NEANDER-JIN - THE RETURN OF THE NEANDERTHAL MAN is a screwball comedy about the media buzz surrounding the homecoming of Germany's most prominent citizen, a 50,000 year old Neanderthalman, to his native town near Düsseldorf. After an explosion at a pumping station in the Neanderthal Valley, technician Martin Arnold discovers the troglodyte, but no one believes Arnold, who is whisked away to a psychiatric hospital. Meanwhile, the ruthless citizens of the modern world give chase to our 50.000-year-old ancestor. A madcap pack of quasi-criminal tabloid journalists, publicity-seeking anthropologists, and power-hungry media bosses compete for the fame and wealth the commercialization of this world-wide sensation promises. Our Neanderthalman, overwhelmed by the maelstrom of modern society, finds safe harbor in the garden shed of Barbara van Schmerling, a 23-year-old student of environmental planning. She takes him under her wing in order to save 'the last living testimony of former humanity and naturalness' from the corrupting influences of western civilization. But when her altruistic feelings turn romantic, she must choose between personal ethics and true love. A comedic snapshot of the ultimate reality experience.
