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 très chic ♪
♪ And fantastique ♪
♪ I want plastique ♪ You like the music?
- Huh? - The music. You like it?
♪ Yeah.
♪ I like plastique It's so très chic ♪
♪ And fantastique ¶
♪ I like plastique ♪
♪ I like plastique It's so très 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.
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!
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]
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?
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?
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 it off!
I can't.
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.
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.
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.