Barbara (2012 German film)

Recently, I finally managed to see the 2012 German film Barbara, after purchasing the DVD.

The film, directed by Christian Petzold, is set in the German Democratic Republic, circa 1980.  Barbara (played by Nina Hoss) is a physician, who formerly worked at a prestigious hospital in East Berlin, but she has been "banished" to a small clinic near the Baltic coast, apparently as punishment for having submitted an application to leave East Germany. Essentially the movie centres on Barbara's relationship with her colleague Andre, who has some secrets of his own, and on the activities of some people wishing to escape from the DDR.

The first things which was noticeable to me about this movie were its "autumnal" hues, characteristic of many films about East Germany. Apart from being easy on the eye, this property also helps to capture the supposed drabness of life in the DDR.

Another strand which runs throughout Barbara is a pervasive atmosphere of wariness and guardedness amongst the characters. People may have been conditioned to suspect the motives and intentions of others, expecting to be betrayed or placed under surveillance of some kind.

If a mood of mutual suspicion and distrust was indeed a feature of the East German system, then this is shrewdly and effectively conveyed in this picture. Tension is created and accentuated by a certain quietness, and an uneasy tranquility.

Much of the dialogue is sparse and clipped, as if nobody wants to say anything incriminating or susceptible to misinterpretation. The unease and circumspection are palpable. However, this is all done in such a way that the viewer senses that most citizens knew the score and the realities of the security apparatus, and that there was an unspoken assumption amongst people about the degree to which people's lives were infiltrated and manipulated.

The "provincial" setting makes a welcome change from the concrete canyons which often dominate movies about East Germany. We see some different facets of the country and the system. Many of the scenes in the countryside are accompanied by very breezy weather conditions, and this complements the subject matter quite well.

Nina Hoss gives a highly believable and sensitive performance as Barbara, and Ronald Zehrfeld is also excellent in the role of Andre Reiser, The plot unfolds subtly and gradually, not giving too much away, but it is beautifully realised, and the result is an understated but highly affecting story.

To sum up, Barbara is an absorbing, elegantly produced and at times moving film.

Sonnenallee - 1999 film

I recently watched Sonnenallee, a 1999 German comedy film, directed by Leander Haussman.

This is a movie which I had been wanting to see for some little time, and I was glad that I did.  The work tells the story, set in the late 1970s, of a group of people living in East Berlin, very close to the East/West border. Indeed, the street on which they reside is "bisected" by the Berlin Wall itself. Some have friends or relatives living in the West.

The younger people are obsessed with "forbidden" Western rock and pop music.  One of the characters devotes much of his time endeavouring to obtain, by "unofficial" means, a copy of the Rolling Stones' Exile On Main St. album.

The main character, Micha, is preoccupied with his efforts to win the heart of the beautiful Miriam. Alexander Scheer excels in the role of Micha, and it is his performance which helps make Sonnenallee so endearing and entertaining.

As I watched the picture I found myself trying to work out which parts of the script were satirical and which were intended literally. The writers were undoubtedly poking fun at some of the GDR's shortcomings and absurdities, but I also gained the impression that they were seeking to get across the notion that the state had its plus points.  They may have been hoping to go beyond stereotypical portrayals, and in places could actually have been satirizing the West's often simplistic depictions of East German society.

There are some great "set piece" scenes in the film, some revolving around music, others looking at peculiar or noteworthy aspects of life in the GDR.  I enjoyed the parts which examined the issue of the smuggling of contraband from West to East.

Quite apart from the historical and political sub-texts, this is simply a very engaging and enjoyable film. I am admittedly highly receptive to the subject matter here, but I found this much funnier than most Western films of its type.

Eolomea (1972 film)

My odyssey through Eastern European science fiction continues with Eolomea, a 1972 film which I believe was an East German/Soviet/Bulgarian co-production. It was directed by Herrmann Zschoche, and based on a book by Angel Wagenstein.

The plot concerns the disappearance of some spaceships and the severing of communications with a large space station. An investigation is instigated by the authorities on Earth, and a series of curious events unfolds.  "Eolomea" refers to the name of a mysterious planet which it turns out is the ultimate objective of clandestine manoeuvres by space personnel.

The first thing to say about this one is that it appears to take a while to get going, or at least for a large part of its duration it appears to be going nowhere. There is lots of rambling dialogue, apparently about nothing in particular.  Towards the end, however, it all begins to make sense, and I found myself identifying with some of the characters on a human level, because of the care taken to exhibit their traits and concerns.

In the final analysis, I enjoyed it. A genuine story, not just a series of scenes put together for "philosophical" purposes.  Not a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination, but a reasonably engrossing watch.  There are some flashback sequences, and these are initially a little confusing, but they do add to the overall effect of the story.

