In his Spiegel bestseller "The Dead," Christian Kracht, acclaimed author of "Faserland" and "Imperium," takes us into the final days of the Weimar Republic, where everything is at stake. While some light torches, others sit on packed suitcases. Betrayal and lies, fear and passion, love and violence shape the lives of the people. The Swiss director Emil Nägeli wants to make a film that captures the essence of his time. This film, hopes Amakasu, the Japanese co-producer, will establish a German-Japanese axis and drive Hollywood films out of the theaters in Germany and Japan. With locations in Berlin and Tokyo, Switzerland and Hollywood, and guest appearances by Charlie Chaplin and Heinz Rühmann, Christian Kracht creates a haunting historical kaleidoscope of human existence: absolutely masterful.