Character Relationship Map: Slumming

Characters

• Kallmann (played by Paulus Manker) — protagonist

  A homeless alcoholic poet in Vienna who survives by selling poems to passersby. He becomes the victim of a cruel prank and embarks on a difficult journey from the Czech Republic back to Vienna.

• Sebastian (played by August Diehl) — protagonist

  A yuppie who frequents dingy bars and cafés with his friend Alex to mock marginalized people. He initiates the cruel prank of kidnapping Kallmann.

• Alex (played by Michael Ostrowski) — supporting

  A yuppie and Sebastian's companion who enjoys mocking people in low-class venues. He actively participates in kidnapping Kallmann and driving him to the Czech Republic.

• Pia (played by Pia Hierzegger) — supporting

  An internet acquaintance of Sebastian who learns about the cruel prank. She actively seeks out Herta and eventually searches for Kallmann to help him.

• Herta (played by Maria Bill) — supporting

  A prostitute who frequents a bar in Vienna. Kallmann visits her occasionally, and she becomes a point of contact he tries to reach while stranded abroad.

Story Dynamics

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

• Pia → Kallmann (Narrative Searches For) — Pia tries to locate Kallmann after he is stranded abroad.

  After learning about the prank, Pia searches for Kallmann.

• Pia → Herta (Narrative Seeks Out) — Pia approaches Herta while trying to respond to what happened to Kallmann.

  After learning about the prank, Pia finds Herta.

• Alex → Kallmann (Conflict Perpetrator And Victim) — Alex actively assists in the prank that leaves Kallmann stranded.

  Alex participates with Sebastian in putting Kallmann in the car and taking him to the Czech Republic.

• Sebastian → Kallmann (Conflict Perpetrator And Victim) — Sebastian initiates the cruel prank that strands Kallmann abroad.

  Sebastian and Alex find Kallmann asleep drunk near Westbahnhof, put him in their car trunk, and leave him at a station in Znojmo.

• Sebastian → Alex (Alliance Companion) — Yuppie companions who participate together in the prank.

  Sebastian and Alex spend their evenings together in bars and cafés, mocking the people there. They jointly take Kallmann to the Czech Republic.

• Pia → Sebastian (Social Internet Acquaintance) — Pia is connected to Sebastian through the internet.

  The plot identifies Pia as one of Sebastian's many internet acquaintances.

• Kallmann → Herta (Social Acquaintance) — Herta is a familiar contact Kallmann seeks while stranded abroad.

  Kallmann occasionally visits Herta, a prostitute, in a bar, and later tries to contact her from a farm.

Story Analysis

A homeless poet is stranded abroad by a cruel prank, while his difficult journey and the search for him expose the consequences of treating vulnerable people as entertainment.

Plot Progression

1. Poems And Cruel Amusement — Kallmann survives in Vienna by selling poems and occasionally visits Herta. Sebastian and Alex spend their evenings mocking people in bars and cafés.
2. The Journey To Znojmo — Sebastian and Alex find Kallmann drunk on a bench, put him in their car trunk, and leave him in Znojmo. He wakes disoriented in a country he does not recognize.
3. A Stranger's Difficult Route — Kallmann tries to return to Vienna but boards a bus heading farther into the country. After a failed attempt to hitchhike and avoiding a police check, he finds shelter in a hut and then a farm barn.
4. A Lifeline And A Search — Farmers discover Kallmann, feed him, and let him call Herta. Meanwhile, Pia learns of the prank, finds Herta, and searches for Kallmann.