Wer früher stirbt, ist länger tot

Local pub owner Lorenz lives in the little village of Germringen with his two young sons Franz und Sebastian. For several years now, since the death of his wife, he runs the tavern alone, so that general opinion now believes it's time for a new woman to find her place in his home. When eleven-year-old Sebastian learns by chance that his mother died during his birth, events begin to precipitate. Sebastian, who for his age has accumulated a remarkable array of transgressions, now feels guilty of having murdered his mother. Since, as he believes, he is damned to stew in purgatory when he dies, he tries with all his might to become either immortal or to wash away all his sins. He seems to have trouble with the remission of his sins, because no matter how hard he tries, one mishap after another befalls him. Searching for a good deed, he attempts to find a new wife for his father, but Lorenz has meanwhile set his eyes on another woman. Inexplicably, almost magically, he is drawn to Sebastian's teacher Veronika, who unfortunately is already married. So Sebastian gives it a try with immortality, and behold, Veronika's husband Alfred suggests that the boy can become immortal through music! Sebastian now develops a double strategy: to become rock musician and at the same time to get rid of Veronika's troublesome husband. Alfred's days are counted... (Berlinale)