Paula Henning (Franka Potente) one of the top German medical students is accepted into the medical school at the beautiful Heidelberg University.
As a grand-daughter of a former renowned medical scientist now retired she questions some of the unusual practices occurring at the Department of Anatomy. Working alone and often secretly at night, she takes specimens of human tissue from cadavers for microscopic examination. What she finds astounds her and sets her on a path of further investigation.
The screen play is designed to shock. A dissection room is eerie enough but when dead bodies begin to twitch, beware... Add to this unethical students using scalpels like lethal weapons and hyperdermic needles in reckless abandon. Further there is much blood and even a decapitation. This film is not for the faint-hearted. The department has developed an astonishing plasticising method of preserving humans as life-like specimens. These are shown in the film. A spooky atmosphere is generated because much of the action takes place in the laboratories and shadowy corridors at night.
Mention is made of some of the Nazi experiments on living human beings as if to justify the research work designed to help mankind. This adds even more horror.
After the frantic chases around the corridors, one is left with a pounding heart. And in the end one wonders what the people of Heidelberg think about their doctors in training - not a particularly reassuring thought. I wonder how many hospital appointments were cancelled after prospective patients saw this film.
As a grand-daughter of a former renowned medical scientist now retired she questions some of the unusual practices occurring at the Department of Anatomy. Working alone and often secretly at night, she takes specimens of human tissue from cadavers for microscopic examination. What she finds astounds her and sets her on a path of further investigation.
The screen play is designed to shock. A dissection room is eerie enough but when dead bodies begin to twitch, beware... Add to this unethical students using scalpels like lethal weapons and hyperdermic needles in reckless abandon. Further there is much blood and even a decapitation. This film is not for the faint-hearted. The department has developed an astonishing plasticising method of preserving humans as life-like specimens. These are shown in the film. A spooky atmosphere is generated because much of the action takes place in the laboratories and shadowy corridors at night.
Mention is made of some of the Nazi experiments on living human beings as if to justify the research work designed to help mankind. This adds even more horror.
After the frantic chases around the corridors, one is left with a pounding heart. And in the end one wonders what the people of Heidelberg think about their doctors in training - not a particularly reassuring thought. I wonder how many hospital appointments were cancelled after prospective patients saw this film.