[birds chirping]
[gentle upbeat music playing]
[man] I've never been a violent guy.
Quite the opposite, in fact.
I never got into schoolyard fights, or bar fights, for that matter.
I didn't even kill anybody until I was 42.
[engine rumbling]
To be fair, I did rack up half a dozen bodies that first week.
But who's counting?
And I had really, really good reasons.
I'd recently embraced mindfulness.
The killing was all kinda downstream of that.
It was my way of finally finding some of that coveted work-life balance.
[grinding noise]
MURDER MINDFULLY
[upbeat music stops]
My life looked very different three months ago.
I was about as far from leading a mindful life
as my client was from getting an acquittal.
He got nabbed in a jewelry store,
trying to pick out an engagement ring for his girl.
A real romantic.
But he didn't have any cash on him.
Just a loaded gun.
He found the diamonds lacking, but instead of walking away,
Mr. Cumgül hit the jeweler with his gun, knocking him out cold.
The jeweler had already triggered the store alarm,
so the defendant was swiftly detained and taken into custody.
Does he wish to respond to these accusations?
- No, my client wishes to stay silent. - [upbeat music playing]
I feel confident, however, this was an unfortunate lapse in his judgment,
a true anomaly, and one he deeply regrets.
It was the knee-jerk reaction of an immigrant struggling
to adapt to a new life.
But my client shares our values. He dearly treasures marriage and family.
For him, buying a ring was an important step
toward cementing his long-standing relationship with his German girlfriend.
I therefore request you reject his detention order.
He poses no flight risk and he's not violent, this case notwithstanding.
But he does have a history.
But not of violent crime.
Nothing in his record suggests my client would benefit from custody.
He has a stable girlfriend… No, fiancée-to-be.
He has consistently held a steady job. And he has a residence.
With his parents.
If you still don't have faith in my client,
we're prepared to pay bail for his release.
As for his monthly income, Mr. Cumgül takes home, factoring in tax,
1,500 euros.
[intriguing music playing]
Based on this figure, I think something like
three thousand euros would be a fair bail.
[music stops]
[clearing throat] He hates scumbags like me.
[lively music playing]
[man] And I can't really blame the guy.
Back when I was an idealistic, young law student,
I'd have found it completely reprehensible
to let a loose cannon like my client back there walk free.
But now that I'm an experienced defense attorney,
I got that idiot back to his bozo pals in 20 minutes flat.
- That's what I'm talking about. - It's easy.
- There he is. - Ohhh!
Hey!
- You're a smart guy. - Thanks.
- This guy saved my ass. - [overlapping chatter]
Hey, yo, law boy, you partying with us, or what?
I think you might have other plans, my friend.
[man 1] Oh shit.
[lively dramatic music playing]
- [man 2] What's he want? - Come on, let's go.
[indistinct chatter]
[man] The man striking terror in his band of lovely followers was Dragan Sergowicz.
My main client.
Drugs, prostitutes, weapons.
Not my idea of fun, but that's just me.
It was my job to keep Dragan and his ghouls out of trouble,
but that was the tip of the iceberg.
I updated Dragan's business portfolio and made sure the public prosecutor
didn't catch a whiff of his less than savory activities.
This all bought my family a nice life.
- One without me, though. - [dog barking]
I got home late, if I got home at all.
I didn't have a say.
The people who owned my time didn't care that I had a private life.
Hey.
Much to my wife's frustration.
[sighs] Shit.
I should know by now not to expect you. You're consistent, at least.
[man sighs]
Can't we warm up with some small talk before the accusation hour begins?
[sighs]
I've been watching our daughter cry. Cut me some slack.
[man] There was a time, Katharina and I had been happy together.
But love is like a plant. Without water, it withers.
Add in the stresses of parenthood, and it dies.
In short, we felt like so many other successful, young families.
Shitty.
Honestly, I don't even have the energy to argue anymore.
- [sighs] - We can't keep going down the same road.
Here.
You should look at this.
MINDFULNESS FOR INNER PEACE AND OUTER HARMONY
[man] Mindfulness?
For real?
Oh, come on.
