Synopsis

At a Cologne call center, four employees spend their working days speaking constantly while struggling to communicate in their private lives. Newcomer Sascha seeks direction, Adrian remains socially withdrawn, single mother Marie tries to rebuild her life, and team leader Harms faces pressure as his department nears closure. Their connected stories form a bittersweet comedy about loneliness, work, and finding a place in life.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film was shot from July 31 to September 3, 2007, in Cologne and the surrounding area, with additional filming in Cuxhaven.

• It was produced by Geissendoerfer Film- und Fernsehproduktion in co-production with ZDF, with support from Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, the Kuratorium Junger Deutscher Film, and the federal cultural film fund.

• The production was filmed on Super 16mm and enlarged to 35mm for theatrical presentation.

• The film premiered in competition at the Max Ophuls Festival in Saarbrucken on January 17, 2008. It won the festival's main prize and also received its music award for the score by Duerbeck & Dohmen.

• It received the German Film Evaluation Board's "Especially Valuable" rating in 2008.

• Investigative journalist Guenter Wallraff appears in a brief cameo at a company party. His appearance adds an extra layer to the film's call-center setting, since he had previously investigated abusive sales practices in the industry.

• The film was released theatrically in Germany on July 31, 2008. Its alternate international title was "Come in and Burn Out."

• German theatrical attendance was reported at approximately 20,781 viewers by August 2008.