The captain of the Hansa Stavanger and the head pirate each tell the story of how the ship was taken over for 121 days.

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In 2009, the German container ship Hansa Stavanger is taken over by pirates off the Somali coast. Because the ransom isn’t paid, the crew fears for their lives. The captain tries to negotiate with the head pirate, losing the trust of his men – a risky attempt with an unsure outcome. Some time later, director Andy Wolff talks to both men – one now in a pirate camp in Somalia, the other in a psychiatric clinic in Germany – about what happened.

More than 218 ships have been pirated off the Somali coast since 2005; one of these was the Hansa Stavanger, another the Maersk Alabama. The movies made about these two incidents are as different as what happened in each event. In contrast to Paul Greengrass’ Captain Phillips, Wolff’s documentary avoids dramatic images, concentrating on the captain and the leader of the pirates. He lets both of them speak their piece, which is gripping and psychologically enlightening, but nevertheless, much remains unexplained for no apparent reason.