Who decides on our death?
The drama "God by Ferdinand von Schirach" will be shown as a "Special Film" on Sunday, November 2, 2025 at 11 am. The film will be shown in cooperation with the DGHS, German Society for Human Dying. The TV film with a top-class cast was directed by the award-winning director Lars Kraume based on the play and book of the same name. There is no food on offer at this event.
According to a ruling by the Federal Constitutional Court in February 2020, a person may end their life with medical assistance - through medication and the help of a doctor. After the death of his wife, Richard Gärtner, a former architect, has only one wish: "I want to die." The 78-year-old invokes the ruling and wants to take his own life in a self-determined and legal manner. Not abroad, but with the help of his family doctor, Dr. Brandt. But she refuses to administer the lethal drug to her healthy patient. Who owns our lives? Who decides on our death? These questions are discussed in a fictional ethics council. In this session, the family doctor explains her convictions, while constitutional lawyer Litten discusses the legal situation, Bishop Thiel presents the position of the church and doctor Sperling puts forward the arguments of the Medical Association.
After the first broadcast on ARD in November 2022, TV viewers were able to cast their vote online and by telephone. The approximately 546,000 viewers who took part had to answer the following questions: "Under what circumstances should a person be helped to take their own life? Does the state have to make self-determined dying possible? Should Mr. Gärtner be given the lethal medication?"
The plot and facts may sound dry at first, but the nuanced, intense intimate play with a top ensemble provides goosebumps and lingers for a long time.
The power of words
Another event will be "The Brilliant Mademoiselle Neïla", a charming French comedy starring Daniel Auteuil as a bearish, politically incorrect professor, on Friday, November 14, 2025 at 7.30 pm. At 6.30 pm, the Landgasthaus Böß will be serving the menu "Albanian Rhetoric Feast" in the banquet hall of the Stadttheater. As places for the meal are limited, registration is required.
Neïla Salah (Camélia Jordana) has made it. She has been accepted to the prestigious Assas Law School in Paris and is on her way to finally fulfilling her dream of becoming a lawyer. But everything goes wrong on the very first day and Neïla arrives late. She is late for the lecture given by Professor Pierre Mazard, of all people, who is known for his provocative behavior and verbal outbursts. In his not at all politically correct manner, he immediately takes aim at the young student in front of the entire lecture hall.
But this encounter is not without consequences. Mazard is given a choice by the university management: Either he leaves the university or he smoothes things over by helping Neïla to win a prestigious rhetoric competition. Neïla is anything but enthusiastic about the unexpected commitment - after all, she and the cynical, elitist professor couldn't be more different. And yet, over time, the two manage to see behind the brittle facade of the other and discover that they have a lot to learn from each other.
Camélia Jordana received a César for Best Newcomer Actress for her performance as Neïla. There were two further César nominations for Best Film and for Daniel Auteuil as Best Actor.
Prices and info
Admission to the movie costs 4 euros each. Admission is from 30 minutes before the start of the event, there is free seating. The movie including dinner costs 19 euros. Admission to the dinner is from 6 pm. The Landgasthaus Böß accepts registrations up to eight days before the event at the latest, subject to availability, by emailing info@landgasthaus-boess.de. Dinner reservations cannot be returned or exchanged. Tickets and food can only be paid for on site at the box office. Further information on the films can be found at www.idar-oberstein.de/stattkino.