Contra (2020) Movie Script
"The aim of an argument
should not be victory, but progress."
Abu?
Junis?
Are you there?
Junis?
Shit.
Come on Abu,
I'll take you to Nan's.
Nan!
Have fun.
...talked about the Merovingian
or Carolingian dynasties.
But I'd rather spare us all the tedium
that otherwise reigns
in German law lectures.
Let's look instead
at the grand historical addresses.
We'll dedicate ourselves
to the great oratory works.
The most lofty texts,
whose eloquence is the opposite
of what you spew out
onto Facebook every day.
Yes, Madam?
Yes, I meant you.
You are?
A first year student.
Do you understand what I'm saying?
Your name, please.
-Naima Hamid.
-And your first name?
Naima. My first name is Naima,
my surname is Hamid.
It's interesting to note
how sharply you react
to my minor incomprehension.
Judging by that
and your lack of punctuality,
I suspect you will not
treat this faculty with respect.
You are too late.
Pardon me.
Is that an order?
I'm pardoning myself.
You can't pardon yourself, you can
only ask. Do you not know that?
-Are you being serious?
-No.
-Everything I say is trivial.
-I'm only five minutes late.
But in my cultural circle,
punctuality still means something.
-What did you just say?
-Ah, would you look at that.
The persecution complex reappears.
Typical.
-Let's continue.
-Typical of?
Some polemics and it begins.
I don't know, what do you think?
-Typical of?
-Of old white men.
-That's racist!
-Exactly!
You're getting ahead of yourself.
I meant,
typical of students in their first term.
Had I said, what is it...
"Typical of students
from migrant backgrounds,
who hide cheat sheets
in their burkas,
who hang around for three months
before dropping out,
because the lecturers
are racists anyway."
Only then could you accuse me of racism.
But in this case,
your allegations are pure libel.
Listen, I don't intend
to devote my whole lecture to you.
Let me stress that
there are students keen to study here.
Yes, me for instance.
Do me the honour of sitting down,
please.
Move over.
Today.
Well.
We were talking about Roman law.
Ladies and gentlemen, as I was saying,
German law has steadily evolved.
Until recently, you couldn't
name your child whatever you wanted.
Today, you can name your child
Desperado, Pepsi-Carola,
Chocominty, Don-Armani-Karl-Heinz,
or even Samira.
That's quite possible.
Arsehole.
We differentiate
different phases of development...
Ladies and gentlemen.
If you have not yet seen him,
take a good look,
as he's a living legend.
He's here in person,
so it must be important.
A warm welcome
to the University President,
Professor Alexander Lamprecht.
Let your lyrical baritone resound,
dear President.
Yes. Right.
As you may not know,
annually, a major, inter-university
debating competition takes place.
Only 20 years ago, it was derided
as an Anglo-American fringe phenomenon,
but it has since gained great renown
in Germany as well.
And that's why I would like to
work up your enthusiasm.
Because it provides the opportunity
to present yourselves
before an audience of legal experts.
Moreover, debating is
a proven defence against stupidity.
So, seize the opportunity.
Show us what you're made of.
Especially since this year's final
will be staged
in our grand hall for the first time.
So, help us to win this home match!
Hello.
Thanks for leaving me hanging.
Great that I can depend on you!
-Hello, Mum.
-I'm glad you're here.
Hey, how was Nan's?
-Good.
-Good?
Everything okay with you?
Shitty day.
Junis stood me up and I was late.
Again?
No.
It does matter.
I'm calling them now.
What use is that, Naima?
Schneider and Prhl.
Thiem, here.
-How may I help?
-Hello. My name is Naima Hamid.
I received your rejection
for an internship today.
Yes, I'm sorry.
Thanks.
I find it quite stupid, however,
that your rejection
is identical to other firms.
Here: "We regret to inform you
that we have
decided on another candidate
who better fits
our qualification profile."
I'm familiar with our refection letters.
But it's not from you.
That's exactly my problem.
I'd like to know what I can do to
better fit this "qualification profile."
Could you put me through
to Ms Schneider? She signed it.
I'm afraid Ms Schneider
is unavailable for such discussions.
She is entrusted with other matters.
Understood.
-Have a nice day.
-Yes, have a nice day.
Man!
"Had I said, what is it...
Typical of students
from migrant backgrounds,
who hide cheat sheets
in their burkas...
And I'll spare you the part on Sharia...
Shall I work "We can do it"
into every sentence?
They all think
you're about to run for the AfD.
Because they're clueless.
You don't help them understand you.
You'd much rather continue
to dig your own grave.
You don't stick to the syllabus,
humiliate students,
turn other lecturers ag...
Stop grinning!
This time it's really serious.
I got 15 complaints for the
rubbish you said in your first lecture.
There are three Facebook pages and
an online petition for your suspension.
-Nobody will care.
- It already has 300,000 clicks.
Within a few hours.
-Is that a lot nowadays?
-Richard.
It's always been a lot.
-It's not just the kids.
-What does that mean?
The disciplinary panel.
You've been summoned.
-Oh, please.
-Yes...
After a hearing, they'll decide
if you can continue to teach here.
-You can counteract it, surely.
-No, you've antagonised everyone.
Students, colleagues,
the administrative board.
Besides, you're brewing up
a giant shitstorm.
-A shitstorm?
-Yes.
But the good news:
the meeting is not for a few weeks.
We still have some time.
For a start, as of now you'll refrain
from any politically incorrect antics.
Are we clear?
And with regards to
your racist remarks...
Naima Hamid.
-The little Arab girl you bombarded.
-What about her?
You'll prepare her
for the debate competition.
-Forget it.
-Oh no.
She'll make one or two rounds max.
That might discourage
the disciplinary panel.
I can't guarantee
that nothing will still happen,
but it's an opportunity.
You should take it.
Are there no other
marginalised student groups I can coach?
A very diligent Chinese, for instance.
Or a Russian,
with sound military obedience.
One of the Italians in the back?
-At least they talk fast.
-Richard.
-Who knows if that...
-Naima.
...even wants to enter
or is talented.
-She already signed up.
-Which does not prove she's talented.
That's why she has you.
-She won't even make the first round.
-That would be very bad for you.
Why did you sign up
for the debating competition?
Why did you become a professor?
Why did you sign up
for the debating competition?
-Because I want to win it.
-Why?
I believe I'll be a better lawyer
if I can argue and debate well.
Very good.
-Why?
- I want to prep you for it.
-What?
-Yes.
For the competition.
I want to help you.
Nice, but I don't want your help.
So, thanks.
I understand.
You're still angry with me
for my little apophasis.
When one acts as if one does not say
what one is in fact saying.
And I won't even speak of the smell.
Understand? I say I won't speak of it,
yet I speak of it.
Rhetoric is an art form
and I would like to teach you
how to master it.
Am I too fast for you?
Goodbye.
It's much easier to stay in one's shell.
To remain a victim
for the rest of one's life.
If you don't want to take up the arms
for your personal
and professional freedom,
you deserve to fail at every hurdle
and obstacle that stands in your way.
I won't even speak of the obstacle
to entering the legal profession
as a migrant in Germany.
Would you look at that?
Another apophasis.
-Are you done?
-No.
I'll see you tomorrow
in lecture hall four, at 8am. Sharp.
Fuck you.
Ditto.
Let's vote.
I say she's clearly lying.
-What?
-Look at her!
-Man, what?
-She wouldn't have killed Jami.
-See?
-Are you mad?
She killed a werewolf to save herself.
It's tactics. Strategy, bruv.
Cannibalism.
Okay, okay, okay.
Give us one reason
why you're not the werewolf.
Honestly, how likely is that?
Three times in a row?
-It happens!
-It's statistically improbable.
Don't you see he's distracting you?
Attack is the best defence.
But I see right through your diversion.
-My suspicion remains. It's Mo.
-What's she on about?
Told you. She's full of shit!
What probability...?
Mate, she's right.
You've been acting suspicious.
-You're dead! Out!
-Yeah...
-You're not allowed to talk!
-Come on.
-But he's right. It's suspicious.
-What?
The way you keep jumping about.
-Plus, you Arabs all have a dark secret.
-Arabs?
It's true.
Look how he's acting.
I say it was Mo.
Who's in favour?
Bam, you're out.
Unanimously blasted, my dear.
-Your card?
-You want to see my card? Here!
-Shit!
-Here, boneheads! You're so dumb!
She tricked you!
I said it 20,000 times!
I swear on my mum,
you've a combined IQ of -80!
-Shit.
-Show your card, yallah!
-Naima, show us.
-Come on.
-See!
-Get out.
-Good morning, Germany.
-Yeah...
-Here.
-Yeah, here.
-Such a sour loser.
-Me?
Yeah!
-Can I ask you something, Mo?
-Sure.
If you had the chance
to take part in something
that would really help you advance...
Yeah?
-And you really want it...
-M-hm.
You could be trained
by one of the best coaches.
Are you entering
"Germany's Next Top Model"?
Nah.
But this super coach
he's also a tremendous arsehole.
-Would you do it?
-Sure it's not "Top Model"?
No.
If it would properly help me advance,
absolutely.
Why? Did someone diss you?
Nah, it's all good.
Hey, I'm getting
my German passport soon.
I'll have a potato party. You'll come?
Of course.
Cool that it finally worked out.
-Mo, the German.
-Yeah, man.
I can't wait to wear
socks with sandals.
To holiday in Mallorca!
I just hope we can have
a potato party too someday.
Hey, of course. Just keep at it.
You know the criteria.
They can't get around it.
Thanks.
I'd love to come to your party,
by the way.
- I look forward to it.
-Me too.
Massively.
Me too. Massively.
Good night.
Massively?
We can begin then.
When was the last time you debated?
-Honestly, never.
-Wrong.
If I know you,
it's not even been two hours.
In our society debate is omnipresent,
from tax reforms to lawn mowing.
With parents, siblings, friends...
The most important skill in your life
will be convincing others.
Debating is a sport.
Possibly your most demanding.
As hard as boxing,
as tactical as billiards,
as analytical as chess.
But it's also an art form.
The art of speaking, rhetoric.
To win people over,
you also need to master dialectics.
A train of thought to entangle
the opponent in contradictions,
with the sole aim
of convincing the public of your stance.
That is the only thing that matters.
Persuasion.
Winning the case.
The truth is secondary.
Uh...yes?
- I would like to object to that.
-Why?
Because the truth is never secondary.
That would prove deliberate liars right.
-Celebrate fake news, as it were.
-That's something else.
But you will quickly ascertain
that truth involves perspective.
What is true and right for one person,
need not apply to another.
Debating examines issues
from two or more angles.
If you are for something,
debate can open your eyes
to the opposite, and vice versa.
Only through discourse, when we really
discuss an issue contentiously,
can we acquire new insights.
Aristotle, Cicero, Schopenhauer.
They each engaged
with rhetoric in their works.
We'll study them in the coming weeks.
Take Schopenhauer.
He penned a highly interesting text,
with the title,
"The Art of Being Right".
He hands us stratagems
to achieve just that:
always being right.
Are you for or against
the death penalty?
-Against.
-Surprising with your background.
Very funny.
Let's presume I assume the position
that the death penalty
should be reintroduced.
You will argue against it.
Then you say?
That the death penalty...
is super inhumane and...
and you can't reverse it.
