Synopsis

After his wife has him killed for his repeated infidelity, arrogant matchmaker Fred finds himself negotiating with Death aboard a ferry to the afterlife. He is granted three days to help three women whose hearts he broke while alive. With assistance from the shy Rita, Fred attempts to repair the damage he caused and earn another chance at life - and love.

Factoids & Trivia

• The 1995 film was Rainer Matsutani's first major theatrical feature and grew out of his earlier work in horror and fantasy.

• Matsutani developed the film as a broad genre mixture combining fantasy, black comedy, relationship comedy, crime action, and slapstick.

• The director cited Japanese children's films as an influence on the movie's unusual blend of sentiment, grotesque humor, and supernatural adventure.

• Filming took place from September 12 to November 15, 1994, in Munich, Ammerland, at Lake Starnberg, and in Heidelberg.

• The production had a reported budget of 3.8 million German marks, making its elaborate fantasy effects especially notable for a comparatively low-budget German film.

• The talking turkey representing a dead person's soul became one of the production's best-known curiosities. According to the production trivia, Bayerischer Rundfunk objected to showing a naked turkey, so the character was given a dress.

• The film received several awards, including the 1995 Ernst Lubitsch Prize, the 1996 German Film Award in Gold for acting, the 1996 Bavarian Film Award for Best Actress, and the audience prize at the 1996 Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival.

• A restored and digitized version of the film was later included in a German film heritage preservation program.