mean,
something big,
something...
you can't take back.
Did you do something?
I'm just talking.
No, no, no, no, no. I guess I didn't
understand what you were asking.
How would you fix it?
Fix the unfixable?
God, that's a tough one.
You could make it up
to the person.
What if the person...
is gone?
You know, I guess it's all about
setting things right however you can,
making things right
with the universe.
Imagine a guilt that
just grows and grows...
until it has swallowed every part of
who you are, leaving nothing else,
just this poison eating its way through
your bones, searching for release.
In his mind,
Simon was unforgivable.
In his heart,
he was unlovable.
A hundred miles away from where Simon's
guilt was born, Oliver's life began...
in a nondescript home
on a nondescript road.
The boy who would
grow into a monster.
Dad!
Let me
come with you.
You can't. You have to stay
with your mother.
Go. Go inside.
We'll see you later.
Please let me.
Let me come with you!
Please let me!
Dad! Let me--
Come back!
Dad.
Oliver!
Get back
into the house!
You can fix tea for me!
Your mother makes you
wear those, doesn't she?
I knew it.
Want to walk home
together?
Okay, cool. I'll meet
you after school then.
Ma'am?
Can I help you?
I-- I'm just looking around.
Hmm.
But you're not a parent,
are you?
Oh, no, I'm--
I'm doing some research on a student
who once attended this school.
Oliver Hartwin?
Oliver Hartwin.
You know, you should just leave.
You will find no answers here and
we cannot have you snooping around.
Sorry.
Th-Thank you anyway though.
Sorry.
Like clockwork.
Every Monday.
She'll chop him
into pieces soon.
She can't know you're here.
Finish reading.
This is my favorite story.
"Then she seized Hansel
with her shrivelled hand,
"carried him
into her little stable...
and locked him in
behind a grated door."
Didn't I tell you
to go to sleep?
Today, at school--
I saw everything.
When they laugh
at you.
They laugh at Karl too.
Hi. I'm Karl.
He doesn't want
to be laughed at.
Nice lederhosen.
He'll leave you
like everyone else.
Everyone but her.
But don't worry.
There is one way
to make him stay.
Hey, boys, you aren't
old enough to be here.
Mom!
Mom!
Mommy!
Mom! Wake up!
Mom!
Sweetheart,
I came in
to check on you--
I felt dizzy.
I must have fallen.
Did I wake you up?
Why are you dressed?
Don't be upset.
Thank God
you were here to help me.
If I were alone, imagine
what could have happened.
But I'm not alone.
Am I?
Never leave me alone,
Oliver.
Ever.
We're all we have.
Did you know her?
Please move.
There's nothing to see.
Move on! Let's go now!
Tragedy. Accident.
Death.
You can't help but look.
Imagine falling like that,
the sidewalk just coming at you.
They say vertigo
isn't the fear you'll fall,
it's the fear you'll jump,
because in some dark part of us
maybe we all have that need...
to jump.
Are you happy?
Yeah.
You deserve to be.
I've got to check on
something for work.
No.
Hey.
Just a second.
What's natural is to wonder
what separates us from them.
What matters
is what makes us the same.
Did Simon
have dreams at night?
Did he ever feel his fears
lift off of him?
Lost?
Uh, no.
I- I'm fine, thank you.
Oh, you're American,
huh?
You don't live
around here, do ya?
No, I'm just
visiting a friend.
You're going to
the Hartwin house, huh?
Yeah, yeah.
We get those
every once in a while.
Curious cats, huh?
Did you know him?
He used to mow my lawn.
Nice boy.
Hmm.
That's it over there.
Down the hill.
- Thank you.
- You're welcome.
It's the way he left it,
you know.
When he's released
in a few years,
he'll be back.
Thank you for your help.
Is she resting?
Need a break?
No, I'm fine.
I love my mother.
Maybe I do need
a break sometimes.
You shouldn't be
so alone.