You mean, it is irreversible.
Yes, absolutely.
Learn to speak precisely, selectively.
The clock is ticking.
You need to be fast,
efficient, to the point.
"So you want
to reintroduce the death penalty?
So you side with death?
I side with life." Period.
This is the stratagem homonymy.
Take a word from the opponent's
statement and give it another meaning.
That implies a judgement
he cannot contradict.
Not bad.
Of course not.
Else I wouldn't have told you.
But first you need to read.
Can you read?
I'll see you tomorrow.
8am, sharp.
Well, how's it going?
Lots to read.
Uhm...
Probably bad timing, but could you
cover Junis' shift tomorrow,
if he's not on time to... Naima...
I'd not ask if it wasn't important.
-We agreed. With my studies...
-Yes, I'm sorry.
I know it sucks, but his boss...
...said if he's absent again
without a stand-in...
he'll give the job to another family.
I can't go. I'm working...
Yes.
Thanks.
-Khaled Abass.
-Yes.
Bockenheim route.
Don't fold the paper, please.
In Germany we don't fold.
One more complaint and you can beat it.
-Junis Hamid.
-Yes.
Uh huh.
The Gutleut district today... Junis.
Who are you?
What's your name? Name?
What is your name?
Read that aloud.
-Logos, Ethos, Pathos.
-So you can read.
It's one of the stratagems.
The seventh.
Have them doubt their knowledge
to destabilise them.
If you can read, you know
the university's house rules
stipulate proper clothing.
Even if, like you,
no one adheres to them.
When will you finally depart
from this artless get-up
with the holes in your trousers?
If you don't wear a burka,
why not dress properly?
You know what?
I don't like you.
Don't say "I don't like you".
It has no import, no clout.
Say...
"There's nothing likeable about you."
It sounds more definitive,
much more like reasoning.
Appeal to the audience's feelings,
awake expectations.
That has a greater impact, no?
-Fatima?
-Okay, that's it. I'm out.
-And I'm going to complain.
-Wait...
Wait... W... Wait! That...
That was a stupid joke.
I'm sorry.
Why are you doing this anyway?
-What?
-Helping me. I don't understand it.
-What do you think?
-I want you to tell me.
-And you don't know the answer?
-No!
I want you to tell me now,
or else I'm leaving.
I'm sorry I embarrassed you
coram publico.
I would like to know
if there's more to you...
than first appearances would indicate.
Can we continue?
Please, Suleika.
I should just quit.
He's a stupid racist.
Oh, stop it.
Mum, he called me Fatima.
It's a pretty name.
I just don't like him.
Maybe first get to know him better,
before you say that.
I can't say anything to you,
can I?
(speaking Arabic)
And I can't go anywhere with you.
Unbelievable. Disgraceful.
Ripped trousers!
How are you raising her? Like a gypsy!
Mum, I'd love to have the time
to mend her trousers.
To knit her scarves.
Or to sew her evening dresses.
-But...
-But, but! I worked lots too.
Did I let you walk around
dirty and ragged?
Just a sec. Dirty and ragged, please.
Do you not want to be decently dressed?
What? What's "lihja"?
Huh?
Hello? What does it mean?
-Lady beard.
-What lady beard?
Ha ha, very funny.
Hello?
Yes?
Yes.
Okay, thanks.
Yes, I'll come right away.
They arrested Junis.
For illegal possession of a weapon.
They asked me to pick him up.
Are you daft?
You don't work, don't help us.
Now you threaten someone
with a knuckleduster?
- I only wanted to scare him.
-Exactly.
I'm sure the guy who processes
our application will agree.
Think they'll make us Germans
if you pull this shit?
-They won't anyway.
-That's not the point.
Do you know what happened to Mo?
He had a delivery.
The old lady felt threatened.
She called the police
and they arrested him.
-The little cunt.
-That's not the point!
You prove people who say
foreigners are criminals right.
-Can you quit having a go?
-No, I can't! Know why?
I do your job,
while you threaten people.
-I have more important things to do.
-Right. Your great degree?
Think you're better?
You won't change a thing.
-Know how it'll end?
-No, tell me.
You put it all in that degree.
Think it'll all be fine.
Forget it. Even if you finish...
you'll clock that
your shitty degree doesn't matter.
You'll always have the wrong skin colour
and the wrong name.
-What a load of bollocks.
-Yeah?
And what about Mum?
Hmm? Mum is a biochemist.
She works as a shitty temp
for a shitty temp agency.
Why would it be any better for you?
Your ticket?
Do you know
why I asked you to come here?
What do all major historical battles
have in common?
-Uhm...
-Both sides came to one meeting point.
That's exactly what today's about.
You need to learn
to locate the battlefield.
The first step in every debate
is preparation,
the research,
the encirclement of an issue.
Everything you see,
can help infinitely.
There's not just the Internet.
So, pick any issue.
Okay.
Let's say...
Should one get married anymore?
-Pick another.
-Why?
Fine, but you're contra.
-Okay.
-Research the issue, find arguments.
See you in lecture hall four
in 30 minutes.
Sharp.
Initially, one might think
marriage is a good thing.
Two lovers say "I do"
and stay together forever.
What a lovely thought.
Sadly it has nothing to do with reality.
In actual fact, more than one third
of all marriages now end in divorce.
If civil aviation had that success rate,
no one would fly anymore.
So, why board the marriage plane,
if it's likely to crash?
Especially as, alongside this statistic,
it's been proven that marriage
has severely negative
long-term effects on the body and soul.
So, U.S. American study discovered
that newly-weds
totally let themselves go and get fat.
That in turn fosters other conditions,
like obesity, diabetes
and myocardial insufficiency.
So, in the long run,
marriage definitely leads to death.
Take care of your health.
Stay single.
Thank you for your attention.
-Were you trying to be funny?
-Yes.
Then leave that from now on.
Humour reduces
your credibility and integrity.
The best speeches did without it.
Or can you imagine
"I have a dream" with humour?
I don't want to do without humour.
It's kind of my style.
-Kind of your style?
-Yes, kind of my style.
Very well. Fine with me.
Otherwise it was a passable performance.
But not completely.
You jumped about
as if you had ants your pants.
And your whole phrasing is...
How shall I put it?
Lower class.
-Lower class?
-Yes.
You won't enthral an audience
with "lower class".
Not even the lower class.
-Come with me.
-Where?
You'll now honour the man
this university was named for.
Faust.
-Heard of him?
-Yes.
"Faust: A Tragedy", part one.
-Read it aloud.
-Huh?
-I can't do that!
-The floor is yours!
"And here, at last, I stand, poor fool!
As wise as when I entered school;
Am called Magister, Doctor, indeed,
Ten livelong years cease not to lead
Louder!
This is just absurd.
"Backward and forward, to and fro,
My scholars by the nose - and lo!"
Hey!
-Smoked a bit too much crack?
-Yes, I have.
"Just nothing, I see,
is the sum of our learning,
To the very core of my heart
'tis burning."
She's talking like the grandpa from...
"Lord of the Rings"!
"Tis true I'm more clever
than all the foplings,
Doctors, Magisters,
Authors, and Popelings;
Am plagued by no scruple, nor doubt...
What you're doing is disgraceful.
Caution, fair fairy,
-It is time...
-Watch how it's done.
...to drive the dragon out of Mordor!
"Tis true...
I'm more clever than all the foplings,
Doctors, Magisters,
Authors, and Popelings;
Am plagued by no scruple,
nor doubt, nor cavil,
Nor lingering fear of hell or devil,
What then? all pleasure is fled forever;
To know one thing I vainly endeavour,
There's nothing
wherein one fellow-creature
Could be mended or bettered
with me for a teacher.
And then, too, nor good nor gold have I,
Nor fame nor worldly dignity,
A condition no dog could longer live in!
And...
so to magic my soul I've given..."
Alright, I'll see you.
Hey, Mo! Alright?
I thought we'd have one more round?
Bruv, chill.
I'm just taking her home, man.
-Alright.
-You don't have to. It's your party.
Since I became a potato,
I need a break now and then.
Mine was harmless.
At Milos' party,
everything was made of potatoes.
Fried potatoes,
potato salad, potatoes au gratin,
wedges, duchess potatoes.
-Duchess potatoes?
-Yeah, no shit. Duchess potatoes.
I guess I'll get going.
Yeah, me too.
Okay.
Okay.
-Good night.
-Good night.
Can I come up for a coffee?
We'll get started soon.
Here, please!
This is Ms Hamid.
Without a suicide vest today.
And this is Bogdana,
the university's best cleaner.
-Hello.
-Hello.
I've asked her to be our grand jury.
For a small fee, of course.
-Large.
-Of course.
Quick.
Bogdana's paid by the minute.
The exercise is as follows:
the three of us
are in a hot air balloon.
We are in danger of crashing.
But if we throw one passenger out,
the other two survive.
-Why are we crashing?
-Irrelevant.
What matters is that each of us
presents our captain, Bogdana,
with their arguments
for why they shouldn't
be thrown out.
Understood.
To make things fair,
as a professor's life is more important
than that of a migrant,
we'll assume new identities.
You're Dietmar Bohlen.
-Dieter.
-Correct. Dieter.
I am not Dieter Bohlen.
-Those are the rules. I decide.
-Then you're Bushido.
What's a Bushido?
A rapper.
Misogynistic. Homophobic.
-Which actually suits you well.
-Good.
Bogdana, would you take a seat?
You may begin.
Good, I am Dieter Bohlen.
I gave Germany
countless hits and lyrics like
"Brother Louie,
how you do-ee, do-ee, do-ee.
I am insanely attractive.
And I have money.
A lot of money.
Which I'll obviously
share with my balloon captain.
I'm a judge on the most popular
casting show in Germany.
Who, if not me,
would diss the bad singers
and earn lots with the good ones?
Without me, you'd have no one
to get vexed about.
And life would surely be boring.
Besides, it's important to have
a concept of an enemy.
Right? In any case,
there are so many hits left to write.
I would like to do that.
To sweeten people's daily life
with my hits.
My dear balloon captain,
thank you for your attention.
I'm sure you've noticed
that I'm irreplaceable.
Done?
Yes?
The purpose of this amusing debate
was only to be able
to show you something serious.
! gave Germany countless hits...
You're still wriggling
as if you're standing on a hob.
I am insanely attractive.
And I have money. A lot...
Man, okay. My body takes over
and I forget to look out for it.
-What's that?
-A customary cat bell.
Fasten it to your belt buckle, please.
And now move.
As of now, you'll always have it on you.
Should you hear it ring,
you'll know to wriggle less.
Good. See you tomorrow.
Before your first big competition.
If all runs smoothly,
we'll go on to Heidelberg
and then through the entire republic.
It'll be fine, Dieter.
Trs chic.
FRANKFUR Preselection
Welcome, ladies and gentlemen.
Welcome to
our university's preselection
for the German universities'
national debating competition.
We'll get started right away.
The first to compete
against each other are...
Johanna Srger
and Naima Hamid.
Both from the legal faculty.
As you've already been informed,
they will be debating the issue:
"Does the cowl make the monk?"
Pro and contra were, as usual,
allocated by drawing lots.
Both had half an hour to prepare
and mercifully found their way
back out of the library.
May the better debater win.
As the Ancient Greeks said:
a monkey will always be a monkey,
even if he dresses in purpure.
