Enemies (Global Screen) is a high-concept two-part thriller from acclaimed German author Ferdinand von Schirach that tells the story of a young girl’s kidnapping from two perspectives: the police detective in charge of the case and the defense attorney seeking the truth. The high-powered cast includes Crime Scene Cleaner star Bjarne Mädel in a convincing dramatic turn as the detective, Academy Award nominee Klaus Maria Brandauer (Out of Africa) as the attorney, Samuel Finzi (Flemming, Allmen) as Dr. Bentheimer and Ulrike Kriener (Detective Ellen Lucas) as Elly Biegler.

The bodyguard of a wealthy family kidnaps their daughter and demands a ransom. Careful not to leave any trace, it’s up to veteran investigator Peter Nadler (Bjarne Mädel) to find the missing girl and bring her home safely. Despite only circumstantial evidence pointing to a suspect, Nadler’s intuition and experience tells him he has his guy. But when he tries to extract a confession, he’s met with silence and a knowing grin the devil would envy. Aware that time is of the essence, Nadler decides to take the law into his own hands. And here we find the crux of Enemies: what is right and what is just when an innocent life hangs in the balance? Can an officer go too far in such a situation?

Defense attorney Konrad Biegler (Klaus Maria Brandauer) thinks so. Whereas Nadler has become jaded from 28 years of dealing with the worst society has to offer and is convinced that what makes a person bad is the sum of their character, Biegler has come to see good and bad as shades of gray that often overlap. In 30 years of defending those at the bottom of our society, he has come to view justice through the lens of the law and its application.

These are the fundamental questions explored in Enemies. To what ends should an officer of the law go to protect the vulnerable? In a situation where time is of the essence, should torture be on the table? Nadler thinks so. But for Biegler, torture is a corruption of justice, akin to a quasi-truth police. And even if it were permitted, who gets to make the decision to apply such extreme means? When is it OK to violate the dignity of a man?