Of course, 'cause all my ideas are bullshit, right?
No, I don't think your ideas are bullshit, I think mindfulness is.
Listen to me.
I don't expect you to change for us.
You won't. And that's fine.
But can you change for Emily?
[breathing deeply]
[moody, ethereal music playing]
I'm sorry, honey.
I wanted to watch you turn four.
But I'll make it up to you, okay?
[breathing deeply]
[man] I fucked up by getting home late.
At home, I fucked things up, too.
I had no other choice but to bury myself even deeper
into my work at the job I hated.
[elevator bell dings]
[whimsical music playing]
- [man] Morning. - Morning.
[people chattering]
Oh, talk later, bye.
- Morning. - Mr. Diemel.
Can you please sign a few things for me here?
Thank you.
[men chattering indistinctly]
[woman] Oh, no.
They didn't invite you to their luncheon?
[Mr. Diemel] As if she didn't know I hadn't been invited.
I was the Cinderella of the law firm.
[whimsical music continues]
Excuse me.
[Mr. Diemel] They were fine with me doing their dirty work,
but I never got invited to the ball.
On top of my day-to-day work
defending Dragan's nefarious projects,
I got my hands dirty for all kinds of corporations and foundations
looking to cut corners.
- Morning. - [man] Morning.
[Mr. Diemel] I earned my living helping thoroughly unhelpful people.
[whimsical music stops]
It's abundantly clear to me how much harm I put into the world.
Nothing about this situation is healthy.
It's bad for the community, it's bad for my soul,
and it's bad for my family.
[sighs]
MINDFULNESS, BETTER WELLBEING
I had to make a change here.
[whimsical music playing]
But did it have to be mindfulness?
It just seemed to be a rehash of the same old esoteric shit
that gets recycled every decade.
Nothing but trite, useless, New Age garbage.
But I'd've moved to Sodom, Gomorrah, or a hippie incense shop
if it promised a better life for Emily.
If it meant I'd be a better dad.
[whimsical music ends]
[buzzer rings]
JOSCHKA BREITNER MINDFULNESS COACH
Hmm.
[whimsical music playing]
JOSCHKA BREITNER TODAY AT 11:00
[music stops]
Come on in.
Oh, thank you. Thank you.
[door shuts]
Our appointment time was 11.
It was tough for me to fit this in at all, but I'm here, aren't I?
[contemplative music playing]
Hm.
[Mr. Diemel] Um…
Uh, would there be any way to fast-track your program a bit?
Same price, of course.
Running doesn't make the road shorter.
Yeah, but you'll still get there faster.
Mmm.
[fly buzzing]
Hm.
Listen, my wife wanted me to come here,
but I don't know if this is really, um…
I think I'd better just leave.
No, you shouldn't leave.
I've only known you for 20 minutes,
and I think this is exactly where you should be.
You haven't known me 20 minutes yet though.
I walked in three minutes ago.
True, but you got here about 20 minutes late.
That means you spent 15 minutes doing something else,
when you could have been here.
Then you stood in the hallway for three minutes,
and debated with yourself about ringing the doorbell. Correct?
Yeah.
In the three minutes you've actually been in my presence,
you've made it clear you don't prioritize appointments
that pertain to your mental health.
You see them as non-binding.
You allow other people to control your calendar,
and it seems… you have an…
aversion to silence as well.
[contemplative music stops]
He's good.
Yeah.
My wife would agree, though I'm sure she'd add something about our failing sex life.
[chuckling]
Joschka Breitner. It's nice to meet you.
Björn Diemel.
[contemplative music playing]
You wouldn't have espresso by chance?
Let's begin.
I'd like you to name five things in your life that distress you.
Uh… [sighs] I'd rather learn to embrace silence than jump right into that mess.
Hm, you're not one to self-reflect?
I'm a lawyer. I don't have time for that.
[distant bird squawking]
Now's your time.
Um…
First off,
I always feel exhausted.
I can never relax.
I'm under pressure from my job and my family.
I get frustrated because I'm stressed.
I don't see my daughter Emily that often, and that makes me sad.
