by Mark Murton and Linda Kay

Original Title: Das ewige Leben

Starring: Erika

Directed by: Wolfgang Murmberger

Cat Out Of The Bag Alert! This review contains spoilers for this film.

Synopsis: Burned out and broke private detective Simon Brenner (Josef Hader) returns to his home town of Graz and his sole remaining possession, a small dilapidated house he inherited from his mother. Encounters with childhood friends stir up memories of a troubling event from their past, which will have life changing consequences for all of them.

Cat Burglar (Scene Stealer): Brenner arrives at the ramshackle house to find holes in roof, the electricity disconnected, and a tuxedo cat watching him. The cat suddenly bolts up the stairs.

Running a cable from an accommodating neighbour’s property Brenner starts linking up a series of ancient extensions, watched nervously by the cat (the exquisite look of trepidation on the cat’s face suggests it must have been a qualified electrician in at least one previous incarnation!).

Brenner finds his old motor bike in the garage and sets about getting it working again, while the cat watches from a window with studied disinterest.

Returning home with some food, Brenner prepares himself a meal including opening a tin of “breakfast meat” as the cat looks on expectantly.

Initially Brenner ignores the cat’s pleading eyes and lip licking but eventually relents and puts the tin and its remaining contents down for the cat.

The next morning the cat is lying on a blanket on the floor next to Brenner where they spent the night. The cat is fascinated if slightly alarmed by the noises coming from the still sleeping Brenner.

Soon the neighbour reconnects the electricity causing the record player to start up which startles the cat and sends it running from the room.

Later in the day Brenner suffers another of his recurring migraines, with every sound making his head pound, especially the cat dragging the tin around the floor.

Brenner begs the cat to stop it causing the kitty to momentarily look towards him before continuing. During some shots it looks as if the cat actor has a cut on its forehead, but it isn’t clear whether this is some meat or if the cat might have cut its head on the tin or whether or not this was intentional on the part of the filmmakers?

Desperate, Brenner takes his pistol and loads it with bullets before aiming at the confused cat.

Unable to shoot the cat, Brenner starts to bang himself on the head with the gun before pointing it at his temple and pulling the trigger. The noise momentarily distracting the cat from its feeding.

A short time later the cat is feeding again, this time lapping at the pool of blood emanating from Brenner’s head wound (and seen from Brenner’s point of view where he lies on the floor unmoving but still conscious).

The sound of the shot brings the neighbour running to investigate and as he enters the cat turns tail and hurries away.

Brenner is admitted to hospital where he is soon visited by his neighbour (Johannes Silberschneider) who brings him a box of Katzenzugen chocolates (German chocolates shaped like cat’s tongues!)

Towards the end of the film, a confrontation at Brenner’s house leads to further gunshots causing the cat to leap from its place on a nearby worktop and rapidly disappear.

The tuxedo cat actor’s name was Erika and some behind the scenes footage of the film crew trying to get her shots are in this interesting behind the scenes video:

Final Mewsings: A house with a cat should automatically be a home.

Relevant Links:

To discuss this film and other cats in movies and on television, join us on Facebook and X.