It’s no wonder that Karo (Claudia Eisinger) loses her job, because she’s a bit… stubborn. She is loud, far too emotional and also selfish, according to her friend Anna (Laura Tonke). Karo is not one to give up easily, she decides to change and starts therapy. Although her therapist Annette (Maren Kroyman) advises her to keep calm, Karo throws herself into the work. She wants to become a super patient, make up for missed grief work, confront her mother Luzy (Katja Riemann) and end her relationship with her boyfriend Philipp (Christoph Letkowski). But Karo unties too many knots at once. Her strong façade breaks and she falls into a depression from which neither her buddy Max (Maximilian Meyer-Bretschneider) nor her grandmother Bille (Barbara Schöne) can help her. Only when her mother Luzy takes Karo in for a cure does she slowly pick herself up. Karo declares war on the crisis, because depression is a fucking event.

Sarah Kuttner’s novel “Mängelexemplar”, published by Fischer Verlag, was on the bestseller list for weeks and has sold over 600,000 copies. “Mängelexemplar” is a production of UFA FICTION in co-production with RBB in cooperation with ARTE, in co-production with UFA Cinema and CINE PLUS, funded by Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, the FFA and the German Federal Film Board. “Mängelexemplar” is being produced as part of LEUCHTSTOFF, the joint initiative of RBB and Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg. Cooky Ziesche is responsible for editing (RBB), producer is Jochen Laube, producer Leif Alexis. X Verleih will bring MÄNGELEXEMPLAR to German cinemas, with Beta Cinema handling world sales.