Das Wunder von Merching

SINOPSIS

The people of Merching used to live from tourism, which has come to a standstill for years. With the impending incorporation, the long-suffering residents of the idyllic provincial village are now threatened with the painful loss of their independence. In the hour of greatest need, a rumor spreads that the statue of the Virgin Mary in the local field chapel is shedding tears. The as-ordained miracle of Merching arouses skeptics, but an ecclesiastical examination confirms the authenticity of the supernatural phenomenon. Overnight, the dreamy place becomes a pilgrimage paradise - there is no longer any talk of incorporation. The people of Merching are happy, but the hard-working farmer Kathi is feeling increasingly uncomfortable The young Fenzlb farmer Kathi struggles to manage her father's farm in the remote Bavarian town of Merching. Times are tough because tourists rarely venture into the former tourist resort. And now Kathi has to find out that the devious Fritz Krontaler, mayor of the neighboring town of Mirning, wants to incorporate her indebted village. All alarm bells are ringing for her, because the priest who has been hearing her frail father Quirin's confession for decades would be rationalized away, as would her urgently needed part-time job in the citizens' office. Since the people of Merching, especially the indolent local mayor Willi Schubert, put their hands on their laps, Kathi prays for a miracle in the small field chapel of the Fenzlhof. A raindrop falling through the leaky roof at this moment gives the impression that the wooden statue of the Virgin Mary is shedding a tear. Kathi interprets this sign from heaven in her own way and, with the help of her clever son Leonard, stages the miracle of Merching. The sensational news spreads like wildfire, whole busloads of pilgrims want to see the "Weeping Madonna". The flow of visitors revitalizes the orphaned gastronomy of the pilgrimage site - the incorporation is therefore off the table. Krontaler foams with anger and asks the Ordinariate Commission to examine the supposed miracle.