As is almost standard in sci-fi stories of the time, the tale is related against a backdrop of international unity and co-operation, with the goings-on at the beginning of the movie under the scrutiny of some kind of "space council", with representatives from all over Earth. I liked the performance of Cox Habbema as Professor Scholl, the leader of the investigation and the subsequent expedition to the space-station Margot.

Overall, then, an interesting movie, which is less flashy and ostentatious than most of its genre.

The Lives Of Others (2006 film) - review

Every so often I watch a movie which brushes away some of the cobwebs in my jaded and cynical mind, and brings about some hope.  Such a film is The Lives Of Others ("Das Leben der Anderen"), a German movie originally released in 2006, and written and directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck.

The story is set in East Germany, largely in the mid-1980s.  A writer and his partner are placed under surveillance by the Stasi (the secret police), partly at the behest, it seems, of the Minister of Culture. However, the officer overseeing the surveillance operation soon begins to feel sympathy and compassion for the couple, and tries wherever possible to protect them from the attentions of his own colleagues. 

It is this scenario which plays a large part in making the picture such a gripping and absorbing one. The viewer can never really tell when the methods of agent Wiesler (superbly played by Ulrich Muhe, by the way) will be questioned  by his superiors. The effect is aided by some of the opening scenes, in which Wiesler is shown as an unquestioning and severe servant of the system. Perhaps he sees in the humanity of those he is scrutinizing qualities which bring out his own latent humanity, and the facade recedes. The irony is that he had a hand in the surveillance being instigated in the first place, on what appeared to be a "gut feeling".

Every time the story shows signs of becoming predictable, it maintains its composure and moves off in some new and stimulating direction. This movie is very elegantly shot, and the cinematography emits what might be termed autumnal hues, which are very pleasing to the eye, and which may or may not have been intended as symbolic. 

The oppressive atmosphere within the Stasi is vividly portrayed, but as something insidious and almost unpredictable, rather than one of unremitting blunt force. We are also reminded that even in the DDR the normal human frailties and demons, such as jealousy, lust and insecurity, were to the fore.

Martina Gedeck has great screen presence in the role of Christa-Maria, effectively evoking the mixture of confusion, realism and resignation which the character feels. In fact, the acting is consistently good, coming from some familiar faces in German cinema.

The ending of the film is beautifully conceived and done, and it pretty much leaves conclusions to the interpretation of the viewer.  My own feeling was that despite the minor sense of "redemption", everybody lost in some way. 

The Lives Of Others is a quietly enthralling and moving film, which is one of the best I have seen in recent years. 

The Legend of Rita - (2000 movie) - review

I recently watched the German film "The Legend of Rita", from the year 2000, (released in Germany under the name "Die Stille Nach dem Schuss), directed by Volker Schlondorff.  Somehow this movie had escaped my attention for the past decade and more, which is odd when I consider that its subject matter is the type which genuinely fascinates me.

The movie tells the story of a West German former urban guerrilla (Rita, played by Bibiana Beglau) who takes refuge in East Germany, and is provided with a new identity by the Stasi, and assumes the guise of an "ordinary" citizen in the socialist state.  She has to cope with the fear of her past being exposed, and thus causing embarrassment to the authorities of the DDR, and the fall of the Berlin Wall later complicates the situation further. Her relationship with Tatjana (Nadja Uhl) is also explored.

Once the preliminary sequences were out of the way, and the story settled into a portrayal of Rita's travails in her new life in the East, I felt that the film found its true identity. The "human interest" angles were sensitively done, and were quite touching at times, especially the friendship between Rita and Tatjana. The tension was palpable, as one kept expecting Rita's cover to be blown in some way, or for her "back story" to unravel, and this helped me identify with her anxiety and also appreciate the resilience and vigilance she had to summon up in order to cope.

There are clear allusions in this movie to real people, and to real-life events, but in the end it is a fictitious tale. This means that there was no need, or temptation. to pack in every historical anecdote and incident.  "The Legend of Rita" moves at its own pace, and on its own terms.

In my view, the early "action" scenes were a mixed bag, but I guess that they were essential to some degree for a full understanding of the background to the story. The rhetoric emanating from the mouths of the "terrorists" was occasionally corny, but it also helped to highlight and express their frustrations, their dilemmas and the disagreements which occasionally plagued their enterprises.

One of the central themes which the film articulates is how Rita's idealism and enthusiasm for the GDR "project" came up against the cynicism and apathy of the East German people who she encountered. As much of the story is set in the 1980s, the penny had clearly dropped with the populace by then. I ended up seeing both sides of the argument, acknowledging the stultification which the East Germans had endured, but also perhaps sensing that Rita had really "found" herself in her new environment, having escaped what she perceived to be the numbing effects of consumerism and the "rat race".

