Die Werke der Barmherzigkeit

According to Thucydides, cruelty and history form an inseparable pair. But what drives us to torture, to desecrate, to kill? What happens when one no longer measures what one lovingly gains against what one loses with hatred? Above all: What do the works of mercy from the Gospel of Matthew mean to us today in light of this history? The narrator explores the memory of the former hereditary enemies, Germany and France. His unorthodox method: he does not only consult literature; he goes deeper and follows history into the bodies of German men. It is here that he finds what makes history sensually tangible. What has been deeply ingrained in us for generations suddenly begins to flare up. The horrors of the past awaken, become palpable, become effective. The narrator seeks comfort in the paintings of Caravaggio, which often reflect reality.