Jenseits der Mauer (2009)

 

 

 

 

Jenseits der Mauer is a historical drama about life and love during the final months of East Germany.

 

It was shown on German television (WDR & NDR) and released on DVD in 2009.

 

Here is some basic information about it:

 

** English title: Beyond the Wall

** Directed by Friedemann Fromm

** Written by Holger Karsten Schmidt

** Language: German – no English subtitles!

** Run time: 88 minutes

 

The cast includes the following:

 

** Henriette Confurius as Miriam Molitor // Rebecca Pramann

** Katja Flint as Heike Molitor – Miriam’s mother

** Edgar Selge as Ulrich Molitor – Miriam’s father

** Franz Dinda as Klaus Molitor – Miriam’s brother

 

** Ulrike Krumbiegel as Susanne Pramann – Rebecca’s adoptive mother

** Herbert Knaup as Frank Pramann – Rebecca’s adoptive father

 

** Renate Krössner as Brigitte Schröder - leader of an orphanage

** Veit Stübner as Karl-Heinz Schröder – a Stasi officer

 

** Hanno Koffler as Victor – a young man (in East Germany) who likes Rebecca

** Moritz Grove as Nils Dreher – a young man (from West Germany) who likes Rebecca

 

As stated above, this is a historical drama. A fictional story placed in a historical context.

 

In this case, the context is the final months of East Germany.

 

I do not wish to spoil the viewing for anyone. This is why I am not going to reveal too much about what happens in this movie. I will only tell you how it begins.

 

The story begins in 1974 when Ulrich and Heike Molitor try to cross the inner German border between East Germany (DDR) and West Germany (BRD) with false documents.

 

Hidden in the trunk of their car are their two young children: Klaus and Miriam. An East German border guard is suspicious of them and their motives. He thinks there is something wrong. He is right.

 

When he asks them to step out of the car, Ulrich panicks. He starts the car and tries to force his way from east to west. He does not succeed.

 

The car is stopped by the guards and the parents are arrested for trying to leave the country (Republikflucht), which was a serious crime in East Germany.

 

In court, the parents Ulrich and Heike are sentenced to six years in prison, while their children Klaus and Miriam are to be given up for adoption.

 

After the verdict is read out, a Stasi officer tells them that there is an alternative: they may leave East Germany at once, but there is a catch:

 

They can only take their son Klaus with them; they must leave their daughter Miriam behind (for adoption in East Germany).

 

This offer places the parents in a horrible dilemma:

 

Go to prison and lose both children? Or go to the west, but give up one child to do it?

 

They choose the latter option, although their hearts are breaking as they do it.

 

Now the story jumps ca. fifteen years forward in time, to the beginning of the year 1989

 

This is the last year of East Germany. We know this, but the characters in the drama do not know this.

 

Ulrich and Heike are now living in West Berlin with their son Klaus, who is upset every time his parents want to remember the daughter they had to leave behind.

 

Miriam is living in Leipzig with her adoptive parents Susanne and Frank, who have given her a new name: Rebecca Pramann.

 

Miriam is now 17 years old, but does not know that she was adopted as a child.

 

This is how the story begins, and this is where my presentation ends.

 

I am not going to offer more details.

 

But I can reveal one thing: this drama is captivating, dramatic, and emotional. While the characters in the movie are fictional, the historical context in which they are placed is real and (as far as I know) it is portrayed in a realistic way.

 

What do reviewers say about this drama?

 

On IMDb it has a rating of 67 per cent.

 

On Amazon Germany there are at the moment 190 ratings of this product, including 38 with reviews.

 

The average rating is 4.6 stars, which corresponds to a rating of 92 percent.

 

If you ask me, the first rating is too low, while the second rating is more appropriate.

 

I want to go all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars (100 percent).

 

PS # 1. Friedemann Fromm is the director of several movies, including Nacht über Berlin (2013).

 

PS # 2. The struggle for freedom in East Germany and the end of the Berlin Wall is the subject of several television movies. Here are some examples:

** Prager Botschaft (2007)

** Wir sind das Volk (2008)

** Es ist nicht vorbei (2011)

** Bornholmer Strasse (2014)

 

*****