There is a massive wave of suicide in Berlin, some of them causing accidents with hundreds of casualties on both sides of Berlin. The population believes it is caused by a virus and there is an exodus of Berliners that travel through Club Theratos, an agency promoted by the model Sonja Vogler (Jennifer Beals) in several screened billboards, television and magazines. In West Berlin, Lt. Klaus Hartman (Jan Niklas), who lost his wife Nina two years ago after committing suicide, and his partner Sgt. Stieglitz (Benoît Régent) are relentless in the investigation. He believes that the suicides are murders indeed. When the snoopy journalist from Eastern Berlin, Moser (Hanns Zischler), breaks in the Club Theratos, he finds that the owner Heinrich Marsfeldt (Alan Bates) is the responsible for the deaths, and is using his stepdaughter Sonja to hypnotize the population. Further, he intends to use the popular show of the host Veidt (Peter Fitz) to induce the viewers to commit suicide. Will Hartman and Sonja be capable of stopping his evil plan?
"Dr. M" (1990) is a different movie by Claude Chabrol with a futuristic view of Berlin, the same way Jean-Luc Goddard made "Alphavile" in 1965 meaning a different genre from these two filmmakers. The plot is confused, and it is never clear whether Dr. Marsfeldt is only lunatic or has the interest to increase business in his travel agency. But why the police officer is helping him? In the end, this film seems better when watched for the second time, although totally different from Chabrol's style. My vote is six.
Title (Brazil): "Dr. M - Dr. Mabuse e Seu Destino" ("Dr. M - Dr. Mabuse and His Fate")