My wife doesn't respect my job, my job doesn't respect me--
You can't count to five.
Pardon?
[chuckling]
I asked you for just five things, and you gave me nine classic stressors.
- I think it's obvious you belong here. - [contemplative music stops]
Tea's not bad.
Are you familiar with or have an idea of mindful living?
Nope. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna spend good money to find out.
You already found out, standing in the hallway,
and that cost you nothing but your own time.
Huh. I guess my head was somewhere else then.
Exactly. That's my whole point.
You spent three minutes in my hallway wondering if you should ring the bell,
until you finally came inside.
And in that approximately, mm, 180 seconds,
how many seconds was your mind there in my hallway?
Never?
Where did your mind go?
- Hmm. - [contemplative music resumes playing]
Back to court.
And at my office.
With my main client.
With my daughter.
Fighting with my wife at our house.
How's that for you?
So your body was in my hallway, but your head was in at least five other places.
Focusing on the stress that you associate with those places.
But did that help you at all?
Hmm. Well, not really.
- [contemplative music continues] - Then what did you do it for?
I didn't mean to.
[chuckling]
[flutters lips]
If a client talked like this at a trial, I'd advise him to shut up,
that's for damn sure.
[Joschka] Mindfulness means that your mind and body act in unison.
When you stand in a hallway, you're standing in that hallway.
When you argue with your wife, you're arguing with your wife.
But when you're standing in a hallway,
and in your mind you're actually arguing with your wife,
this is not mindful behavior.
It is, in a word, idiotic.
And, uh, well, how do you stand mindfully?
You just stand where you are, and that's it.
You blank out the rest, and only focus on the present moment.
And what if my mind wanders?
Then you breathe.
- Hm. - [contemplative music stops]
Our breath is a powerful and central tool within mindfulness.
When we focus on our breath,
we establish a powerful union between the mind and body.
And so this can curb those negative emotions and free us from stress.
Come, I'll show you.
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
Your toes should point forward.
And let your knees bend a bit.
Very good.
BREATHE
We'll start with some deep breathing.
Now, just breathe in…
[inhaling]
And now we exhale.
[exhaling]
Inhale…
[inhaling]
And now let it out.
[exhaling]
Now, close your eyes gently.
Yes, that's right.
Just stand still,
and focus your senses on the here and now.
Notice any smells in the room.
[mystical music playing]
[sniffing]
[echoing] Feel how the air moves by.
Take in each sensation.
The fabric you wear, the ground beneath your feet.
Observe any sounds you wouldn't normally notice.
[ticking]
[ticking fades]
The movie screen inside your head should be turned off
because your senses are fully immersed in the present.
Your breath is like a tool.
You can use it to refocus your mind away from stray thoughts.
[mystical music fades]
Will it make the assholes I know give me a break for once?
No, or I wouldn't be here. I'd be winning the Nobel Prize.
[Björn] Mmm.
But breathing gives you the power to control how you're gonna respond.
When somebody in your office, or in your family,
gets your heart rate up…
[inhaling] Ahh, just breathe.
- [Björn] Hm. - Give it time.
We'll spend the next 12 weeks practicing this.
Not only will you have drunk your weight in green tea,
you'll be more equipped to handle the stress from assholes at work.
You'll take control of your life, blocking out time just for Emily.
Think of this as quality time, set aside for the two of you.
Not work thoughts, not your cell phone.
Only Emily.
You can have that.
- [upbeat music playing] - So, we'll begin now.
Turn around.
Face the toes forward, feet shoulder-width apart.
Parallel, like so. You should engage your core.
Now, take a deep breath in…
[inhaling]
…and now, let it out.
[Björn] At first, it wasn't easy to integrate mindfulness
into my daily routine.
[knocking]
[woman] Diemel!
[Joschka] Place your front foot down slowly.
Let the back foot roll forward.
Be deliberate. Feel every inch of the soles of your feet.
[soft rock music playing]
DRAGAN S. ACCEPT
[cell phone ringing]
[ringing stops]
[Björn] Ignoring calls was taboo at my job.