"The Legend of Rita" also raises the old question of theory versus reality, with the main protagonist being brought face-to-face with the pragmatism which real life, bitter and sour experience, and empirical evidence,  instill in people. Fine and lofty words and ideas are all well and good, but they don't always work in practice, or satisfy the basic aspirations of the masses. There is one very instructive scene, just after Rita has made the decision to remain in the East, when Erwin, the Stasi man, does his best, using some oblique language,to warn her what she will be up against.

It would be easy to accept that the film presents an image of uniform greyness, austerity and conformity in East Germany, but that is not quite the impression which I formed. We see many attitudes, problems and practices which have a universal resonance, including mental illness and alcoholism.  Yes, the tone and the atmosphere are primarily dark, but isn't this everyday life, for most people, wherever they happen to live?  The picture which was painted was to me rather nuanced and credible.

Two acting performances really stand out.  Bibiana Beglau is excellent as Rita, conveying her complex personality, which has perhaps partly been conditioned by her unorthodox life. A mixture of insecurity, courage, resolution, fear and even fatalism. Nadja Uhl is very engaging as Tatjana, bringing out her character's vulnerability and her humanity. The scene where the two characters part I found very moving, and also tough to watch.

I found this picture to be more plausible and well-executed than most works which cover similar territory.  The understated production values, and the believable countenance of some of the characters aided in this. It certainly got my grey matter churning, and the movie gently poses some awkward and pertinent questions.

I still wasn't quite expecting that ending, though....

Stasiland - Anna Funder

In recent times I have developed something of a fascination with the history and politics of the former German Democratic Republic (East Germany), although there is surprisingly, and frustratingly, little material readily available in English (unless I have not been searching hard enough...)

One of the most affecting documents which I have come across is the book Stasiland, by Anna Funder. In this book, Funder speaks to a number of people, both ordinary citizens and servants of the state machinery, about life in the DDR, focussing mainly on the activities of the Stasi, the notorious state security service, and other elements of the apparatus.

Stasiland is very gritty, and Funder manages to convey the grime and gloom of the DDR era, as well as the lingering legacy of those days.  It possibly helps that she is/was something of an outsider, and therefore able to see the wood from the trees, peering through the complacency, nostalgia and illusions, and being less inured to the drip-drip of indoctrination, and what became perceived "norms". Perhaps this all enabled her to recognise more acutely some of the absurdities and anomalies of the DDR system, in comparison to those who became jaded and resigned to its existence.

The whole book feels like a prolonged glimpse back into a dark tunnel from which all concerned have emerged with varying degrees of pain and regret.

Some of the case studies examined here are extremely moving, poignant and humbling.  In cataloguing events, and coaxing recollections from the protagonists, the author captures some of the darkness, desperation, paranoia, claustrophobia, fear and courage. The one which hit me hardest was the story of the woman who attempted to escape to the West when she was around sixteen years of age.

As well as powerfully relating the stories of various individuals, Stasiland also serves as an abbreviated and condensed history of East Germany. At various stages, aspects of the DDR saga are told, helping to place these stories in some kind of context. The passages on the momentous events of 1989/90 I found particularly enlightening.

Overall, one detects a profound relief that the old regime has disappeared, but also a kind of ennui and emptiness, as if nothing has really taken its place,  a state of flux. Freedom, but also sterility and confusion. It  must be borne in mind that this book was published in 2003, so things may have moved on slightly since then.

The book paints a more complex, nuanced picture of the DDR than is often portrayed in the mainstream media, and it delves beneath the lazy cliches and stereotypes.

There are stories of courage and principle, of how some people even out-witted the system, and played on the fears, insecurities and paranoia of some of those within it. Perhaps the machinery was not quite as monolithic as has often been assumed, and there were kinks which could be exploited. By the same token, not everyone had the savoir-faire, leverage or contacts to confront the system.

The book also carries with it the mixed feelings which were harboured by some at that time about the disappearance of the Wall.  The certainties and "security" instilled by the socialist system were recognised and even missed in many quarters. It would be interesting to know to what extent this ambivalence persists to this day.

Stasiland does not just strive to discredit and demonize the old structures, but gives ample scope for the expounding of misgivings about the Western ways. These sentiments are not just from the mouths of philosophers, but from those of genuine, sensible citizens.  This side of the story is dealt with very maturely and sensibly. One quotation which really sticks in my mind was an observation about the number of types of ketchup available in the West!

Reading this book, I found myself jumping between sadness, anger and awe. Much of it is scarcely a joyful read, but in places it is quite inspiring, seeing how ordinary people seek to maintain and protect their dignity and their families and friends in the face of a callous foe.  It also serves as a valuable snapshot of a fascinating stage in history.