På Nära Håll DVD

BASED ON THE TRUE STORY OF EAST GERMANY'S LAST ESCAPE

East Berlin, 1981. An idealist ensnared by the Stasi.

Young scientist Dr. Franz Walter believes he has found happiness. Walter is offered a prestigious professorship after completing his doctorate at Humboldt University in Berlin. To further cement his career advancement, he also gets a luxurious apartment in central East Berlin. But in reality, this is just a way for the STASI, East Germany's Ministry for State Security, to get their claws into him. Walter plays along at first. Soon, however, the results of his work begin to take a toll on his mental and physical health. Step by step, he is driven to desperate measures in an attempt to escape. A drama based on real events from the life of Werner Teske. The story shows the tragic consequences of the paranoid and violent surveillance society that was built up in East Germany and the other countries behind the Iron Curtain during the latter half of the twentieth century. Teske was the last man to be executed in East Germany before the death penalty was abolished in 1987.Screenwriter and director Franziska Stünkel has received numerous awards for her films and her work as a photographic artist. Among her most notable projects is the mega-production Der Tag der Norddeutsche. The 18-hour documentary depicts the lives of 121 people over the course of a single day. The film was made with the help of a team of 400 people who filmed a total of 700 hours of material on May 11, 2012. An even more powerful commitment lies behind På nära håll. Stünkel wrote her script after a little over nine years of historical research and archival studies. Her aim with the film is to highlight a macabre historical fact, unknown to many today. That the death penalty was imposed and carried out in the GDR. More facts about this can be found on the film's (German-language) website, which you can find here.

WINNER – BEST SCREENPLAY – NEW GERMAN CINEMA

—

* * * * "Heartbreaking. A time machine back to the surveillance tyranny of the GDR." – DN

* * * * ”The greatness lies in Eidinger's strong and credible performance” – DN

* * * * "A portrayal that resonates deep into tomorrow" – Kulturbloggen

"Skillful portrayal of life in a dictatorship"nbsp;– Aftonbladet

”A gripping thriller based on real events” – Kommunalarbetaren

”Stylish, with impeccable set design” – Sydsvenskan

—

* * * * * ”Engaging blend of political drama and psychological thriller” – Filmstarts

* * * * * ”Exquisitely executed and emotionally charged” – Kinocritics

”Exciting and soberly told” – Weekend Notes

Specifications