The All Is One

It all starts when slaughterhouse operator Werner Haas has slaughterhouse waste dumped in his front garden one night - obviously a radical protest against his business. The enraged businessman immediately reports the incident to the police, whereupon the local police begin an investigation. Possible witnesses are interviewed in the neighborhood and at the slaughterhouse, and the officers also question a number of animal welfare activists. There is hardly any concrete evidence or clues, but there are plenty of opinions on the subject of slaughter and meat consumption. Meanwhile, a volunteer at the local newspaper takes the incident as an opportunity to investigate the planned expansion of the slaughterhouse. She also scrutinizes the role of the local authorities... “Amusing, witty and astonishing in its reduction and staged simplicity.” (Björn Schneider, on: Programmkino.de) “The screenplay by journalist and animal rights activist Hilal Sezgin is much smarter than 50 people could have been interviewed for a documentary.” (Ulrich Sonnenschein, on: epd-film.de) “It is an important, topical and sensitive subject that the feature film (...) tackles. Because almost everyone has an opinion on the subject of eating meat. The film adapts this perspective in a consistent way by filming a large number of protagonists in an interrogation situation similar to a chamber play. This results in many absurd, entertaining, funny and also serious moments. As a second storyline, the film follows volunteer Emily in her discussions with local politicians. And this is where the helplessness and mendacity of the system come to the fore, showing us how profit and greed take the place of common sense and empathy. The film project was created as part of the “FÜR DEN FILM” acting workshop with more than 50 actors thanks to the commitment of the coaches, lecturers and everyone involved in the workshop. A remarkable achievement. Without explicitly being an experimental film, THE ALL IS ONE functions as a cinematic experiment, as a mirror for the audience, which can deal with a colorful bouquet of opinions and reflect on its own attitude.” (FBW jury statement rating “valuable”) “Schönenberg omits gruesome images from inside the slaughterhouse, a non-place that many people like to ignore. He lets his characters tell their stories in his courageous mixture of a ludicrous provincial thriller and powerful ethical and philosophical social criticism, which is based on the idea of producer Tobby Holzinger and the screenplay by author, journalist and philosopher Hilal Sezgin (...) 'The All is One' is a committed film project that should and will initiate discussions. Despite the many different opinions that Tobias Schönenberg juxtaposes on an equal footing, he makes his stance clear: in the credits, he quotes two paragraphs from the Animal Protection Act, which is over 50 years old, reminding us that humans bear responsibility for their fellow creatures, must protect them and may only kill them for a 'reasonable cause'. The question of whether meat consumption is a 'reasonable reason' to kill a living being and whether mass slaughterhouses like Werner Haas' should continue to exist is one that viewers can answer for themselves after watching the movie.” (Stefanie Borowsky, on: kino-zeit.de)