I'm not alone.
Mothers don't count.
I'd like to find somebody,
maybe after Mother.
You will.
I have a feeling.
Man Screaming,
Faint]
Oliver!
Screaming Continues]
Oliver!
Screaming Continues]
Squishing]
Slashing]
Oliver!
Off]
Oliver!
There you are.
I've been calling you.
My hands,
my feet--
every joint
in my body aches.
Call Frau Schinder.
Her remedies
always work.
My hands hurt.
Call her.
What have you
been doing anyhow?
I was screaming your name
for ages.
Hello, it's Oliver.
Can you come over?
Hi, Oliver.
Thanks for coming.
Okay.
Why don't you
take that down?
Mother wouldn't like that.
She put it there
last week.
May I?
I've never seen
your room.
A bedroom says a lot about
a person, don't you think?
Of course.
You've always been
so organized.
Do you remember
that doll I gave you?
Doll?
The one I gave you
when you were 14.
Ah, yes, of course.
Do you still have it?
I, um--
I--
It's the funniest thing.
I--
I ate it.
The whole thing?
I don't know why.
Piece by piece.
Years ago.
Kids do weird things,
don't they?
Man Screaming]
- Uh, sorry!
- A guy at work dared me to watch it.
- No, no, no, I've seen this.
Pictures of Death.
Don't tell her about this.
She won't understand.
Tell her about what?
Mother?
Mother, I'm home.
Mother?
Mother?
Oh, shit!
Oh, fuck!
Mother?
Mother.
Rotary Dial Whirring]
Schinder.
Hello, it's Oliver.
Mom died.
Oh, my dear boy.
I'm-- I'm sorry.
Oliver?
Are you still there?
I'm all alone.
You'll be okay.
As hard as this is,
it's part of life.
Oliver, this is your chance to leave
the boy behind and become a man.
It's time for you.
Bye.
This is your chance to leave
the boy behind and become a man.
I don't know
what made me stay,
but something kept drawing me
closer and closer.
I had to see more.
Something inside
of me is growing...
and
needs to be seen,
I know someone out there
will want to see.
Yeah.
Yeah, I think.
Maybe later.
Yeah, call me then.
Look, sweet boy.
Come here to me.
Look what I've got for you.
A couple more hours,
all right?
How much?
Depends on
what you're looking for.
Come in.
Harder.
Bite me harder.
Bite. Harder!
Bite harder! Harder!
Bite my thing.
Bite my thing.
Bite it off!
Bite it off!
I can't.
That's okay.
That's okay.
You are delicious.
They lived nearby.
In Kassel.
The Brothers Grimm.
They looked out at the woods
and they saw things--
things most people couldn't see.
Kind of like you and me.
We don't have to talk.
Just being together is enough.
Imagine such a
perfect understanding,
being with someone
who sees you as you really are,
who reflects your image
back to you...
as something
beautiful and pure.
The closer I got, the harder
it became to turn back.
What really drove Oliver,
something inside of me
started to understand.
Was he so afraid to be alone?
Was it his need to feel whole
that drove him?
Or was it just his desire
for flesh,
to devour something dear,
something that
only he would know?
Morning, Oliver.
Morning.
Got a surprise
for you all today.
I made lunch.
Oh, great.
I hope you like it.
Enjoy.
Mmm.
It's delicious.
You have to give me
the recipe.
It's a family secret.
Oh.
Hey, Katie, it's Margit.
I got your message.
Listen, all your doubts
about everything,
just put them out of your head.
I think your research
is doing a number on you.
Too much cannibalism, not enough sun.
You know what I mean?
Dinner next week, okay?
Let's plan on it. Call me.
Nobody ever really knew you,
did they?
In order to properly prepare
the human carcass for consumption,
the butcher will need
a roomy space in which to work.
A large table
for a butcher's block.
A central overhead support
from which to hang the carcass.
A cage to prevent the human
animal from too much movement,
which only serves to lessen
the quality of the meat.