Clothes don't make people,
and less still the cowl a monk.
Yet, we must note
that the world is full of such monkeys,
who want to hide what they truly are,
monkeys that is.
You can't blame them.
Such is life.
Indeed, the poor want to dress
and look like the rich.
Paradoxically,
now the epitome of chic among the rich
is to dress like the homeless.
We wear scuffed Valentino boots
and ripped Chanel jeans.
-You especially.
-Yes, I'm not exempting myself there.
Fortunately, most people
cannot be deceived for long.
By now any child
can instinctively differentiate
the upper class from the lower class.
A pedigree dog from a mangy mongrel.
Am I right, Naima?
Take the Muslims for example,
who once more increasingly
mix among us,
while maintaining the art of disguise.
They shave their beards.
drink champagne, sleep with whores.
In doing so, they dress like you and me.
Thus covertly
remaining the barbarians
they always were and always will be.
-That's going too far.
-You think?
-Yes.
- I can't express my opinion freely here?
-Stick to the issue.
-I understand.
My point is that these barbarians
want to, but will never be, like us.
I hold that the cowl
by ho means makes the monk,
a mini-skirt makes no whore,
and the veil no saint.
Thank you for your attention.
Ms Hamid, you have the floor.
If the cowl does not make the monk,
how else does he become a man of God?
Are we all born praying saints?
No.
You and I know
that we must first take the cloth.
The cowl thus gives
the will to serve God a face.
It cloaks the monk and...
and makes him what he is
and wants to be.
The manner in which
we present ourselves to the world,
reflects who we are.
So allow me to say...
Allow me to say that
clothes make people.
Because to become a man of God,
one must accept the clothes.
Does a robe not...
also mean that
before a judge enters the room,
he transforms from a private person
into a judge?
-Very eloquent.
-Ms Srger.
Yes, okay.
Yes...
You let yourself get worked up.
I heard the bell in the back row.
-Learn to control yourself.
-You heard how she insulted me.
Yes, lucky for you.
Had she not been disqualified,
you would be out.
You need to learn
to take nothing personally.
To win, you cannot care what they think.
-Or expect of you...
-If I'm furious, I can't think straight.
You can use me as a vicarious outlet
for your insults after.
-Huh?
-Yes.
It is very cathartic.
Why else am I your coach?
So, have at it.
I won't tell you again.
-For real?
-Yes.
-Muppet.
-Pfft.
-Arsehole.
-Pardon?
No.
-But you said...
-You can do better than that.
Freak.
Okay, when I see that face of yours,
I remember
I still have to bring the bins out.
Inspiring.
Had your parents gone for a short walk
instead of hopping into bed,
I wouldn't have to deal with
your drab lectures and shitty notes.
Know what?
You can shove them up your arse.
Yes, the truth hurts the most.
In all honesty, you're so unique,
hopefully it stays that way.
Oh, shit.
You already have kids.
I'd never have guessed.
They're so fat,
they need their own postcode.
-Thanks, that's enough.
-So ugly...
Stop!
We'll call it a day.
See you tomorrow.
Nah, in theory...
In theory,
a debate is just like a rap battle.
-Only without music.
-A cappella?
Yes, in theory, a cappella.
-Only with politer disses.
-Politer disses. How?
-That's too weak for me.
-It's not weak at all.
It's sick. No shit.
-Why are you so cold to me?
-Me?
Yeah, I think I get it now.
I betrayed you all by studying.
-I never said that.
-But I got the message.
I'm only interested in my books,
the debate...
I forgot my roots.
I don't have time for you.
-You're talking...
-It's nauseating. I disgust myself.
I drink overpriced coffee.
I'm becoming such a cliche.
No, you're talking rubbish.
But I can see it in your eyes.
You hate me.
You don't respect me anymore
and I get it.
No, I don't hate you at all.
But if you loved me,
you'd just tell me.
-We do love you.
-The others are still fond of me.
Of who I once was.
But you know me too well.
You see I've changed.
You don't love me anymore.
No, man! Of course I love you!
I've always loved you!
What?
That was a stratagem.
Anticatastasis.
Using irony and euphemism
to describe a situation
in diametric reversal to reality.
-She made you a stratagem.
-Your birth was a stratagem.
-Piss off!
-It's not your roof!
Relax!
So, where were we?
You said that you love me.
Gross! Known each other
since they were two. It's incest.
-Well?
-Well?
Does he torment you a lot?
-Professor Pohl.
-Oh right, nah.
He's not as big a monster
as everyone makes out.
That won't exactly help
quell the rumours.
-What rumours?
-Oh well, that you...
-You know.
-What?
Ugh, no!
-The question is why he's helping you.
-No idea.
I reckon the truth is that he's bored.
I entertain him.
When I'm nearby,
he has someone to bully.
Makes sense.
Maybe he misses
letting off steam in court.
-Was he a defence lawyer?
-Course, one of the best.
Constantly in the news.
He never lost.
Why did he quit then?
-What?
-You really don't know?
He lost his daughter a few years ago.
He never worked as a lawyer again.
Oh.
What happened?
Car accident.
I only know his wife survived,
his daughter didn't.
Say, do you already have plans tonight?
Yes.
-And tomorrow?
-Tomorrow too.
Well, then...
See you soon. Naima.
See you soon, Benjamin.
You know this phone
is the last spawn of progress
and is making you a zombie?
-First the clothes? Now the phone?
-Voicemails, selfies, little hearts...
LOL...
YOLO...
What's does YOLO actually mean?
-That's some insight.
-Perhaps you should move with the times.
What if the times are just wrong?
Ever thought of that?
And your completely mindless
asocial networks,
where legions of lunatics
can finally unload their crap.
Before, they went unheard.
Now they're like Nobel prize winners.
Well, I think you'd call that
lived democracy.
Yes, everything has its drawbacks.
I need to distract myself,
else I'll be too nervous.
Don't put such pressure on yourself.
You won't make it to the end anyway.
Are you serious?
The competition is way too strong.
And experience shows,
it'll get stronger with each round.
-Cool. Thanks.
-Not at all.
HEIDELBERG
Preliminary Round
What's keeping you?
Everything okay?
I'm too nervous.
The better prepared I am,
the more fear I have
I won't recall it all.
I rather hoped
I would be spared this.
I have a sure-fire remedy
that always helped me before big trials.
Yeah, and that would be?
I don't know if I should...
even betray my secret weapon.
Sure you should.
Please.
Sorry, what now?
Dancing.
You dance before trials?
At least I did.
Don't laugh.
With this you can take on the world.
Please, don't tell anyone.
Come on. Join in.
It shakes the nervousness out of you.
Pardon me. We'd like to begin.
When you're done
with your dress rehearsal.
After hearing from Laura Jost
of the University of Tbingen
on the issue:
"Is Islam a dangerous religion?",
we'll now hear from Naima Hamid
of the Goethe University Frankfurt.
She will oppose the notion.
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.
As-salamu alaikum.
Let me begin with a confession.
The Charlie Hebdo attack,
9/11,
the Berlin Christmas market attack...
That was my fault.
For this, as a Muslim,
I plead guilty before all of you.
Then we'd best arrest you immediately.
You're welcome to.
Just let me first finish my speech.
And anticipate that you would then
also end up in prison.
That Islam should be any more dangerous
than other religions,
is, I find, a brave statement
to make on this soil.
In Europe,
where in the 20th century alone,
six million Jews
were killed by Christians.
But okay,
if that's the line of argument,
to equate every person
belonging to the same religion,
then you all have the blood
of your ancestors on your hands.
And it's a fact, that here in Europe
far too many crimes were committed
in the name of Christianity.
The witch hunts, the crusades,
the killing of Protestants
after the Reformation.
Have you forgotten it all already?
You accuse Islam of passages like this:
"Their infants will be
dashed to pieces before their eyes;
their houses will be looted
and their wives violated."
Isn't that so, Ms Jost?
That's from the Bible.
Isaiah 13:16.
And what I say now might surprise you.
But I nonetheless believe
that Christianity is based on goodness,
on respect, and especially on altruism.
A Torah commandment.
Even when such passages
are found in the Bible.
Every religion,
every ideology, every book,
can be misunderstood or
used by bad people for their purposes.
Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, the Islamic State:
they all invoke the Quran.
But...
are they really Muslims?
And is what they do...
actually religiously motivated?
In the eyes of...
the Islamic community
and its scholars...
certainly not.
And another thing we cannot forget:
we're speaking of a world religion,
to which 1.8 billion people belong.
Do you believe that 1.8 billion people
are advocates...
are all advocates
of a religion of violence?
And not perhaps...
simply...
peaceable Muslims,
growing spiritually
through their religion?
Sustained, accompanied and comforted
by it in their daily lives?
Do you really believe
that Islam is wicked?
Or is it not rather the individuals...
who misuse Islam in their hatred,
against the society
they feel oppressed and ignored by?
Allow me to summarise.
Islam is by no means
a violence-glorifying
or dangerous religion.
Salaam alaikum.
Peace be unto you.
-Here you go.
-Thanks.
Do you think it's silly?
What?
For a grown man
to be doing something like this.
Nah, not usually.
But in your case, it's quite funny.
I came to it via my daughter.
She loved it.
You know, right?
My wife and I...
We had a fight.
Because of me.
In a rage, she woke our daughter
and got in the car with her
to drive to her mother's.
When I called her to apologise,
a paramedic picked up.
I'm sorry.
But I was an arsehole before that.
When I was a kid I always thought
that if I were a lawyer,
nobody could do me an injustice.
I found it reassuring somehow.
I wish your brother
would learn something from you.
I feel like he just needs
a good Arab role model.
That's no excuse.
Others have managed.
-Maybe you'd like to be his role model?
-Me?
-I'm just a cab driver.
-So what?
You took charge of your life.
And you're an extremely good cab driver.
-I think you have to go now.
-How come?
-Because my mum is coming home soon.
-Oh, your mum...
She's cool. She likes me. I'm staying.
-No.
-Mo, go.
-No.
-Go. Out.
-Oh, man. Naima, come on.
Get out.
Out.
Naima, tell me... Well...
I actually wanted to say something.
Maybe we can have dinner sometime?
I mean, if you want.
Not kebabs or anything.
Just you and me,
at a proper restaurant.
If you like to, of course.
If you would like to.
Course, that's why I'm asking.
What?
-Nothing.
-You're being a smartarse again.
No, no, I would never do that.
And you have nothing else to say?
Okay, Ms Head Teacher.
Okay, got it.
Mo!
Mo, man!
Course I'd like to have dinner with you.
I made a stratagem with you.
Listen.
Maybe I say things wrong sometimes.
But I always say what I think.
I'm just scared your new world
will somehow get in our way.
That you'll suddenly
be into some rich snot.
-Who'll ask you out grammatic correct.
-Grammatically.
Everything okay?
If the doctors say it's not so bad,
he'll be better soon.
Yes, he will.
But we won't.
I'm here and can't stand in for him,
so we'll likely lose his job.
It's really complicated.
We have something
like a right to stay.
But only if we
fully finance our livelihood
for the "community of needs" ourselves.
That's an easy 1,530 Euros
for four people.
-Per month?
-Yes.
I slogged away the last few years
to somehow get the money together.
Then I thought, I'll study.
Do something for myself.
Rightly so.