[cell phone ringing]
- Yes. I'll do that first thing. - [Dragan] Asshole!
You listen to me now, ya hear?!
Where are you feeling it the most?
Let that sensation move up and down.
[Björn] Turning my phone off served to redirect Dragan's rage.
Instead of yelling at me, he cursed out service area dead zones.
[soft rock music continues]
I carved out that quality time,
sacred moments with Emily, free of any distraction.
♪ When did you lose track ♪
♪ Fall flat on your back ♪
[bleeping]
MISSED CALLS
Breitner's techniques even strengthened my marriage.
He thought I should move out for a while so I could focus on, well, focusing.
As it turned out, Katharina was really into the new set-up.
She was relieved to say goodbye to the man she was constantly arguing with,
and even more relieved that the man she married was finally back in business.
[soft rock music continues]
- Your room key. That way. - Thank you, which way?
[Björn] And it was good for me too.
I was thriving.
[sighs]
And I brought my new-found mindfulness to the office.
Fitting in small breaks to just breathe eased my tension.
I stopped feeling so eaten up by jealousy.
I could let it roll off my back.
Look at that.
He made partner.
Didn't he join three years after you, Diemel. [chuckles]
[inhaling]
[Joschka] Just stand still, and focus your senses
on the here and now.
Observe any sounds you wouldn't normally notice.
[toilet flushing]
- [exhaling] - Well, congratulations.
You've finished step one of your mindfulness journey.
Let me know if you'll try the advanced course.
SLOWING DOWN IN THE FAST LANE
[Björn] Oh.
[soft rock song ends]
Thank you.
[doorbell rings]
- Hi. - Hey.
Is something wrong?
Is my watch off? We said ten, right?
Yeah, and you're here, at ten.
- Yeah. - [Emily] Papa!
Hey! How's my girl?
- [Katharina chuckles] - You excited?
- Sure am. - Yeah? You can't wait?
- Mm-hm. - Let's go.
- Get your jacket and grab your backpack? - Yeah.
Okay.
- Okay. - [Emily] Woo-hoo!
[Katharina] So, here are her supplies.
- One outfit per day, plus extras. - Okay. Yeah.
She has three swimsuits. Please change her after every swim.
- To avoid infection. - Ah.
This here is her favorite muesli.
Not too much milk, or she'll spill it and make a big mess.
[Björn] Mm-hm.
- Apply fresh sunscreen every four hours. - Mm-hm.
I checked the weather app. The UV index is extremely high there this weekend.
And please, stick to the same bedtime.
She needs her sleep, or it'll throw off the whole next day.
Most importantly, make sure the mafia idiots stay away.
- Yeah. - Björn, do you hear me?
Yeah, Katharina.
I swear to you, if I get a hint of mafioso vibes,
I'll call off the trip.
I'm not dumb.
I'll take her someplace else. I'll make sure you get your big spa weekend.
- It's not about me, it's about Emily. - Yeah.
Emily's been telling everyone that she's going to the lake with her Papa
- for quality time. - [Emily] Quality time! Quality time!
- Björn, this has to work. - Quality time!
You owe this to our daughter. Don't mess this up.
You've never gone on a trip with just you two.
Weekend trip! Yeah! To the lake!
Katharina, I guarantee you, this will all go fine.
I promise there'll be no surprises. It's all good.
For Emily, for me, and for you.
[Emily] I wanna go swimming, Papa! Hurry up!
Okay.
- Okay. - [Emily] Papa!
All right. And when you get back, let's talk about Emily's preschool.
We keep getting turned down.
Yep. All right.
Oh, the sunscreen.
- Yep. - One more thing.
- [lively music playing] - Nothing else?
- That's all. - Okay.
- Ciao. - See ya.
- Every four hours, yeah? - Yep.
[lively music continues]
Papa, my mouth is full.
[chuckles] Okay. One sec.
Too much?
[both chuckle]
All done? Yeah?
[Emily giggles]
There.
Fixed.
[giggling] Yeah.
[cell phone ringing]
[sighs] Shit.
You're not supposed to say "shit."
Ah, fuck.
That's better.
- [clicks teeth] - You shouldn't answer.
