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Small crime, big crime
Eastern Cross (Germany, 1991)
Ostkreuz
Berlin in the winter of 1989. Having fled East Germany via Hungary, 15-year-old Elfie and her mother return to Berlin. Now homeless, they end up in a container village in the no man’s land between East and West. Elfie, trying to help set up home again and set on making money, gets involved in shady business deals with Darius, who is involved in the black marketeering between Germany and Poland. Michael Klier’s austere, subdued drama launched the film career of Laura Tonke, who was actually 15-years-old during shooting and had never acted in front of a camera before. No other film about Berlin shows this time of change in such a harsh and unforgiving light.
DCP, color, 83 min. Director: Michael Klier. Producer: Michael Klier. Screenwriter: Michael Klier, Karen Aström. Cinematographer: Sophie Maintigneux. Editor: Bettina Böhler. Production Designer: Irene Möbius. Music: Fred Frith. Cast: Laura Tonke, Miroslav Baka, Suzanne von Borsody, Steffan Camman.
In the Shadows (Germany, 2009/10)
Im Schatten
Trojan’s profession is crime, his specialty topnotch robberies. Just released from prison, he aims for a new life but has to start from scratch. Richard, who owes Trojan money from an earlier heist, refuses to pay up. Instead, he puts his people on Trojan’s trail to get rid of him. When Trojan gets the chance to plan the hold-up of a big money-transport with his old buddy Nico, a corrupt policeman demands his cut. Trojan has a hard time staying on top of things in this maze of mistrust, violence, and treason. Berlin 20 years after unification forms the background of this modern film noir.
35mm, color, 86 min. Director: Thomas Arslan. Producer: Inge Classen, Florian Koerner von Gustorf, Michael Weber. Screenwriter: Thomas Arslan. Cinematographer: Reinhold Vorschneider. Editor: Bettina Blickwede. Production Designer: Reinhild Blaschke. Music: Geir Jenssen. Cast: Misel Maticevic, Karoline Eichhorn, Uwe Bohm, Rainer Bock, Peter Kurth.