But if we don't get the money together,
we have to leave Germany.
Really? I didn't know that.
It's completely absurd.
We were all born here.
My little brother can't speak Arabic.
He couldn't go to school in Morocco.
You could work for a law firm.
Their part-time jobs pay very well.
So far I'm not
even getting an internship.
Where have you applied?
C.K.P, Muller and Lichter,
Tauber-Ziegler-Brand.
All the Frankfurt firms.
-Schneider and Prhl too?
-Course.
Twice actually.
You know a lot of them
watch this competition very closely?
Thanks, but that doesn't help
at all right now.
What's happening right now
is my mother's worst nightmare.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Naima Hamid has the floor.
Madam President,
honourable jury,
I swear to tell the truth,
the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth.
Even if I lie left, right and centre.
Then my truth is perhaps not your truth.
LEIPZIG
Last sixteen
But should every truth really be spoken?
Would you have the heart
to tell a child on Christmas Eve
that Santa doesn't exist?
Would you have the heart
to tell a person on their deathbed
that paradise doesn't exist?
BERLIN
Quarter-finals
Since 20th May 2016
an EU Tobacco Products Directive
has been applicable,
that requires
shocking images on packaging.
Thus far, it has not been proven
that these little photos
of smokers' lungs
have any effect on the consumer.
Our meat consumption has become part
of a collective culture of suppression.
Ads often give us a completely
false impression of farming.
The consumer
is misled with cute photos
of green pastures and happy piglets.
And that's exactly what has to stop.
Therefore, I am for
products of intensive animal farming
being marked with shocking images
illustrating the suffering of animals,
with immediate effect.
Yes!
COLOGNE
Semi-finals
Ms Hamid, should parents
get a parenting licence?
In this day and age,
/s further training not common
when taking up responsible activities?
We need a training certificate
to drive a car or motorbike.
Or in Lower Saxony, to keep a dog.
And now I ask you all, if the handling
of cars and dogs is worth a licence...
-Coming to eat?
-In a sec.
...should parents not also get one?
Where they have to take courses
on the adequate care of,
and provision for their children?
Ah, look here, the Professor.
Dr Sandra Schneider, it can't be.
Long time, no see.
-And then in Cologne of all places.
-Yes.
-We're liquidating a DBV joint venture.
-DBV? How nice.
-Isn't that a bit beneath you, Doctor?
-Yes.
Professor, those of us
not teaching at a uni like you,
have to revise our standards sometimes.
You haven't changed a bit, Sandra.
But you have.
She's a remarkable young woman.
I reckon she'd be
a good fit for us, no?
Sure. But you haven't
always seen it that way.
Huh, did I miss something?
Ms Hamid recently applied to your firm.
-Did she?
-Twice.
She only wanted an internship,
to research a bit, assist...
You rejected her without hesitation.
I'd say your recruiting department
has seen better days.
My nan always said,
I should imagine it's a shovel.
Take the bread, tear a piece off,
then use it as a shovel.
As a shovel.
Use it as a shovel...
-It's good.
-Yeah?
Do you know what's absurd?
When you can talk well,
you forget how to put things simply.
One sec, sorry.
Smileys and little hearts?
Who's the lucky man then?
His name is Mo.
Mo?
Mohammed.
-Ah, like the prophet.
-Yes.
But he's a prince.
He doesn't know it yet,
but he is.
He has a heart of gold and...
he's not afraid of anything.
And when I'm with him...
I'm not afraid either.
And sometimes...
he makes me laugh so much,
I have to scream.
And what does Mo do?
He's a cab driver.
What?
Nothing.
Someone can't be a prince
and a cab driver?
Sure, sure, sure.
If you say so.
Am I already so convincing
that you just admit I'm right?
You are. Else you wouldn't
have made it to the finals.
Just drink.
-Just drink.
-Yes.
Ladies and gentlemen,
could I ask you all for
a warm round of applause
for Naima Hamid,
who will represent us tomorrow
in the final, here in Frankfurt.
As you all know,
talking isn't really her thing.
Therefore, let me say a few words.
Naima,
we'd like to thank you
for taking our university
up to this point, to the finals.
As a professed fan of this competition,
a small dream of mine is coming true.
And... thanks also to you,
my dear Richard.
For even the best student
needs a teacher, a mentor.
And I think
you've fulfilled your role perfectly.
Thanks to you for that.
...believe in yourself,
then I'm not worried.
-See you later.
-Thanks so much.
You really had me with your story.
-What story?
-Leave it. We all know how it works.
-How what works?
-Your deal.
What deal?
Are you just repeating everything I say?
The disciplinary panel, and you,
thanking him in front of everyone.
Is it a coincidence?
You'd be the star
and he can keep
getting away with his racism.
Congratulations.
Great job.
Is it true?
Is it true?
Ladies and gentlemen,
I would like to welcome you
to the German Debating Championships
here in Frankfurt.
Hey, what are you doing here?
Everything okay with Junis?
Can you just hold me?
Chin up, look at me.
Mo, he used me
so he wouldn't lose his job.
So what? And you him.
You used him too.
Did he teach you nothing?
Did he not make you better?
Besides,
you're not doing it for him anyway.
You do it for yourself.
For your mother. For your brothers.
And a little bit for me.
I'm sorry to have to say this, but...
you're making a huge mistake.
Come on, get in. Come on.
Yallah!
A warm welcome, on the pro side,
from the Minster Debate Club,
Regine Prona.
But what would
a debate be without the opposition?
It's a home game
for our debater on the contra side.
A warm welcome
to Naima Hamid from Frankfurt.
It's probably a matter of stage fright.
We'll give her a few more minutes.
I'm sorry, Naima.
And no matter what you think of me, I...
I'd like to say something:
you don't need this competition.
You're incredibly good, and one way
or another, you'll go your own way.
I am sincerely glad,
that you still came.
I didn't come for you.
Yes?
Mum said you missed the final.
If you've come to lecture me
oh not making it, I don't need it.
I just wanted to say that
I watched a few videos of your battles.
And... I thought it was real good.
You watched them?
Yeah, you destroyed them.
I'm... I'm proud of you, sister.
Thanks.
Administrative law
is the law of the executive branch.
So, for administration and gubernation.
It notably governs the relationship
between the state and its citizens.
But also the functionality
of the various administrative bodies
and their relationship to one another.
As well as
the legal protection of citizens
against executive acts.
This concerns
very different issues than say...
civil law.
Good. And with that,
I'll let you go for today.
And please remember the notices
in the foyer for the study groups.
Bye!
-Hello?
-Hello, Ms Thiem here.
Of Schneider and Prhl.
-Ms Hamid?
-Yes?
May I put you through to Ms Schneider?
Ms Hamid?
Hello?
-Hello?
-Err...
-Yes. Sure.
-Yes, one moment.
"We exchanged passionate kisses
On many a blissful night,
We intoxicated starving souls
In moaning delight.
We loved each other to exhaustion
And went on loving undeterred,
But from our lips did never slip
A single tender word."
Do you hear the beauty
and the sensuality of these verses?
Much more thrilling and wicked
than your YouPorn, right?
It was for these verses
that Felix Drmann
was fiercely attacked
at the end of the 19th century.
For "defamation of public morals".
Back then words had evocative power.
They were omnipotent.
So much so that his poetry was banned.
Today there is no such thing.
You are appalled
by discrimination at club doors
or that your 16 Euros
carrot and ginger soup is only lukewarm.
And with that,
I'll let you go for lunch.
Oh, right.
Some of you might already be aware
that there won't be
any lectures this afternoon as I...
unfortunately
have an important appointment.
Should we not see each other again,
I'd like to say goodbye.
Enjoy your privileged lives
and your overpaid jobs as lawyers.
Bon apptit.
...Students from migrant backgrounds,
who hide cheat sheets
in their burkas,
who hang around for three months...
Looking at the fifth piece of evidence,
an online video
from October of last year...
Yes, come in.
-Hello.
-Yes, what do you want?
Please leave the room,
this is not a public hearing.
I'm afraid I can't do that.
You're here today...
to discuss a matter,
concerning me more than anyone else.
This is about the...
"cheating with burkas,
and "Pepsi-Carola",
"Samira", and me, right?
You are here to decide on...
the obscenities and encroachments
of the here seated,
Professor Richard Pohl.
I think I should contribute.
Uhm, yes. Please.
Thank you.
I've come to confirm,
that sitting before you
is one of the nastiest people
I've ever met.
Ms Hamid, thank you.
-But it doesn't seem...
-Let... Let her speak.
Professor Pohl is a cynic...
in the saddest sense of the word.
He believes in nothing.
He hates his era
and the society that comes with it.
He respects nothing and no one.
And that won't change.
Yes, he had confidence in me.
But then mostly for his own ambitions.
He does not shy away
from making backroom deals
if he might somehow benefit.
Yes, uhm... Go on.
When I think of Richard Pohl...
I think of a man
who has nothing but words.
Too many words.
Words that have made him numb.
And his tirades and his antics,
his Pepsi-Carolas and Samiras,
cannot and should not be forgiven.
So, put him in the stocks,
burn his statue.
So students might
finally dance upon the smoking ashes.
Despite him showing understanding
and generosity towards me,
which I'd never have expected
from teaching staff.
Never mind that he's the incarnation
of passion and dedication.
Or that he can
change lives for the better.
That he can offer perspective.
That anything is possible with him.
Or could be.
That a little Arab girl from Frankfurt,
only a few weeks
after she crossed his path,
can represent her university in the
national debating competition finals.
I will remember a master of doctrine.
An unflinching lecturer,
who gets in the dirt for a cause.
A troublemaker,
a confident pessimist.
A sleazebag,
with a heart.
A man of contradictions,
who made me want to give it my all.
Who handed me the tools to do that.
Who made me stand firm.
A man, whose words have shown me
that I can achieve anything,
if I only want to.
A man, who showed me...
that I don't need to hide.
But rather that I can
confidently go my own way.
Yes.
All of that...
I learned from Professor Richard Pohl.
I, Naima Hamid,
residing in Frankfurt am Main,
born on 29th July 1996,
daughter of Lial Hamid
and Bouziane Hamid.
Thank you for listening.
Naima!
Naima.
When you... When you can talk well,
then you sometimes forget
how to put things simply.
That's why I'll say, quite simply...
Thank you.
Do you really believe
what you said back there?
Someone once told me
that the truth is secondary.
You know, at the beginning...
I was indeed doing it to...
How would you put it?
...to save my arse.
I thought you'd
make one or two rounds, or...
or I'd drop out after
I'd met my requirements, but then...
Then I came to appreciate you.
I was just delighted by every one
of your successes and advances.
What?
You just addressed me informally.
True.
You evolutionary impediment.
-You're welcome, meat face.
-Not bad.
But I didn't insult you.
- I only described you.
-Touch.
But in all honesty, you're so old,
when you were a child,
rainbows were still black and white.
You're good at everything
but good for nothing.
But I don't need to hide
when the rubbish is being collected.
-Where are you headed?
-That way.
Can I walk with you for a bit?
If I don't have to recite Goethe again.
Agreed.
Want an insult
from my cultural circle?
I'm always willing to cultivate myself.
You don't say. And that means?
I fart in your father's beard.
- I hope you just made that up.
-No!
It's really one
of the worst ways to insult someone.
-I also have one.
-Which is?
