A distraught mother suspecting her son has been kidnapped forms the central plot of this entertaining new Netflix thriller. Exterritorial stars Jeanne Goursaud (Barbarians) as a former elite soldier caught in a jurisdictional nightmare. Written and directed by German filmmaker Christian Zübert, Exterritorial plunges viewers into the environment of a U.S. consulate on foreign soil, where a mother’s search for her missing son becomes a fight for survival against unseen forces.
The Plot
Sara Wulf (Goursaud), a former Special Forces soldier seeking to leave behind painful memories of her deployment in Afghanistan, tries to build a new life in the United States for herself and her young son, Joshua. Her journey begins with a necessary stop: an appointment at the U.S. Consulate General in Frankfurt to obtain a work visa. But within the consulate walls, the unthinkable happens: Joshua vanishes without a trace. Sara’s terror mounts when consulate officials not only fail to offer help but actively deny her son was ever present in the building, urging her to leave. Sara understands the terrifying implication: German police have no authority inside the U.S. consulate. If she walks out those doors now, she might lose any chance of finding Joshua. Furthermore, Sara begins to doubt her own perception of reality when she encounters another woman named Irina (Lera Abova) whom no one acknowledges, and consulate members show her security footage without her son in it. Sara, suffering from war-induced psychological trauma, starts to believe she is hallucinating.
The Cast
Jeanne Goursaud as Sara Wulf: Known to international audiences for her role in the Netflix historical drama Barbarians, Goursaud takes center stage as the traumatized yet fiercely determined former soldier. The role demands both physical prowess for the promised action sequences and the emotional depth to convey a mother’s desperate struggle. Goursaud positions herself as the film’s anchor and potential breakout action hero.
Dougray Scott as Erik Kynch: The veteran Scottish actor, recognizable from films like Mission: Impossible II, plays the head of security at the U.S. consulate.
Lera Abova as Irina: Playing the enigmatic daughter of a Belarusian oligarch held within the consulate, Abova (Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin) adds another layer of mystery.
Supporting roles are filled by actors such as Kayode Akinyemi (Vikings: Valhalla), Annabelle Mandeng (Unknown), Emanuel Fellmer, Nina Liu, Kris Saddler, Jeremy Schuetze, Samuel Tehrani, and Lara Babalola, completing the ensemble trapped within the consulate walls.
Christian Zübert, Director and Writer of “Exterritorial”
At the helm, as both writer and director, is Christian Zübert, a German filmmaker with a notably diverse career. Born in Würzburg in 1973, Zübert started as a screenwriter before directing his first feature film, the surprise German comedy hit Lammbock in 2001. His filmography shows significant versatility, spanning children’s adventures (The Treasure of the White Falcons, 2005), award-winning crime dramas for television (Tatort, Bad Banks), dramedy (Three Quarter Moon, 2011), and internationally recognized dramas like Tour de Force (2014) and One Breath (2015), which screened at festivals like Locarno and Toronto. He also wrote screenplays for other directors, including the hit teen comedy Girls on Top (2001) and the adaptation The Collini Case (2019).
About the Production
Exterritorial comes from the established German production company Constantin Film, specifically its television division, Constantin Television GmbH. Founded in 2006 as a subsidiary of Constantin Film AG, Constantin Television focuses on TV and digital media productions, with recent credits including We Children from Bahnhof Zoo, The Palace, and the acclaimed Netflix series Dear Child. The film represents another strategic collaboration between Constantin and Netflix, building on previous successes. Germany has proven to be a fruitful market for Netflix in this regard, with series like Dark achieving global recognition. Producing an action thriller, a high-demand genre, with German talent in a European setting aligns perfectly with this model. The production team includes Kerstin Schmidbauer as producer, Oliver Berben as executive producer, and Franziska Suppee, Verena Vogl, and Götz Marx also credited as producers representing Constantin. Key technical credits include cinematography by Matthias Pötsch, music by Sara Barone, and editing by Ueli Christen.
Filming began around August 2023 and concluded in late November or early December 2023, entering post-production afterward. Although primarily set within the U.S. consulate in Frankfurt, Germany, most filming took place in Vienna, Austria. The production used locations such as the exterior and interior of the former Vienna University of Economics and Business building (Alte Wirtschaftsuniversität) to represent the consulate, including its terrace and labyrinthine interiors, along with an underground parking garage. Establishing shots capturing the Frankfurt city skyline, nicknamed “Mainhattan,” were filmed in Frankfurt itself. The production received support from FISAplus, an Austrian film funding initiative. The film features dialogue in both German and English. Specific budget details were not available in the reviewed materials.
Genre Blend: Action, Intrigue, and Echoes of ‘Taken’
Exterritorial firmly classifies as an action thriller with elements of mystery. The central plot revolves around a conspiracy and diplomatic entanglement within the consulate. Director Zübert aims for “claustrophobic tension” and “paranoia” within the single-location setting, enhancing the suspense. Themes of maternal desperation, the lingering effects of Sara’s past deployment trauma, power dynamics and sovereignty, sacrifice, and pervasive deceit are central to the story. One comparison repeatedly emerges in initial reports: Taken. The narrative of a highly skilled parent employing lethal abilities to rescue a kidnapped child clearly evokes the Liam Neeson franchise. This comparison effectively sets audience expectations for a specific brand of visceral action intertwined with high emotional stakes.
Where to Watch “Exterritorial”
