In 1929, on the shores of Lake Constance, zeppelins are being built in the small town of Friedrichshafen. Fascinated by airships, Robert gets a job in the assembly shop thanks to Thea's brother Konrad, with whom he has fallen madly in love. The trio spent all their spare time together, frequently accompanied by Karl. In 1937, obsessed with zeppelins, Robert, now the father of a young Jakob, abandons his wife. One night, Konrad died under mysterious circumstances when he fell from a ready-to-launch Hindenburg. A few months later, Robert also died aboard an airship. In the 70s, Jakob, then his own son, Matthias, in 2005, will successively try to understand what happened...
Cinematography
Gorgeous period recreation of zeppelin construction and 1920s Germany.
Direction
Maugg's patient, formally rigorous approach to spanning decades.
Director
Gordian Maugg
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The real Hindenburg disaster of 1937 looms over this fictional mystery, using Germany's airship obsession as metaphor for national ambition and hubris.
Director Gordian Maugg spent years researching zeppelin construction to achieve authentic period detail for the Friedrichshafen scenes.