Osa Archivum Catalog

The Bittner Case

Summary: "The Youth Welfare Office should've realised themselves that we needed help, and not asked us if we needed help. They should have been aware of it. (...) They should have acted on their own. Then things would have gone differently." When asked about his responsibility in his son's death, Falk Bittner remains silent, but when the role of the Youth Welfare Office comes up, he suddenly explodes. The Bittner Case analyses a family tragedy in the East-German city of Cottbus. Just before Christmas 2001, six-year-old Dennis, one of the 10 Bittner children, died of continued abuse, neglect and malnutrition. His mother Angelika hid his corpse in the freezer, where it was discovered in June 2004. Family, friends and neighbours all believed that Dennis had been staying in a Berlin children's hospital. Falk contends that he never doubted his wife's explanation, and that he was shocked when he became aware of his son's fate.The film consists of a series of probing interviews with the Bittners, alternated with excerpts from court proceedings and medical reports. While they wait for a verdict in the case, the Bittners reveal this baffling story bit by bit. Overcome with emotions, Angelika is the one who explains what happened. Falk just sits there and shakes his head.

Item Type	Current Location	Call Number	Status	Shelving Location	Public Note
DVD-ROM	OSA Film Library	FL Record 1127	Available	-	-
Digital film	OSA Film Library	FL Record 1127 (HU_OSA_00002798.mp4)	Available		Access Copy, MP4 format