I fart in your mother's beard.
should not be victory, but progress."
Abu?
Junis?
Are you there?
Junis?
Shit.
Come on Abu,
I'll take you to Nan's.
Nan!
Have fun.
...talked about the Merovingian
or Carolingian dynasties.
But I'd rather spare us all the tedium
that otherwise reigns
in German law lectures.
Let's look instead
at the grand historical addresses.
We'll dedicate ourselves
to the great oratory works.
The most lofty texts,
whose eloquence is the opposite
of what you spew out
onto Facebook every day.
Yes, Madam?
Yes, I meant you.
You are?
A first year student.
Do you understand what I'm saying?
Your name, please.
-Naima Hamid.
-And your first name?
Naima. My first name is Naima,
my surname is Hamid.
It's interesting to note
how sharply you react
to my minor incomprehension.
Judging by that
and your lack of punctuality,
I suspect you will not
treat this faculty with respect.
You are too late.
Pardon me.
Is that an order?
I'm pardoning myself.
You can't pardon yourself, you can
only ask. Do you not know that?
-Are you being serious?
-No.
-Everything I say is trivial.
-I'm only five minutes late.
But in my cultural circle,
punctuality still means something.
-What did you just say?
-Ah, would you look at that.
The persecution complex reappears.
Typical.
-Let's continue.
-Typical of?
Some polemics and it begins.
I don't know, what do you think?
-Typical of?
-Of old white men.
-That's racist!
-Exactly!
You're getting ahead of yourself.
I meant,
typical of students in their first term.
Had I said, what is it...
"Typical of students
from migrant backgrounds,
who hide cheat sheets
in their burkas,
who hang around for three months
before dropping out,
because the lecturers
are racists anyway."
Only then could you accuse me of racism.
But in this case,
your allegations are pure libel.
Listen, I don't intend
to devote my whole lecture to you.
Let me stress that
there are students keen to study here.
Yes, me for instance.
Do me the honour of sitting down,
please.
Move over.
Today.
Well.
We were talking about Roman law.
Ladies and gentlemen, as I was saying,
German law has steadily evolved.
Until recently, you couldn't
name your child whatever you wanted.
Today, you can name your child
Desperado, Pepsi-Carola,
Chocominty, Don-Armani-Karl-Heinz,
or even Samira.
That's quite possible.
Arsehole.
We differentiate
different phases of development...
Ladies and gentlemen.
If you have not yet seen him,
take a good look,
as he's a living legend.
He's here in person,
so it must be important.
A warm welcome
to the University President,
Professor Alexander Lamprecht.
Let your lyrical baritone resound,
dear President.
Yes. Right.
As you may not know,
annually, a major, inter-university
debating competition takes place.
Only 20 years ago, it was derided
as an Anglo-American fringe phenomenon,
but it has since gained great renown
in Germany as well.
And that's why I would like to
work up your enthusiasm.
Because it provides the opportunity
to present yourselves
before an audience of legal experts.
Moreover, debating is
a proven defence against stupidity.
So, seize the opportunity.
Show us what you're made of.
Especially since this year's final
will be staged
in our grand hall for the first time.
So, help us to win this home match!
Hello.
Thanks for leaving me hanging.
Great that I can depend on you!
-Hello, Mum.
-I'm glad you're here.
Hey, how was Nan's?
-Good.
-Good?
Everything okay with you?
Shitty day.
Junis stood me up and I was late.
Again?
No.
It does matter.
I'm calling them now.
What use is that, Naima?
Schneider and Prhl.
Thiem, here.
-How may I help?
-Hello. My name is Naima Hamid.
I received your rejection
for an internship today.
Yes, I'm sorry.
Thanks.
I find it quite stupid, however,
that your rejection
is identical to other firms.
Here: "We regret to inform you
that we have
decided on another candidate
who better fits
our qualification profile."
I'm familiar with our refection letters.
But it's not from you.
That's exactly my problem.
I'd like to know what I can do to
better fit this "qualification profile."
Could you put me through
to Ms Schneider? She signed it.
I'm afraid Ms Schneider
is unavailable for such discussions.
She is entrusted with other matters.
Understood.
-Have a nice day.
-Yes, have a nice day.
Man!
"Had I said, what is it...
Typical of students
from migrant backgrounds,
who hide cheat sheets
in their burkas...
And I'll spare you the part on Sharia...
Shall I work "We can do it"
into every sentence?
They all think
you're about to run for the AfD.
Because they're clueless.
You don't help them understand you.
You'd much rather continue
to dig your own grave.
You don't stick to the syllabus,
humiliate students,
turn other lecturers ag...
Stop grinning!
This time it's really serious.
I got 15 complaints for the
rubbish you said in your first lecture.
There are three Facebook pages and
an online petition for your suspension.
-Nobody will care.
- It already has 300,000 clicks.
Within a few hours.
-Is that a lot nowadays?
-Richard.
It's always been a lot.
-It's not just the kids.
-What does that mean?
The disciplinary panel.
You've been summoned.
-Oh, please.
-Yes...
After a hearing, they'll decide
if you can continue to teach here.
-You can counteract it, surely.
-No, you've antagonised everyone.
Students, colleagues,
the administrative board.
Besides, you're brewing up
a giant shitstorm.
-A shitstorm?
-Yes.
But the good news:
the meeting is not for a few weeks.
We still have some time.
For a start, as of now you'll refrain
from any politically incorrect antics.
Are we clear?
And with regards to
your racist remarks...
Naima Hamid.
-The little Arab girl you bombarded.
-What about her?
You'll prepare her
for the debate competition.
-Forget it.
-Oh no.
She'll make one or two rounds max.
That might discourage
the disciplinary panel.
I can't guarantee
that nothing will still happen,
but it's an opportunity.
You should take it.
Are there no other
marginalised student groups I can coach?
A very diligent Chinese, for instance.
Or a Russian,
with sound military obedience.
One of the Italians in the back?
-At least they talk fast.
-Richard.
-Who knows if that...
-Naima.
...even wants to enter
or is talented.
-She already signed up.
-Which does not prove she's talented.
That's why she has you.
-She won't even make the first round.
-That would be very bad for you.
Why did you sign up
for the debating competition?
Why did you become a professor?
Why did you sign up
for the debating competition?
-Because I want to win it.
-Why?
I believe I'll be a better lawyer
if I can argue and debate well.
Very good.
-Why?
- I want to prep you for it.
-What?
-Yes.
For the competition.
I want to help you.
Nice, but I don't want your help.
So, thanks.
I understand.
You're still angry with me
for my little apophasis.
When one acts as if one does not say
what one is in fact saying.
And I won't even speak of the smell.
Understand? I say I won't speak of it,
yet I speak of it.
Rhetoric is an art form
and I would like to teach you
how to master it.
Am I too fast for you?
Goodbye.
It's much easier to stay in one's shell.
To remain a victim
for the rest of one's life.
If you don't want to take up the arms
for your personal
and professional freedom,
you deserve to fail at every hurdle
and obstacle that stands in your way.
I won't even speak of the obstacle
to entering the legal profession
as a migrant in Germany.
Would you look at that?
Another apophasis.
-Are you done?
-No.
I'll see you tomorrow
in lecture hall four, at 8am. Sharp.
Fuck you.
Ditto.
Let's vote.
I say she's clearly lying.
-What?
-Look at her!
-Man, what?
-She wouldn't have killed Jami.
-See?
-Are you mad?
She killed a werewolf to save herself.
It's tactics. Strategy, bruv.
Cannibalism.
Okay, okay, okay.
Give us one reason
why you're not the werewolf.
Honestly, how likely is that?
Three times in a row?
-It happens!
-It's statistically improbable.
Don't you see he's distracting you?
Attack is the best defence.
But I see right through your diversion.
-My suspicion remains. It's Mo.
-What's she on about?
Told you. She's full of shit!
What probability...?
Mate, she's right.
You've been acting suspicious.
-You're dead! Out!
-Yeah...
-You're not allowed to talk!
-Come on.
-But he's right. It's suspicious.
-What?
The way you keep jumping about.
-Plus, you Arabs all have a dark secret.
-Arabs?
It's true.
Look how he's acting.
I say it was Mo.
Who's in favour?
Bam, you're out.
Unanimously blasted, my dear.
-Your card?
-You want to see my card? Here!
-Shit!
-Here, boneheads! You're so dumb!
She tricked you!
I said it 20,000 times!
I swear on my mum,
you've a combined IQ of -80!
-Shit.
-Show your card, yallah!
-Naima, show us.
-Come on.
-See!
-Get out.
-Good morning, Germany.
-Yeah...
-Here.
-Yeah, here.
-Such a sour loser.
-Me?
Yeah!
-Can I ask you something, Mo?
-Sure.
If you had the chance
to take part in something
that would really help you advance...
Yeah?
-And you really want it...
-M-hm.
You could be trained
by one of the best coaches.
Are you entering
"Germany's Next Top Model"?
Nah.
But this super coach
he's also a tremendous arsehole.
-Would you do it?
-Sure it's not "Top Model"?
No.
If it would properly help me advance,
absolutely.
Why? Did someone diss you?
Nah, it's all good.
Hey, I'm getting
my German passport soon.
I'll have a potato party. You'll come?
Of course.
Cool that it finally worked out.
-Mo, the German.
-Yeah, man.
I can't wait to wear
socks with sandals.
To holiday in Mallorca!
I just hope we can have
a potato party too someday.
Hey, of course. Just keep at it.
You know the criteria.
They can't get around it.
Thanks.
I'd love to come to your party,
by the way.
- I look forward to it.
-Me too.
Massively.
Me too. Massively.
Good night.
Massively?
We can begin then.
When was the last time you debated?
-Honestly, never.
-Wrong.
If I know you,
it's not even been two hours.
In our society debate is omnipresent,
from tax reforms to lawn mowing.
With parents, siblings, friends...
The most important skill in your life
will be convincing others.
Debating is a sport.
Possibly your most demanding.
As hard as boxing,
as tactical as billiards,
as analytical as chess.
But it's also an art form.
The art of speaking, rhetoric.
To win people over,
you also need to master dialectics.
A train of thought to entangle
the opponent in contradictions,
with the sole aim
of convincing the public of your stance.
That is the only thing that matters.
Persuasion.
Winning the case.
The truth is secondary.
Uh...yes?
- I would like to object to that.
-Why?
Because the truth is never secondary.
That would prove deliberate liars right.
-Celebrate fake news, as it were.
-That's something else.
But you will quickly ascertain
that truth involves perspective.
What is true and right for one person,
need not apply to another.
Debating examines issues
from two or more angles.
If you are for something,
debate can open your eyes
to the opposite, and vice versa.
Only through discourse, when we really
discuss an issue contentiously,
can we acquire new insights.
Aristotle, Cicero, Schopenhauer.
They each engaged
with rhetoric in their works.
We'll study them in the coming weeks.
Take Schopenhauer.
He penned a highly interesting text,
with the title,
"The Art of Being Right".
He hands us stratagems
to achieve just that:
always being right.
Are you for or against
the death penalty?
-Against.
-Surprising with your background.
Very funny.
Let's presume I assume the position
that the death penalty
should be reintroduced.
You will argue against it.
Then you say?
That the death penalty...
is super inhumane and...
and you can't reverse it.
You mean, it is irreversible.