A water source for draining
the blood should be nearby.
Do not allow the animal food
for 48 hours prior to slaughter.
The animal should drink plenty of
water to help flush the system.
For best results,
prior to slaughter...
the animal should be
stunned senseless.
Most of the meat...
is right here.
And the rump.
Oh, yeah,
the rump.
The meat's thick enough.
This will make a juicy steak.
I can't wait to savor your
delicious flesh.
For the blood.
It's really cold
in here, man.
It'll keep you fresh.
What are you doing?
Ohh.
Ready?
Ahh, ahh, ahh, ahh.
Ahh, ahh.
Oh, my brain is pounding.
Ahh.
It's all the blood...
rushing to your head.
When I slit your throat, it'll
come squirting out all over me.
Ahh, ahh. Ahh.
I don't want to do this.
Ahh.
I don't want to do this!
Ahh.
Let--
Let me down.
Let me down.
Let me down.
I said "serious only."
I
offer myself to you...
and will let you dine
from my live body.
If you really want to do this,
you will need a real victim,
and that's what I wish to be.
- Are you coming to bed soon?
- Yeah.
Uh, I'm just finishing up.
You've been working
so hard lately.
Spending so much time on the
computer. I'll be right there.
I would like nothing more
than to dine on your flesh.
I'm dead serious about this.
Do you have any pictures
of your body?
This is something I've
wanted ever since I was a child.
Something I need.
I want you to
bite my thing off.
Can your teeth do the job?
Attached is a picture
of my body.
I hope you will find me tasty.
You look delicious.
I want you to be in me.
Here are my teeth.
They're very strong and capable
of everything you desire.
I hope you will bite
a piece from my arm or leg.
I want to see the blood
trickling from your mouth.
When you're finished with me,
I don't want there
to be anything left.
I'm just interested
in your flesh.
But don't worry.
I'll get rid of the rest.
Do you still want to
go ahead with this?
There's no way
back for me. Only forward.
Through your teeth.
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
This is my last
will and testament.
I bequeath all of my possessions
to Felix Schneider.
Attention. Attention.
Now arriving on Track B,
train 380 from Calbe.
Munich.
Please stand back.
I'm your flesh.
Oliver.
Shall we go?
Nervous?
No, I'm not nervous.
I'm just--
I'm glad
it's finally happening.
I came prepared.
We'll do it
just like we said.
I've been planning this
in my head for so long.
It has to be perfect.
It will be.
Are you sure
you can do this?
Of course.
I mean it.
I want this
to happen tonight.
Not in a day.
Not in a week.
I don't want you
to get scared.
I won't.
Show me the room.
What are the mattresses for?
They soundproof
the room.
Bottoms up.
It might take
a few minutes to kick in.
Come closer.
I want to remember this.
Like a wedding.
And if anyone finds out,
I want them
to know the truth.
How are you feeling?
I drank the whole damn thing.
Why isn't it working?
It'll work.
It's already been an hour.
Take me back.
Take me back.
You're leaving me.
I can do it!
I can!
I had this feeling
earlier tonight...
when you stepped off
the train that--
Yeah?
We were meant
for each other.
Let's get more cough syrup.
He's a great person.
Who?
My boyfriend.
He deserves more than this.
I'm not close to my father.
And my mom,
she killed herself
when I was little.
I'm ready.
Do it.
We look like a butterfly.
Yeah, we do.
A caterpillar's
so ugly at first.
But it turns into
this beautiful thing.
Do it.
Bite it off.
Do it.
I can't get through.
Take the knife.
Take the knife!
Do it.
I'm fading.
It can't wait.
It's too tough.
This was supposed
to be perfect.
If I'm still alive in the morning,
I want you to be with me.
I will, I promise.
Mom...
I'm making things right.
Perfect.
Do you want me to do it now?
Forgive me.
No!
We don't have to talk.
Just being together is enough.