Character Relationship Map: Anatomy

Characters

• Paula (played by Franka Potente) — protagonist

  Determined medical student investigating a mysterious death during her anatomy course.

• Hein (played by Benno Fürmann) — protagonist

  Paula's supportive boyfriend and fellow medical student.

• Gretchen (played by Anna Loos) — supporting

  Paula's close friend and fellow medical student.

• Phil (played by Holger Speckhahn) — supporting

  Paula's friend and fellow student.

• Ludwig (played by Oliver Wnuk) — supporting

  Medical student or colleague.

• David (played by Arndt Schwering-Sohnrey) — supporting

  The young man whose body appears on Paula's dissection table.

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Paula → Phil (Professional Fellow Students) — They belong to the same medical student environment.

  The character descriptions identify Phil as Paula's friend and fellow student.

• Gretchen → Phil (Romantic Partners) — Their relationship triggers Hein's jealous attack.

  Gretchen and her new boyfriend Phil prepare to have sex in one of the morgue halls.

• Hein → Gretchen (Romantic Former Lovers) — Their failed relationship drives Hein's violent jealousy.

  Hein seeks consolation over his breakup with Gretchen, then murders Phil in a jealous rage and attacks Gretchen with a blood-coagulating drug.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Hein → David (Unknown Possible Perpetrator) — The plot links Hein to the film's pattern of anatomical violence, but does not explicitly confirm his role in David's death.

  David's body bears strange incisions, while Hein is later revealed to commit murders and participate in preservation practices.

• Paula → Ludwig (Conflict Captive And Captor) — Their direct conflict occurs during Paula's attempted preservation.

  Ludwig helps Hein trap Paula and prepare her for preservation, after which Paula poisons Ludwig.

• Paula → Gretchen (Social Friend) — Gretchen is part of Paula's student social circle.

  The plot identifies Gretchen as Paula's friend, and Paula investigates the growing danger surrounding people at the school.

• Hein → Ludwig (Alliance Criminal Partners) — Ludwig assists Hein in the attempt to preserve Paula.

  Hein and Ludwig trap Paula together and prepare her for preservation.

• Hein → Phil (Conflict Murderer And Victim) — Phil becomes the first clearly described victim of Hein's jealousy.

  Hein murders Phil in a jealous rage while Phil is with Gretchen in a morgue hall.

• Paula → Hein (Social Friend) — Their apparent friendship becomes dangerous as Hein hides his crimes and warns Paula.

  Hein enters Paula's room seeking consolation after his breakup, and Paula talks with him while he appears distressed.

• Paula → David (Narrative Investigator And Victim) — David's unexplained death initiates Paula's investigation.

  Paula encounters David on the train, later finds his body on her dissection table, and investigates the strange incisions on it.

Story Analysis

A medical student's search for the truth exposes a violent society, a corrupt legacy, and a deadly betrayal by someone close to her.

Plot Progression

1. The Body on the Table — Paula arrives at Heidelberg and discovers David's body on her dissection table. Strange incisions and a triple A mark persuade her to investigate.
2. Warnings Beneath the Candles — Paula uncovers records about a secret society and its rituals. A blood-soaked bed warns her that the investigation has attracted hostile attention.
3. Jealousy in the Morgue — Hein seeks comfort from Paula but soon murders Phil and drugs Gretchen. His concealment of Phil's body makes the danger personal and immediate.
4. The Buried Medical Legacy — Paula learns that her grandfather belonged to the society and that his celebrated drug came from concentration camp experiments. Hein accepts punishment while Paula rejects the inherited honors.
5. Preservation and Escape — Hein kills an authority figure and traps Paula with Ludwig. Paula poisons Ludwig, Hein dies through contact with a high voltage cable, and Paula escapes.