Yes, absolutely.
Learn to speak precisely, selectively.
The clock is ticking.
You need to be fast,
efficient, to the point.
"So you want
to reintroduce the death penalty?
So you side with death?
I side with life." Period.
This is the stratagem homonymy.
Take a word from the opponent's
statement and give it another meaning.
That implies a judgement
he cannot contradict.
Not bad.
Of course not.
Else I wouldn't have told you.
But first you need to read.
Can you read?
I'll see you tomorrow.
8am, sharp.
Well, how's it going?
Lots to read.
Uhm...
Probably bad timing, but could you
cover Junis' shift tomorrow,
if he's not on time to... Naima...
I'd not ask if it wasn't important.
-We agreed. With my studies...
-Yes, I'm sorry.
I know it sucks, but his boss...
...said if he's absent again
without a stand-in...
he'll give the job to another family.
I can't go. I'm working...
Yes.
Thanks.
-Khaled Abass.
-Yes.
Bockenheim route.
Don't fold the paper, please.
In Germany we don't fold.
One more complaint and you can beat it.
-Junis Hamid.
-Yes.
Uh huh.
The Gutleut district today... Junis.
Who are you?
What's your name? Name?
What is your name?
Read that aloud.
-Logos, Ethos, Pathos.
-So you can read.
It's one of the stratagems.
The seventh.
Have them doubt their knowledge
to destabilise them.
If you can read, you know
the university's house rules
stipulate proper clothing.
Even if, like you,
no one adheres to them.
When will you finally depart
from this artless get-up
with the holes in your trousers?
If you don't wear a burka,
why not dress properly?
You know what?
I don't like you.
Don't say "I don't like you".
It has no import, no clout.
Say...
"There's nothing likeable about you."
It sounds more definitive,
much more like reasoning.
Appeal to the audience's feelings,
awake expectations.
That has a greater impact, no?
-Fatima?
-Okay, that's it. I'm out.
-And I'm going to complain.
-Wait...
Wait... W... Wait! That...
That was a stupid joke.
I'm sorry.
Why are you doing this anyway?
-What?
-Helping me. I don't understand it.
-What do you think?
-I want you to tell me.
-And you don't know the answer?
-No!
I want you to tell me now,
or else I'm leaving.
I'm sorry I embarrassed you
coram publico.
I would like to know
if there's more to you...
than first appearances would indicate.
Can we continue?
Please, Suleika.
I should just quit.
He's a stupid racist.
Oh, stop it.
Mum, he called me Fatima.
It's a pretty name.
I just don't like him.
Maybe first get to know him better,
before you say that.
I can't say anything to you,
can I?
(speaking Arabic)
And I can't go anywhere with you.
Unbelievable. Disgraceful.
Ripped trousers!
How are you raising her? Like a gypsy!
Mum, I'd love to have the time
to mend her trousers.
To knit her scarves.
Or to sew her evening dresses.
-But...
-But, but! I worked lots too.
Did I let you walk around
dirty and ragged?
Just a sec. Dirty and ragged, please.
Do you not want to be decently dressed?
What? What's "lihja"?
Huh?
Hello? What does it mean?
-Lady beard.
-What lady beard?
Ha ha, very funny.
Hello?
Yes?
Yes.
Okay, thanks.
Yes, I'll come right away.
They arrested Junis.
For illegal possession of a weapon.
They asked me to pick him up.
Are you daft?
You don't work, don't help us.
Now you threaten someone
with a knuckleduster?
- I only wanted to scare him.
-Exactly.
I'm sure the guy who processes
our application will agree.
Think they'll make us Germans
if you pull this shit?
-They won't anyway.
-That's not the point.
Do you know what happened to Mo?
He had a delivery.
The old lady felt threatened.
She called the police
and they arrested him.
-The little cunt.
-That's not the point!
You prove people who say
foreigners are criminals right.
-Can you quit having a go?
-No, I can't! Know why?
I do your job,
while you threaten people.
-I have more important things to do.
-Right. Your great degree?
Think you're better?
You won't change a thing.
-Know how it'll end?
-No, tell me.
You put it all in that degree.
Think it'll all be fine.
Forget it. Even if you finish...
you'll clock that
your shitty degree doesn't matter.
You'll always have the wrong skin colour
and the wrong name.
-What a load of bollocks.
-Yeah?
And what about Mum?
Hmm? Mum is a biochemist.
She works as a shitty temp
for a shitty temp agency.
Why would it be any better for you?
Your ticket?
Do you know
why I asked you to come here?
What do all major historical battles
have in common?
-Uhm...
-Both sides came to one meeting point.
That's exactly what today's about.
You need to learn
to locate the battlefield.
The first step in every debate
is preparation,
the research,
the encirclement of an issue.
Everything you see,
can help infinitely.
There's not just the Internet.
So, pick any issue.
Okay.
Let's say...
Should one get married anymore?
-Pick another.
-Why?
Fine, but you're contra.
-Okay.
-Research the issue, find arguments.
See you in lecture hall four
in 30 minutes.
Sharp.
Initially, one might think
marriage is a good thing.
Two lovers say "I do"
and stay together forever.
What a lovely thought.
Sadly it has nothing to do with reality.
In actual fact, more than one third
of all marriages now end in divorce.
If civil aviation had that success rate,
no one would fly anymore.
So, why board the marriage plane,
if it's likely to crash?
Especially as, alongside this statistic,
it's been proven that marriage
has severely negative
long-term effects on the body and soul.
So, U.S. American study discovered
that newly-weds
totally let themselves go and get fat.
That in turn fosters other conditions,
like obesity, diabetes
and myocardial insufficiency.
So, in the long run,
marriage definitely leads to death.
Take care of your health.
Stay single.
Thank you for your attention.
-Were you trying to be funny?
-Yes.
Then leave that from now on.
Humour reduces
your credibility and integrity.
The best speeches did without it.
Or can you imagine
"I have a dream" with humour?
I don't want to do without humour.
It's kind of my style.
-Kind of your style?
-Yes, kind of my style.
Very well. Fine with me.
Otherwise it was a passable performance.
But not completely.
You jumped about
as if you had ants your pants.
And your whole phrasing is...
How shall I put it?
Lower class.
-Lower class?
-Yes.
You won't enthral an audience
with "lower class".
Not even the lower class.
-Come with me.
-Where?
You'll now honour the man
this university was named for.
Faust.
-Heard of him?
-Yes.
"Faust: A Tragedy", part one.
-Read it aloud.
-Huh?
-I can't do that!
-The floor is yours!
"And here, at last, I stand, poor fool!
As wise as when I entered school;
Am called Magister, Doctor, indeed,
Ten livelong years cease not to lead
Louder!
This is just absurd.
"Backward and forward, to and fro,
My scholars by the nose - and lo!"
Hey!
-Smoked a bit too much crack?
-Yes, I have.
"Just nothing, I see,
is the sum of our learning,
To the very core of my heart
'tis burning."
She's talking like the grandpa from...
"Lord of the Rings"!
"Tis true I'm more clever
than all the foplings,
Doctors, Magisters,
Authors, and Popelings;
Am plagued by no scruple, nor doubt...
What you're doing is disgraceful.
Caution, fair fairy,
-It is time...
-Watch how it's done.
...to drive the dragon out of Mordor!
"Tis true...
I'm more clever than all the foplings,
Doctors, Magisters,
Authors, and Popelings;
Am plagued by no scruple,
nor doubt, nor cavil,
Nor lingering fear of hell or devil,
What then? all pleasure is fled forever;
To know one thing I vainly endeavour,
There's nothing
wherein one fellow-creature
Could be mended or bettered
with me for a teacher.
And then, too, nor good nor gold have I,
Nor fame nor worldly dignity,
A condition no dog could longer live in!
And...
so to magic my soul I've given..."
Alright, I'll see you.
Hey, Mo! Alright?
I thought we'd have one more round?
Bruv, chill.
I'm just taking her home, man.
-Alright.
-You don't have to. It's your party.
Since I became a potato,
I need a break now and then.
Mine was harmless.
At Milos' party,
everything was made of potatoes.
Fried potatoes,
potato salad, potatoes au gratin,
wedges, duchess potatoes.
-Duchess potatoes?
-Yeah, no shit. Duchess potatoes.
I guess I'll get going.
Yeah, me too.
Okay.
Okay.
-Good night.
-Good night.
Can I come up for a coffee?
We'll get started soon.
Here, please!
This is Ms Hamid.
Without a suicide vest today.
And this is Bogdana,
the university's best cleaner.
-Hello.
-Hello.
I've asked her to be our grand jury.
For a small fee, of course.
-Large.
-Of course.
Quick.
Bogdana's paid by the minute.
The exercise is as follows:
the three of us
are in a hot air balloon.
We are in danger of crashing.
But if we throw one passenger out,
the other two survive.
-Why are we crashing?
-Irrelevant.
What matters is that each of us
presents our captain, Bogdana,
with their arguments
for why they shouldn't
be thrown out.
Understood.
To make things fair,
as a professor's life is more important
than that of a migrant,
we'll assume new identities.
You're Dietmar Bohlen.
-Dieter.
-Correct. Dieter.
I am not Dieter Bohlen.
-Those are the rules. I decide.
-Then you're Bushido.
What's a Bushido?
A rapper.
Misogynistic. Homophobic.
-Which actually suits you well.
-Good.
Bogdana, would you take a seat?
You may begin.
Good, I am Dieter Bohlen.
I gave Germany
countless hits and lyrics like
"Brother Louie,
how you do-ee, do-ee, do-ee.
I am insanely attractive.
And I have money.
A lot of money.
Which I'll obviously
share with my balloon captain.
I'm a judge on the most popular
casting show in Germany.
Who, if not me,
would diss the bad singers
and earn lots with the good ones?
Without me, you'd have no one
to get vexed about.
And life would surely be boring.
Besides, it's important to have
a concept of an enemy.
Right? In any case,
there are so many hits left to write.
I would like to do that.
To sweeten people's daily life
with my hits.
My dear balloon captain,
thank you for your attention.
I'm sure you've noticed
that I'm irreplaceable.
Done?
Yes?
The purpose of this amusing debate
was only to be able
to show you something serious.
! gave Germany countless hits...
You're still wriggling
as if you're standing on a hob.
I am insanely attractive.
And I have money. A lot...
Man, okay. My body takes over
and I forget to look out for it.
-What's that?
-A customary cat bell.
Fasten it to your belt buckle, please.
And now move.
As of now, you'll always have it on you.
Should you hear it ring,
you'll know to wriggle less.
Good. See you tomorrow.
Before your first big competition.
If all runs smoothly,
we'll go on to Heidelberg
and then through the entire republic.
It'll be fine, Dieter.
Trs chic.
FRANKFUR Preselection
Welcome, ladies and gentlemen.
Welcome to
our university's preselection
for the German universities'
national debating competition.
We'll get started right away.
The first to compete
against each other are...
Johanna Srger
and Naima Hamid.
Both from the legal faculty.
As you've already been informed,
they will be debating the issue:
"Does the cowl make the monk?"
Pro and contra were, as usual,
allocated by drawing lots.
Both had half an hour to prepare
and mercifully found their way
back out of the library.
May the better debater win.
As the Ancient Greeks said:
a monkey will always be a monkey,
even if he dresses in purpure.
