Doesn’t seem so newly rich here: John Fontanelli (Philip Froissant, right) with his confidante Franca Vacchi (Alessandra Mastronardi)
Photo: Paramount+/W&B Television/Gordon Muehle
Over 20 years ago, Andreas Eschbach asked an unsolvable question in the economic thriller “One Trillion Dollars”: How could one fight all the world’s evils with an incredible amount of money and stop climate change at the same time? Even if a trillion dollars (equivalent to around 916 billion euros) no longer has the same value as it did at the turn of the millennium, the amount is certainly huge. For comparison: Elon Musk’s fortune is equivalent to 233.6 billion euros. This makes him currently the richest man in the world.
Kerstin Nommsen and the production duo Max Wiedemann and Quirin Berg (responsible for the Oscar success “The Lives of Others” and the Netflix critics’ favorite “Dark”) have now implemented Eschbach’s almost 1,000-page thought game as a six-part Berlin series in double episodes will be shown on Paramount+. Philip Froissant is convincing as John Fontanelli, who rises from a party-loving airhead in a tracksuit jacket to a savior figurehead in the financial world.
The series follows the simple underdog principle. Through an inheritance, bicycle courier John Fontanelli becomes the richest man in the world with a trillion dollars. However, his fortune is tied to a prophecy that is 500 years old: he is supposed to give people back their lost future. The exact implementation is left to John. But the very idea of tax justice presents him with a challenge. If he was chosen to save the world with his wealth, shouldn’t he avoid taxes for the good of everyone? From now on, it’s important to make the right decisions in World Monopoly.
At the beginning the main character is denied any sense of responsibility. Unsurprisingly, John squanders some of the money, jets off to Ibiza for a wild party trip and rains down banknotes for friends and acquaintances at a lavish party in Berlin. John unsubtly drives up to his brother Lino (Louis Nitsche) with a bright red Ferrari as a gift. Luckily, Lino is the perfect counterpoint to John. While the nouveau riche in designer clothes uses the media attention for important votes, his brother’s terraced house is besieged by paparazzi. When Lino thwarts an attack on his brother and ends up in the hospital, John finally takes up the fight against his powerful opponents.
You don’t have to be a financial genius to follow the story, because John Fontanelli doesn’t understand the world of numbers himself. Instead, the series focuses on an idealist in a cool setting. John lives in a party loft, he learns about his inheritance in a magnificent villa and his tech company is a former Berlin power plant with a tropical garden, roof terrace and glass offices. The constellation of people is simple and works well. John meets both his bodyguard Marco (Erdal Yildiz) and his confidant Franca Vacchi (Alessandra Mastronardi) in the villa. Franca will later help him understand the company’s business and put together a good team. Alongside Mastronardi, Oliver Masucci plays the brilliant hedge fund manager Malcolm McCaine. For John and the series audience, it often remains unclear whose company shares McCaine wants to buy next.
Right from the start, “One Billion Dollars” plays with threatening secrets. The real dangers only become clearer as the series progresses. For example, one of Fontanelli’s heir predecessors died in a mysterious accident and John’s life is also in danger. Particularly clever: Deepfake technology is used to pretend that he committed suicide. But John doesn’t give up and tries to solve the mystery of his wealth. Until all the threads lead to one person and the world threatens to sink into chaos.
With “One Billion Dollars,” the directing duo Isabel Braak and Florian Baxmeyer have created an entertaining tech series with exciting questions.
“A trillion dollars.” Six episodes (50 minutes each) already online on Paramount+
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