''Westler'' is a 1985 film originally produced for

West German West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

television and later released in cinema. It was directed by

Wieland Speck Wieland Speck (* 1951 in Freiburg im Breisgau) is a German film director, who since 1992 has coordinated "Panorama" at the International Filmfestival Berlin (Berlinale). Panorama showcases new films by established directors, as well as debut work ...

and broadcast on

ZDF ZDF (, short for Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen; ; "Second German Television") is a German public-service television broadcaster based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. It is run as an independent nonprofit institution, which was founded by all fe ...

Synopsis

Felix is visited in

West Berlin West Berlin (german: Berlin (West) or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin during the years of the Cold War. Although West Berlin was de jure not part of West Germany, lacked any sovereignty, and was under mi ...

by an American friend from

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. The two make a day trip to

East Berlin East Berlin was the ''de facto'' capital city of East Germany from 1949 to 1990. Formally, it was the Allied occupation zones in Germany, Soviet sector of Berlin, established in 1945. The American, British, and French sectors were known as ...

where they meet Thomas. Thomas and Felix fall in love but are divided by the

Wall A wall is a structure and a surface that defines an area; carries a load; provides security, shelter, or soundproofing; or, is decorative. There are many kinds of walls, including: * Walls in buildings that form a fundamental part of the supe ...

, much like all of Germany at the time. Felix tries to keep their relationship strong by making regular visits to Thomas in the East, but this raises the suspicions of the

East German East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

authorities. Eventually, Thomas seeks to flee to West Germany by flying to

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

, where a

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus' Places * Czech, ...

friend has arranged a contact with an escape helper.

Background

''Westler'' is noteworthy for its realistic portrayal of a gay relationship under difficult circumstances, as well as for having been filmed partly in

without permission from

authorities.

Cast

* Sigurd Rachman as Felix *

Rainer Strecker Rainer Strecker (born 25 October 1965) is a German actor. Life Strecker trained as an actor at the Otto-Falckenberg-Schule in Munich. Awards Selected filmography Audio Rainer Strecker spricht die Hörbuchreihe der Tintenwelt, sowie die ...

as Thomas * Andy Lucas as Bruce * Frank Rediess as Bernie * Andreas Bernhardt as Jürgen * Sasha Kogo as Elke *

Hans-Jürgen Punte Hans-Jürgen is a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Hans-Jürgen Abt of Abt Sportsline, a motor racing and auto tuning company based in Kempten im Allgäu, Germany *Hans-Jürgen von Arnim (1889–1962), German colonel-general (Gen ...

as Lutze * Zazie de Paris as night club singer *

Harry Baer Harry Baer (born Harry Zöttl on 27 September 1947) is a German actor, producer and author, best known for his work with director Rainer Werner Fassbinder. He has also been credited as Harry Bär. Life Harry Baer began his career in Munich when h ...

as Customs officer *

Christoph Eichhorn Christoph Eichhorn (born 8 September 1957, in Kassel, West Germany) is a German television actor and director. Life He is the son of German actor Werner Eichhorn. From 1972 to 1977 Eichhorn worked as actor at Schauspielhaus Bochum. As film ...

as actor * Jörg Uwe Dost as Guest at the bar *

Thomas Kretschmann Thomas Kretschmann (; born 8 September 1962) is a German actor who has appeared in many European and American films. His notable roles include Lieutenant Hans von Witzland in '' Stalingrad'' (1993), Hauptmann Wilm Hosenfeld in '' The Pianist'' ( ...

as Soldier * Georges Stamkowski as Pavel *

The Waltons ''The Waltons'' is an American historical drama television series about a family in rural Virginia during the Great Depression and World War II. It was created by Earl Hamner Jr., based on his 1961 book ''Spencer's Mountain'' and the 1963 film ...

as the Band **

Martin Zastrow Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austral ...

as Band member **

Engelbert Rehm Engelbert may refer to: *Engelbert (name), including a list of people with the name * Herr Engelbert Von Smallhausen, in the British sitcom Allo 'Allo!'' * Engelbert, Netherlands, a village in the municipality of Groningen, Netherlands See also *E ...

as Band member *

Andrew Kelner Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is frequently shortened to "Andy" or "Drew". The word is derived ...

as little child

Awards

* Max Ophüls Festival, Audience Award, 1985 * San Francisco International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, Audience Award, 1986 * Torino International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, the Festival's Plate, 1987

Reception

The film gained a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 50%. *Helmut Schödel in

Die Zeit ''Die Zeit'' (, "The Time") is a German national weekly newspaper published in Hamburg in Germany. The newspaper is generally considered to be among the German newspapers of record and is known for its long and extensive articles. History The ...

said "… secretly must be filmed, secretly loved … it's about love, not about truth … I'm excited …" * Encyclopedia of International Film : "A film about one in the multiple sense, love between the systems"; He tries to describe the Berlin Wall not only as an obstacle between people and political blocs, but also as a borderline between the Old and New World. " * Uwe Witiatock, from

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung The ''Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung'' (; ''FAZ''; "''Frankfurt General Newspaper''") is a centre-right conservative-liberal and liberal-conservativeHans Magnus Enzensberger: Alter Wein in neuen Schläuchen' (in German). ''Deutschland Radio'', ...

said "Partially without official filming permission and therefore filmed with a hidden camera, the divided city of Berlin has an unreal, foreign atmosphere, as if we were in Hong Kong or Singapore. You feel like being in the role of a visitor to a zoo, marveling at the conditions under which beings live in a completely different world." *

taz Taz or TAZ may refer to: Geography *Taz (river), a river in western Siberia, Russia *Taz Estuary, the estuary of the river Taz in Russia People * Taz people, an ethnic group in Russia ** Taz language, a form of Northeastern Mandarin spoken by ...

: "The love story between the young men is extremely pleasant, unobtrusive and unimaginably self-evident. Partially filmed with a hidden camera on original DDR locations, Westler is one of the few German productions that is worthwhile!"

References

External links

* 1985 films 1985 television films 1980s German-language films German LGBT-related films 1985 romantic drama films Films set in Berlin Films set in 1985 West German films Films shot in Berlin Films set in the 1980s LGBT-related romantic drama films 1985 LGBT-related films Films shot in the Czech Republic 1980s German films {{LGBT-drama-film-stub