Clothes don't make people,
and less still the cowl a monk.
Yet, we must note
that the world is full of such monkeys,
who want to hide what they truly are,
monkeys that is.
You can't blame them.
Such is life.
Indeed, the poor want to dress
and look like the rich.
Paradoxically,
now the epitome of chic among the rich
is to dress like the homeless.
We wear scuffed Valentino boots
and ripped Chanel jeans.
-You especially.
-Yes, I'm not exempting myself there.
Fortunately, most people
cannot be deceived for long.
By now any child
can instinctively differentiate
the upper class from the lower class.
A pedigree dog from a mangy mongrel.
Am I right, Naima?
Take the Muslims for example,
who once more increasingly
mix among us,
while maintaining the art of disguise.
They shave their beards.
drink champagne, sleep with whores.
In doing so, they dress like you and me.
Thus covertly
remaining the barbarians
they always were and always will be.
-That's going too far.
-You think?
-Yes.
- I can't express my opinion freely here?
-Stick to the issue.
-I understand.
My point is that these barbarians
want to, but will never be, like us.
I hold that the cowl
by ho means makes the monk,
a mini-skirt makes no whore,
and the veil no saint.
Thank you for your attention.
Ms Hamid, you have the floor.
If the cowl does not make the monk,
how else does he become a man of God?
Are we all born praying saints?
No.
You and I know
that we must first take the cloth.
The cowl thus gives
the will to serve God a face.
It cloaks the monk and...
and makes him what he is
and wants to be.
The manner in which
we present ourselves to the world,
reflects who we are.
So allow me to say...
Allow me to say that
clothes make people.
Because to become a man of God,
one must accept the clothes.
Does a robe not...
also mean that
before a judge enters the room,
he transforms from a private person
into a judge?
-Very eloquent.
-Ms Srger.
Yes, okay.
Yes...
You let yourself get worked up.
I heard the bell in the back row.
-Learn to control yourself.
-You heard how she insulted me.
Yes, lucky for you.
Had she not been disqualified,
you would be out.
You need to learn
to take nothing personally.
To win, you cannot care what they think.
-Or expect of you...
-If I'm furious, I can't think straight.
You can use me as a vicarious outlet
for your insults after.
-Huh?
-Yes.
It is very cathartic.
Why else am I your coach?
So, have at it.
I won't tell you again.
-For real?
-Yes.
-Muppet.
-Pfft.
-Arsehole.
-Pardon?
No.
-But you said...
-You can do better than that.
Freak.
Okay, when I see that face of yours,
I remember
I still have to bring the bins out.
Inspiring.
Had your parents gone for a short walk
instead of hopping into bed,
I wouldn't have to deal with
your drab lectures and shitty notes.
Know what?
You can shove them up your arse.
Yes, the truth hurts the most.
In all honesty, you're so unique,
hopefully it stays that way.
Oh, shit.
You already have kids.
I'd never have guessed.
They're so fat,
they need their own postcode.
-Thanks, that's enough.
-So ugly...
Stop!
We'll call it a day.
See you tomorrow.
Nah, in theory...
In theory,
a debate is just like a rap battle.
-Only without music.
-A cappella?
Yes, in theory, a cappella.
-Only with politer disses.
-Politer disses. How?
-That's too weak for me.
-It's not weak at all.
It's sick. No shit.
-Why are you so cold to me?
-Me?
Yeah, I think I get it now.
I betrayed you all by studying.
-I never said that.
-But I got the message.
I'm only interested in my books,
the debate...
I forgot my roots.
I don't have time for you.
-You're talking...
-It's nauseating. I disgust myself.
I drink overpriced coffee.
I'm becoming such a cliche.
No, you're talking rubbish.
But I can see it in your eyes.
You hate me.
You don't respect me anymore
and I get it.
No, I don't hate you at all.
But if you loved me,
you'd just tell me.
-We do love you.
-The others are still fond of me.
Of who I once was.
But you know me too well.
You see I've changed.
You don't love me anymore.
No, man! Of course I love you!
I've always loved you!
What?
That was a stratagem.
Anticatastasis.
Using irony and euphemism
to describe a situation
in diametric reversal to reality.
-She made you a stratagem.
-Your birth was a stratagem.
-Piss off!
-It's not your roof!
Relax!
So, where were we?
You said that you love me.
Gross! Known each other
since they were two. It's incest.
-Well?
-Well?
Does he torment you a lot?
-Professor Pohl.
-Oh right, nah.
He's not as big a monster
as everyone makes out.
That won't exactly help
quell the rumours.
-What rumours?
-Oh well, that you...
-You know.
-What?
Ugh, no!
-The question is why he's helping you.
-No idea.
I reckon the truth is that he's bored.
I entertain him.
When I'm nearby,
he has someone to bully.
Makes sense.
Maybe he misses
letting off steam in court.
-Was he a defence lawyer?
-Course, one of the best.
Constantly in the news.
He never lost.
Why did he quit then?
-What?
-You really don't know?
He lost his daughter a few years ago.
He never worked as a lawyer again.
Oh.
What happened?
Car accident.
I only know his wife survived,
his daughter didn't.
Say, do you already have plans tonight?
Yes.
-And tomorrow?
-Tomorrow too.
Well, then...
See you soon. Naima.
See you soon, Benjamin.
You know this phone
is the last spawn of progress
and is making you a zombie?
-First the clothes? Now the phone?
-Voicemails, selfies, little hearts...
LOL...
YOLO...
What's does YOLO actually mean?
-That's some insight.
-Perhaps you should move with the times.
What if the times are just wrong?
Ever thought of that?
And your completely mindless
asocial networks,
where legions of lunatics
can finally unload their crap.
Before, they went unheard.
Now they're like Nobel prize winners.
Well, I think you'd call that
lived democracy.
Yes, everything has its drawbacks.
I need to distract myself,
else I'll be too nervous.
Don't put such pressure on yourself.
You won't make it to the end anyway.
Are you serious?
The competition is way too strong.
And experience shows,
it'll get stronger with each round.
-Cool. Thanks.
-Not at all.
HEIDELBERG
Preliminary Round
What's keeping you?
Everything okay?
I'm too nervous.
The better prepared I am,
the more fear I have
I won't recall it all.
I rather hoped
I would be spared this.
I have a sure-fire remedy
that always helped me before big trials.
Yeah, and that would be?
I don't know if I should...
even betray my secret weapon.
Sure you should.
Please.
Sorry, what now?
Dancing.
You dance before trials?
At least I did.
Don't laugh.
With this you can take on the world.
Please, don't tell anyone.
Come on. Join in.
It shakes the nervousness out of you.
Pardon me. We'd like to begin.
When you're done
with your dress rehearsal.
After hearing from Laura Jost
of the University of Tbingen
on the issue:
"Is Islam a dangerous religion?",
we'll now hear from Naima Hamid
of the Goethe University Frankfurt.
She will oppose the notion.
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.
As-salamu alaikum.
Let me begin with a confession.
The Charlie Hebdo attack,
9/11,
the Berlin Christmas market attack...
That was my fault.
For this, as a Muslim,
I plead guilty before all of you.
Then we'd best arrest you immediately.
You're welcome to.
Just let me first finish my speech.
And anticipate that you would then
also end up in prison.
That Islam should be any more dangerous
than other religions,
is, I find, a brave statement
to make on this soil.
In Europe,
where in the 20th century alone,
six million Jews
were killed by Christians.
But okay,
if that's the line of argument,
to equate every person
belonging to the same religion,
then you all have the blood
of your ancestors on your hands.
And it's a fact, that here in Europe
far too many crimes were committed
in the name of Christianity.
The witch hunts, the crusades,
the killing of Protestants
after the Reformation.
Have you forgotten it all already?
You accuse Islam of passages like this:
"Their infants will be
dashed to pieces before their eyes;
their houses will be looted
and their wives violated."
Isn't that so, Ms Jost?
That's from the Bible.
Isaiah 13:16.
And what I say now might surprise you.
But I nonetheless believe
that Christianity is based on goodness,
on respect, and especially on altruism.
A Torah commandment.
Even when such passages
are found in the Bible.
Every religion,
every ideology, every book,
can be misunderstood or
used by bad people for their purposes.
Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, the Islamic State:
they all invoke the Quran.
But...
are they really Muslims?
And is what they do...
actually religiously motivated?
In the eyes of...
the Islamic community
and its scholars...
certainly not.
And another thing we cannot forget:
we're speaking of a world religion,
to which 1.8 billion people belong.
Do you believe that 1.8 billion people
are advocates...
are all advocates
of a religion of violence?
And not perhaps...
simply...
peaceable Muslims,
growing spiritually
through their religion?
Sustained, accompanied and comforted
by it in their daily lives?
Do you really believe
that Islam is wicked?
Or is it not rather the individuals...
who misuse Islam in their hatred,
against the society
they feel oppressed and ignored by?
Allow me to summarise.
Islam is by no means
a violence-glorifying
or dangerous religion.
Salaam alaikum.
Peace be unto you.
-Here you go.
-Thanks.
Do you think it's silly?
What?
For a grown man
to be doing something like this.
Nah, not usually.
But in your case, it's quite funny.
I came to it via my daughter.
She loved it.
You know, right?
My wife and I...
We had a fight.
Because of me.
In a rage, she woke our daughter
and got in the car with her
to drive to her mother's.
When I called her to apologise,
a paramedic picked up.
I'm sorry.
But I was an arsehole before that.
When I was a kid I always thought
that if I were a lawyer,
nobody could do me an injustice.
I found it reassuring somehow.
I wish your brother
would learn something from you.
I feel like he just needs
a good Arab role model.
That's no excuse.
Others have managed.
-Maybe you'd like to be his role model?
-Me?
-I'm just a cab driver.
-So what?
You took charge of your life.
And you're an extremely good cab driver.
-I think you have to go now.
-How come?
-Because my mum is coming home soon.
-Oh, your mum...
She's cool. She likes me. I'm staying.
-No.
-Mo, go.
-No.
-Go. Out.
-Oh, man. Naima, come on.
Get out.
Out.
Naima, tell me... Well...
I actually wanted to say something.
Maybe we can have dinner sometime?
I mean, if you want.
Not kebabs or anything.
Just you and me,
at a proper restaurant.
If you like to, of course.
If you would like to.
Course, that's why I'm asking.
What?
-Nothing.
-You're being a smartarse again.
No, no, I would never do that.
And you have nothing else to say?
Okay, Ms Head Teacher.
Okay, got it.
Mo!
Mo, man!
Course I'd like to have dinner with you.
I made a stratagem with you.
Listen.
Maybe I say things wrong sometimes.
But I always say what I think.
I'm just scared your new world
will somehow get in our way.
That you'll suddenly
be into some rich snot.
-Who'll ask you out grammatic correct.
-Grammatically.
Everything okay?
If the doctors say it's not so bad,
he'll be better soon.
Yes, he will.
But we won't.
I'm here and can't stand in for him,
so we'll likely lose his job.
It's really complicated.
We have something
like a right to stay.
But only if we
fully finance our livelihood
for the "community of needs" ourselves.
That's an easy 1,530 Euros
for four people.
-Per month?
-Yes.
I slogged away the last few years
to somehow get the money together.
Then I thought, I'll study.
Do something for myself.
Rightly so.
But if we don't get the money together,
we have to leave Germany.