Yeah, but there could be an issue at the place we're going.
For example, Dragan could be throwing a party there
with a bunch of blow and hookers.
- [ringing continues] - [intriguing music playing]
- Yeah? - [Dragan] Where are you, lawyer man?
Hello, Dragan. Emily is with me, you're on speaker.
- We're driving-- - Fuck Emma-Lou.
I need you here, now. We're going out for ice cream.
Yay! I want some!
Yay, ice cream! Yay, ice cream! Yay, ice cream!
[Björn] Except he didn't mean the kind of ice cream Emily had in mind.
"Ice cream" was a code word.
Dragan had only used it with me once before, during a major crisis.
It meant, "Drop what you're doing, and get your ass here."
And it wouldn't matter to Dragan that I had my daughter in tow.
You okay, Papa?
Mm-hm, yeah.
Uh, Papa just has to run to his office.
As soon as I'm done, we'll get ice cream.
Yay!
[lively, dramatic music playing]
- [elevator bell dings] - [music stops]
[distant telephone ringing]
I hope you don't have any clients scheduled for today.
Not in those clothes.
Nope, I do.
So, I'd like to know if Ms. Kerner might be in to watch my kid.
She is one of our trainees, not a babysitter.
She assists the partners.
Not the grunt employees and their children.
And any halfway competent parent would never place their kid
in unqualified hands.
Ms. Bregenz,
I'm very sorry you spend your time
getting paid mere peanuts compared to the lawyers you work for
and that you're here every weekend because you don't have a family
and nothing better to do.
[gasps faintly]
But constantly wielding the mere modicum of authority you've been allotted,
won't do anything to make you feel better about how they exploit you.
Come on, hon. We'll go see for ourselves if Doro's around.
Papa, does that old lady live here?
Yeah, you could say that she does.
Old Ms. Bregenz tends to everything here like it's her own home.
[sighs]
[pen swishing]
- [knocking] - [door opens]
Ah. Hello, Doro.
- Um… - Hi.
Could you share some of those nice neon markers with my daughter for half an hour?
Uh…
[gentle, upbeat music playing]
[Björn] The law firm's ground floor had this ice cream shop,
one of those places that's never open when you walk by.
I'd leased it through one of Dragan's subsidiaries.
It was just another tax write-off.
You could only reach the shop's secret personnel rooms by elevator.
Only two access keys had ever been printed.
One for Dragan and one for me.
[breathing deeply]
BASEMENT
[music becomes tense and fades]
[lights humming]
[Dragan] Finally.
[quiet, moody music playing]
What took you?
I was on my way to the lake with Emily.
Who's Emily?
My daughter.
Oh yeah, right.
I love children.
Great. What's your problem?
I'm getting some heat.
How come?
Because some dumb drug mule got himself all banged up.
What's this got to do with you?
Because I'm the one who beat him.
And that dickhead's dead now.
[quiet, moody music fades]
- Repeat that? - He's dead.
Okay. [clearing throat]
Okay, um… What exactly happened?
Toni said he heard…
someone was slinging product on our turf for half our price.
Okay, but I still don't see why Toni involved you,
since as your drug capo, this is his wheelhouse.
I know, but he told me Boris was behind it.
We learned that the mule had a meet with Boris' man Igor
in a parking lot not far from here. Igor was gonna move in on our turf.
We happened to be in the area.
That felt like a good reason to go to the meet and murder the mule?
No, you dummy! I didn't murder the mule!
I beat Igor to death! Igor works for Boris!
Dragan, you're aware that when one cartel boss goes and kills
the right-hand man of another cartel boss, that's the kind of thing that ends badly.
Yes, I'm aware of that!
[lighter clicking]
But Sascha and I wanted to show him where our turf ends and begins.
Then things got out of control.
Not yet!
Okay, um…
Were you spotted?
That's a yes.
Yeah. This goddamn tour bus drove into the parking lot.
Full of, what, old tourists?
No! Full of damn 12-year-olds.
On a field trip or something.
How many preteens saw the fight?
I don't know. How many can you fit in a fucking bus? 50, who knows?
