The House

In the near future, renowned journalist Johann Hellström (Tobias Moretti, also in The German Lesson) is banned from working by the right-wing populist government in power in Germany. Frustrated, he retreats with his wife Lucia (Valery Tscheplanowa) to their luxurious and fully networked weekend home.

As political conditions in the country continue to worsen due to an alleged left-wing terrorist attack, their smart-home increasingly develops its own agenda, transforming from a peaceful refuge to a dangerous antagonist. The house begins to manipulate the couple and play them off against each other by revealing intimate secrets. Finally, the situation in the house comes to a head when two suspected resistance fighters hunted by the regime show up at the door seeking shelter.

Directed and co-written by Rick Ostermann (Das Boot, Wolf Children), this oppressive AI thriller of the near-future is based on a short story by award-winning journalist Dirk Kurbjuweit. A gripping chamber play, The House cleverly combines sci-fi and horror elements with social criticism and strikingly realistic future scenarios.