Really? I didn't know that.
It's completely absurd.
We were all born here.
My little brother can't speak Arabic.
He couldn't go to school in Morocco.
You could work for a law firm.
Their part-time jobs pay very well.
So far I'm not
even getting an internship.
Where have you applied?
C.K.P, Muller and Lichter,
Tauber-Ziegler-Brand.
All the Frankfurt firms.
-Schneider and Prhl too?
-Course.
Twice actually.
You know a lot of them
watch this competition very closely?
Thanks, but that doesn't help
at all right now.
What's happening right now
is my mother's worst nightmare.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Naima Hamid has the floor.
Madam President,
honourable jury,
I swear to tell the truth,
the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth.
Even if I lie left, right and centre.
Then my truth is perhaps not your truth.
LEIPZIG
Last sixteen
But should every truth really be spoken?
Would you have the heart
to tell a child on Christmas Eve
that Santa doesn't exist?
Would you have the heart
to tell a person on their deathbed
that paradise doesn't exist?
BERLIN
Quarter-finals
Since 20th May 2016
an EU Tobacco Products Directive
has been applicable,
that requires
shocking images on packaging.
Thus far, it has not been proven
that these little photos
of smokers' lungs
have any effect on the consumer.
Our meat consumption has become part
of a collective culture of suppression.
Ads often give us a completely
false impression of farming.
The consumer
is misled with cute photos
of green pastures and happy piglets.
And that's exactly what has to stop.
Therefore, I am for
products of intensive animal farming
being marked with shocking images
illustrating the suffering of animals,
with immediate effect.
Yes!
COLOGNE
Semi-finals
Ms Hamid, should parents
get a parenting licence?
In this day and age,
/s further training not common
when taking up responsible activities?
We need a training certificate
to drive a car or motorbike.
Or in Lower Saxony, to keep a dog.
And now I ask you all, if the handling
of cars and dogs is worth a licence...
-Coming to eat?
-In a sec.
...should parents not also get one?
Where they have to take courses
on the adequate care of,
and provision for their children?
Ah, look here, the Professor.
Dr Sandra Schneider, it can't be.
Long time, no see.
-And then in Cologne of all places.
-Yes.
-We're liquidating a DBV joint venture.
-DBV? How nice.
-Isn't that a bit beneath you, Doctor?
-Yes.
Professor, those of us
not teaching at a uni like you,
have to revise our standards sometimes.
You haven't changed a bit, Sandra.
But you have.
She's a remarkable young woman.
I reckon she'd be
a good fit for us, no?
Sure. But you haven't
always seen it that way.
Huh, did I miss something?
Ms Hamid recently applied to your firm.
-Did she?
-Twice.
She only wanted an internship,
to research a bit, assist...
You rejected her without hesitation.
I'd say your recruiting department
has seen better days.
My nan always said,
I should imagine it's a shovel.
Take the bread, tear a piece off,
then use it as a shovel.
As a shovel.
Use it as a shovel...
-It's good.
-Yeah?
Do you know what's absurd?
When you can talk well,
you forget how to put things simply.
One sec, sorry.
Smileys and little hearts?
Who's the lucky man then?
His name is Mo.
Mo?
Mohammed.
-Ah, like the prophet.
-Yes.
But he's a prince.
He doesn't know it yet,
but he is.
He has a heart of gold and...
he's not afraid of anything.
And when I'm with him...
I'm not afraid either.
And sometimes...
he makes me laugh so much,
I have to scream.
And what does Mo do?
He's a cab driver.
What?
Nothing.
Someone can't be a prince
and a cab driver?
Sure, sure, sure.
If you say so.
Am I already so convincing
that you just admit I'm right?
You are. Else you wouldn't
have made it to the finals.
Just drink.
-Just drink.
-Yes.
Ladies and gentlemen,
could I ask you all for
a warm round of applause
for Naima Hamid,
who will represent us tomorrow
in the final, here in Frankfurt.
As you all know,
talking isn't really her thing.
Therefore, let me say a few words.
Naima,
we'd like to thank you
for taking our university
up to this point, to the finals.
As a professed fan of this competition,
a small dream of mine is coming true.
And... thanks also to you,
my dear Richard.
For even the best student
needs a teacher, a mentor.
And I think
you've fulfilled your role perfectly.
Thanks to you for that.
...believe in yourself,
then I'm not worried.
-See you later.
-Thanks so much.
You really had me with your story.
-What story?
-Leave it. We all know how it works.
-How what works?
-Your deal.
What deal?
Are you just repeating everything I say?
The disciplinary panel, and you,
thanking him in front of everyone.
Is it a coincidence?
You'd be the star
and he can keep
getting away with his racism.
Congratulations.
Great job.
Is it true?
Is it true?
Ladies and gentlemen,
I would like to welcome you
to the German Debating Championships
here in Frankfurt.
Hey, what are you doing here?
Everything okay with Junis?
Can you just hold me?
Chin up, look at me.
Mo, he used me
so he wouldn't lose his job.
So what? And you him.
You used him too.
Did he teach you nothing?
Did he not make you better?
Besides,
you're not doing it for him anyway.
You do it for yourself.
For your mother. For your brothers.
And a little bit for me.
I'm sorry to have to say this, but...
you're making a huge mistake.
Come on, get in. Come on.
Yallah!
A warm welcome, on the pro side,
from the Minster Debate Club,
Regine Prona.
But what would
a debate be without the opposition?
It's a home game
for our debater on the contra side.
A warm welcome
to Naima Hamid from Frankfurt.
It's probably a matter of stage fright.
We'll give her a few more minutes.
I'm sorry, Naima.
And no matter what you think of me, I...
I'd like to say something:
you don't need this competition.
You're incredibly good, and one way
or another, you'll go your own way.
I am sincerely glad,
that you still came.
I didn't come for you.
Yes?
Mum said you missed the final.
If you've come to lecture me
oh not making it, I don't need it.
I just wanted to say that
I watched a few videos of your battles.
And... I thought it was real good.
You watched them?
Yeah, you destroyed them.
I'm... I'm proud of you, sister.
Thanks.
Administrative law
is the law of the executive branch.
So, for administration and gubernation.
It notably governs the relationship
between the state and its citizens.
But also the functionality
of the various administrative bodies
and their relationship to one another.
As well as
the legal protection of citizens
against executive acts.
This concerns
very different issues than say...
civil law.
Good. And with that,
I'll let you go for today.
And please remember the notices
in the foyer for the study groups.
Bye!
-Hello?
-Hello, Ms Thiem here.
Of Schneider and Prhl.
-Ms Hamid?
-Yes?
May I put you through to Ms Schneider?
Ms Hamid?
Hello?
-Hello?
-Err...
-Yes. Sure.
-Yes, one moment.
"We exchanged passionate kisses
On many a blissful night,
We intoxicated starving souls
In moaning delight.
We loved each other to exhaustion
And went on loving undeterred,
But from our lips did never slip
A single tender word."
Do you hear the beauty
and the sensuality of these verses?
Much more thrilling and wicked
than your YouPorn, right?
It was for these verses
that Felix Drmann
was fiercely attacked
at the end of the 19th century.
For "defamation of public morals".
Back then words had evocative power.
They were omnipotent.
So much so that his poetry was banned.
Today there is no such thing.
You are appalled
by discrimination at club doors
or that your 16 Euros
carrot and ginger soup is only lukewarm.
And with that,
I'll let you go for lunch.
Oh, right.
Some of you might already be aware
that there won't be
any lectures this afternoon as I...
unfortunately
have an important appointment.
Should we not see each other again,
I'd like to say goodbye.
Enjoy your privileged lives
and your overpaid jobs as lawyers.
Bon apptit.
...Students from migrant backgrounds,
who hide cheat sheets
in their burkas,
who hang around for three months...
Looking at the fifth piece of evidence,
an online video
from October of last year...
Yes, come in.
-Hello.
-Yes, what do you want?
Please leave the room,
this is not a public hearing.
I'm afraid I can't do that.
You're here today...
to discuss a matter,
concerning me more than anyone else.
This is about the...
"cheating with burkas,
and "Pepsi-Carola",
"Samira", and me, right?
You are here to decide on...
the obscenities and encroachments
of the here seated,
Professor Richard Pohl.
I think I should contribute.
Uhm, yes. Please.
Thank you.
I've come to confirm,
that sitting before you
is one of the nastiest people
I've ever met.
Ms Hamid, thank you.
-But it doesn't seem...
-Let... Let her speak.
Professor Pohl is a cynic...
in the saddest sense of the word.
He believes in nothing.
He hates his era
and the society that comes with it.
He respects nothing and no one.
And that won't change.
Yes, he had confidence in me.
But then mostly for his own ambitions.
He does not shy away
from making backroom deals
if he might somehow benefit.
Yes, uhm... Go on.
When I think of Richard Pohl...
I think of a man
who has nothing but words.
Too many words.
Words that have made him numb.
And his tirades and his antics,
his Pepsi-Carolas and Samiras,
cannot and should not be forgiven.
So, put him in the stocks,
burn his statue.
So students might
finally dance upon the smoking ashes.
Despite him showing understanding
and generosity towards me,
which I'd never have expected
from teaching staff.
Never mind that he's the incarnation
of passion and dedication.
Or that he can
change lives for the better.
That he can offer perspective.
That anything is possible with him.
Or could be.
That a little Arab girl from Frankfurt,
only a few weeks
after she crossed his path,
can represent her university in the
national debating competition finals.
I will remember a master of doctrine.
An unflinching lecturer,
who gets in the dirt for a cause.
A troublemaker,
a confident pessimist.
A sleazebag,
with a heart.
A man of contradictions,
who made me want to give it my all.
Who handed me the tools to do that.
Who made me stand firm.
A man, whose words have shown me
that I can achieve anything,
if I only want to.
A man, who showed me...
that I don't need to hide.
But rather that I can
confidently go my own way.
Yes.
All of that...
I learned from Professor Richard Pohl.
I, Naima Hamid,
residing in Frankfurt am Main,
born on 29th July 1996,
daughter of Lial Hamid
and Bouziane Hamid.
Thank you for listening.
Naima!
Naima.
When you... When you can talk well,
then you sometimes forget
how to put things simply.
That's why I'll say, quite simply...
Thank you.
Do you really believe
what you said back there?
Someone once told me
that the truth is secondary.
You know, at the beginning...
I was indeed doing it to...
How would you put it?
...to save my arse.
I thought you'd
make one or two rounds, or...
or I'd drop out after
I'd met my requirements, but then...
Then I came to appreciate you.
I was just delighted by every one
of your successes and advances.
What?
You just addressed me informally.
True.
You evolutionary impediment.
-You're welcome, meat face.
-Not bad.
But I didn't insult you.
- I only described you.
-Touch.
But in all honesty, you're so old,
when you were a child,
rainbows were still black and white.
You're good at everything
but good for nothing.
But I don't need to hide
when the rubbish is being collected.
-Where are you headed?
-That way.
Can I walk with you for a bit?
If I don't have to recite Goethe again.
Agreed.
Want an insult
from my cultural circle?
I'm always willing to cultivate myself.
You don't say. And that means?
I fart in your father's beard.
- I hope you just made that up.
-No!
It's really one
of the worst ways to insult someone.
-I also have one.
-Which is?
I fart in your mother's beard.