And how many of them were holding up their cell phones to film you?
I don't know, the whole class!
Kids get those damn phones way too young, right?
So we're talking about up to 50 videos
that show you killing someone in front of school children,
am I getting this correctly?
Yeah.
[breathing deeply]
Are the videos up online?
Yeah.
But they're shaky.
We can say they were doctored. Show him one now.
[person gasping and people chattering on recording]
[agonized screaming]
- [man shouting] - [children screaming]
[man screaming]
- [Björn exhales deeply] - [recording shuts off]
So, that's Igor?
It was. And that's me.
Yeah.
Why'd you burn him?
We had to light a fire under the guy's ass.
- Like I said, it got a bit out of control. - [Björn sighs]
What about the drug seller?
Get this. He didn't have any drugs.
He was selling Igor a crate of hand grenades, for god's sake.
I found out after we did Igor.
Have you considered the chance that whoever gave you the tip
about the drug hand-off was pulling a fast one,
and now we're in deep shit all because of sketchy intel?
How could I have known a fucking school bus would show up?
With kids inside! The real villain is the driver.
He took kids to a place where we had business to do!
Who the hell does that? I'd never do that!
I love children.
Okay.
- [recording turns on] - [people shouting on recording]
- Hey! - [people continue shouting]
[people screaming]
Keep your mouths shut!
Or I'll kill you all!
[tense music playing]
[people screaming]
Yeah, okay.
Why'd you call me?
What do you mean? Because you're my lawyer.
Yes, that's right, I'm a lawyer, not a fixer, okay?
This is way above my pay grade. I do have limits.
Don't whine, and fucking do your job, lawyer man!
Or I'll burn your ass up too!
- [quiet, tense music playing] - [Björn panting]
[breathing deeply]
Hello?
Stop stalling!
Okay. Turn yourself in.
Just a thought. I wouldn't be able to get you off, though. Not with that evidence.
[gasps]
Have you gone insane?
Okay, option two, forget option one.
Uh, but then, you won't be safe inside a jail, protected from Boris.
We have our roles in this world. Or have you forgotten?
I make messes, and you clean up.
Go on. Clean!
Fix it!
Go into hiding. Put your head down for a while.
For 30, 40 years.
That could work.
- It's a joke. - How so?
You wouldn't be able to leave the building.
The block is full of undercover cops!
We could take your car. I'll get in the trunk and you could drive me out.
Nah, Dragan, please. I've got my kid. We can't drive across Europe for you.
What? Who said Europe? Just out of this town!
Your kid will be a great cover. Emma.
Emily. The kid whose weekend you've ruined has a name,
- and it's Emily. - Fuck that snot rag!
What about my life?
- [quiet, tense music playing] - [Björn panting]
I'm gonna go down to the garage.
You'll go get your kid, and then you'll drive me to the damn lake house.
With your Emilia.
She is Emily, you fucker!
[music becomes ominous]
What?
[panting]
Nobody calls me "fucker."
You should thank God I need you to drive me, or I'd crush your skull.
And then your daughter's. Do you understand that?
Yeah… I do.
Good!
[Björn] And then, something shifted.
[angelic music playing]
A sense of absolute calm, total peace, settled deep inside my soul.
I had been struck with a ray of heavenly light.
Just stay in the moment. That's it.
Embrace the mindfulness techniques Breitner taught me.
[gentle rock music playing]
When I'm driving a getaway car, I'm driving a getaway car.
And when I'm at the lake, I'm at the lake.
It was that simple.
What good would it do to try to think beyond the present moment?
I couldn't predict the future. So, I wouldn't stress about it.
Papa!
[Björn] I wasn't delusional.
I knew full well I was breaking every promise I'd made to Katharina
about this weekend.
Instead of driving to the vacation home with relaxation in mind,
I'd be driving there with a world-class psychopath in the trunk.
And my kid in the backseat.
But this was all for her.
If I wanted to save Emily's life, to save my life, I had to do this.
I had to do what Dragan wanted.
Even if my life would change forever.
[gentle rock music continues]
[gentle rock music fades]