Christian Schwochow (director)
Zero One Films (studio)
15 (certificate)
98 minutes (length)
12 June 2015 (released)
10 June 2015
Nelly and her son leave East Germany when her partner a well known physicist is killed in a car crash. She feels that her luck can change and she can find work as a biologist and a better life in West Germany. When they arrive however she finds that the same issues of bureaucracy, intimidation and hostility she faced in the East are ever present in the west also. All would have been livable if not for the unwanted attention of a group of American military officers, working at the refugee center she is placed into. The start to interrogate her about her partner and his work for the GDR science labs. She now is trapped and it almost feels as if she had never left the cold steel of the curtain behind.
The German Democratic Republic or as Wikipedia affectionately records it 'East Germany' is almost another lifetime away from most readers. We have never lived under or will know of the Stasi. I know of their activities because of the book Stasiland by Anna Funder (A worthwhile and informed read). We do not see the hidden world and the horrors endured under them and having only as a reference point the excellent The Lives Of Others. Now in West we have a different approach to this hidden world. This world of uncertainty is not the narrative, this has changed direction and reversed. We see the lives of the new 'others', refugees from the east who have come to escape their former existence and create new lives. These lives are filled with hardship and toil, often they resulted in years of inactivity, harassment and lost lives.Those lucky to be released are then sent into a world so alien to them, it would be as if we jumped 50 years into the future and were then expected to just 'get on with it'.
This film is one of the most human I have ever seen. Christian Schwochow takes a piece that could have really gone one of two ways and makes it compelling and compassionate. By mixing fantastic period detail, personal stories and political intrigue with a stand out performance from Jördis Triebel, Schwochow captures the heart of events. This is an essential measure to both character and also audience interaction. Scenes are well paced and balanced, no over performance and no aggressive exposition.We must not forget that this is helped in no small way by a very engaging and well written script (By his mother Heide). The script has great, real dialogue that sets to build the world and not simply move plot along. We are treated to exposing the dimensions of personality and in such a short time this is hard. The costume and set design is extrordinary as well, adding layers that might be lost but are so substantial as to be key to all of the previous. Without them we would not be sold on the lives of these 'others'.
Finally I wish to commend the performance of Triebel. She has the grace and presence of a lead actress but the fragility of a person. This means that she carves a performance of equal sides. The actress that commands the stage and captures the focus of the viewer but also captures the heart as well. This is no mean feat as it is hard to have both hats on at once. The dark edge of being a lead with the soft touch of a normal person or read this as Character actress. The chances are we will see her in Hollywood and making a film of less note that this...don't worry she will be back and I cant wait...
They will also not remember the food shortages, bureaucracy, fear and intimidation.