I Am the Keeper 2014

In Swiss rural Schummertal during the 1980s, the bluntly honest Goalie, Andreas Matti, stays tight with his childhood friend Ueli, Pascal Ulli, a bond that has endured three decades. They were not only best friends but also the town’s best scorers during their schoolyard days, and Goalie—though he never truly wore the goalkeeper’s gloves—still carries the nickname from those early games.

When Goalie loses his job for smoking pot, Ueli calls on a risky favor: a drug-smuggling run to France and back for five thousand francs, roughly two months’ wages. The plan hinges on their lifelong trust. Goalie drives to France, fetches the pack, and returns late at night, only to be arrested as he parks. In a tense police interrogation, the chief pushes him to name who sent him, but Goalie refuses to betray his friend, choosing a year behind bars over snitching.

A year passes, and Goalie returns to his hometown, stepping into his familiar restaurant for a drink. He isn’t alone in navigating the town’s old loyalties: Regula, the waitress he fancies, [Sonja Riesen], is around, while Pesche, the restaurant’s owner, [Michael Neuenschwander], isn’t exactly his ally. Goalie’s old friend Ueli has sunk deeper into drugs and alcohol, yet somehow still appears with the five thousand francs he once promised. The landlord’s demand for a year’s rent gnaws at Goalie’s fragile plans for a clean slate.

Determined to start anew, Goalie finds a low-wage job and begins pursuing Regula more openly, hoping to turn the page. He shares his newfound resolve with Regula’s partner, Pesche’s concerns, and Regula’s own friend circle, who worry that Ueli’s spiral could pull Goalie back in. As Regula grows more intrigued by Goalie, Pesche’s suspicion grows, and Budi, Pesche’s uneasy partner, watches with growing unease.

A late-night scare—Pesche, prompted by rumors, reports to the police that Goalie could be behind a supposed “reoccurrence” of troubles in the restaurant—and Goalie is briefly hauled away, a move that reveals the tangled plots afoot. Regula remains drawn to Goalie, and the pair share quiet conversations at the rink, where he explains he was the scapegoat in the France incident and that telling the truth would have hurt more people than it helped.

Regula endures a brutal night when she returns home scarred, and Budi’s partnerly jealousy surfaces. The next day, Stofer, another old friend, invites Goalie to a short holiday in a villa in Spain, and Goalie decides to take Regula along—despite losing his new job for leaving without permission.

In Spain, Goalie confronts old habits as he slips back into drinking, jeopardizing the fragile bond with Regula. The villa, far from being an inheritance, turns out to belong to Stofer, and Goalie realizes he’s been played. He seeks answers from Balsiger, an old acquaintance who has become an accountant and who should know the town’s wealth secrets. The truth about the sudden windfall of Goalie’s old friends begins to unfold: Pesche, Stofer, and Ueli have cashed in on large drug deals, amassing money that never belonged to their humble town.

Back in Schummertal, Goalie confronts Pesche, Stofer, and Ueli with what he has learned. Ueli admits they framed Goalie to prevent the blame from falling on their own heads. Pesche offers reparations, but Goalie rejects them, insisting that pride still matters. He chooses to walk away from the friend group, the restaurant, and the entire place he once called home. He sees Regula again and tells her that he plans a fresh start in Bern, hoping she’ll join him once he secures a steady job.

“one’s still got a bit of pride”