Franz Peter Wirth

Inspired by the real-life events of Mathias Kneißl, a marginal man, son of poor farmers from Bavaria, in the late XIX century. Mathias stole from the rich to give to the poor, becoming a hero for the rural people and a popular social rebel. He was chased by the police until his unfortunate sentence.

Dominik Graf, now a leading filmmaker, revisits his late father Robert Graf’s acting career (1956–1966), during which Robert appeared in 20 features and 25 TV dramas by directors like Hoffmann, Staudte, Siodmak, Sturges, and Comencini. Through archival clips and personal reflections, Dominik “meets” his father and confronts the West German society and film industry of that era, where scripted narratives often outweighed real life.