Original subtitles

East Berlin, 1975

You're freezing cold.

I'll give you my sweater.

Take good care of it.

See you next week.

Bye, Wassya!

Stop m

Three years later

Alexei!

Come on.

Nelly...

I need to go to the bathroom. - Not now.

Your ID, please.

She's got official permission to emigrate.

Alexei?

I need to go to the bathroom. - You can't.

Of course you can. Get out. - He can wait.

But he's desperate. Come on!

Gerd Becker is my new dad.

We'll go over to that building, OK? - I'll come with you.

Get back in the car. - No. - Please. - What do you want?

I'll take him to the bathroom and you get back in the car.

Come on, Alexei!

Get back in the car!

Let go of me!

Come with me, please.

Where's my son?

Take off your clothes, please.

I beg your pardon? - It's just routine.

Everything.

Your watch.

Your necklace.

Your rings.

This one won't come off. - All rings come off. - Not this one. - We have soap.

Please don't.

About time, Mom. We always have to wait for you.

Did they check you? - I'm not sick.

Nelly, sit down.

I told them Gerd's my new dad.

It's just a white lie.

WEST

Here.

It was a pleasure.

For now.

You'll get your money, don't worry.

I'm taking this with me.

REFUGEE CENTER

Don't!

Behave yourself, Yelena!

Frau Senff, please.

I can see somebody's tired.

Can I take one, too? - Help yourself.

Why did you leave East Germany, Frau Senff?

For private reasons.

And you're Alexei?

That's a nice name. Russian?

Gerd Becker's my new dad.

You don't have to say that anymore.

My father's from the Soviet Union.

But he's dead.

I see. And what's your father's name?

Wassily. - Wassily Batalov.

You've been through a lot.

Do you have any plans?

I'd like to work again.

Any friends or relatives in West Germany who can help you?

No.

40, 60, 80, 100, 10, 20, 30, 40.

Meal tickets for a week, and that's for you as well.

Will I have to give it back? - No, it's yours.

Get one stamp for each box, then you'll be a citizen of West Germany.

So many? - Exactly twelve, young lady.

How long does it take'? - That depends on you: a week, ten days.

Thanks.

Excuse me?

Do you know where Block B is?

Thanks.

Can I have that?

Cheers.

Another one!

Say thanks. - Thanks.

Here it is.

Put on your pajamas.

Sorry...

I just wanted to wash my hands.

Just arrived? - Yeah, ten minutes ago.

And you?

18 months ago. - 18 months?

I'm Nelly.

Krystyna Jablonovska, room 17.

Nelly Senff, room 16.

If you need a bowl, room 17.

First aid...

Sick bay.

Morning. - Morning. Remove your clothes, please.

I beg your pardon? - Undress.

Not nice, but we have to do it.

I have to check if you're fit to stay here. It's just routine.

Well'? Are we fit to be here'?

No creepy-crawlies.

Could I have your attention, please?

This is Alexei. He and his mom just arrived from East Germany.

Hi.

Introduce yourself, Alexei.

Alexei Senff, nine years old, third grade.

Albert Kuntz School,

39... 49 Gleimstrasse.

Albert Kuntz: Who's that?

He was an anti-fascist.

He sabotaged bombs during the war.

He was cold-bloodedly killed by the Nazis in Dora Concentration Camp.

I see.

You're still wearing your Pioneer neckerchief. - They aren't red.

There are red ones, too. - Without white dots.

Frau Senff? - Yes. - This way, please.

I did my PhD in organic chemistry,

under Professor Karsten Glaser.

My special field is the pyrolysis of hydrocarbons,

but I could imagine doing medical research. - I'm sorry, but you're too early.

How do you mean'?

You need all the stamps first.

No papers, no job.

Cam you pm my name down new

I really want to work again.

That's the law.

But I'm looking forward to seeing you here again, Frau Senff.

Morning, Fleischman. - Senff.

Hello, my name's John Bird.

I represent the United States of America.

How are you'?

Fine?

Don't be afraid, Frau Senff, you're in safety.

Just a few questions.

You left East Germany. Why?

Personal reasons.

For a change of scenery...

to forget things.

For a change of scenery? No political reasons?

No.

I want to make a fresh start...

live.

You're a chemist? - Yes.

You have a PhD.

You have a son as well. - Why "as well"?

You're still so young.

Thanks. - What did you research?

The last two years I worked at the cemetery...

You lost your job at the Academy of Sciences?

It's normal if you apply to leave. - You're defending the system? - What?

Excuse me.

Come Lord Jesus and be our guest,

and bless the meal that you have sent.

Amen, amen, amen.

wen eat our lunch with good cheer, and eat each morsel we have here.

We won't spill or waste a thing, bon appétit.

I have to go, my mom's here.

Alexei! - Bye!

Wait!

What were you working on?

At the academy, I mean.

What do you want to knovW - Everything.

I didn't come here to give you information.

If you don't cooperate, we can't help you.

With what?

Cigarette?

No, thanks.

We'll be seeing each other again.

Thank you.

Alexei. Get dressed, will you?

Wait, I'll help you.

Don't forget, the Stasi are everywhere.

Anything can happen here.

Good luck. - Likewise. - Thanks.

Say...

What do the allied security services want? - What are "allied security services"?

Germany lost the war,

and the countries who won left their soldiers here.

I know that. - Really? Carry on, then.

In East Germany it's the Russians, here it's the Yanks...

...French and British.

They don't trust each other, so they all have spies here.

And their security services. - What do they make secure?

Nothing. - So what do they want? - They...

They sound us out.

And if we don't do what they say, they shoot us.

Dad, sit down. I've made some tea... - Is this the way home?

Home?

Dr. Wassily Batalov...

Physicist in East Germany from '65.

December 15, 1975,

killed in car accident.

Is this information correct?

Yes.

Who informed you of Batalov's death?

The police.

And you identified the body?

No, the accident was in Moscow, I didn't attend the funeral.

But he was the father of your child.

Or did we get that wrong?

We weren't married. - You weren't allowed to say farewell to him?

Is there a restroom here? - Out the door, down the hall, then left.

I'll tell you why I wanted to leave East Germany.

Because of questions like these...

which insinuate...

attack...

and keep breaking open old wounds.

You say you left East Germany because of the questions they asked you. What questions?

"How did he say goodbye?"

Well?

Same as always before a congress.

Why do you think they asked you these questions?

They never told me.

Why are you asking me these questions?

Have you never asked yourself if he's still alive?

No.

You can go.

Fine.

We'll see you tomorrow. - Fine.

Hi.

Got a cigarette?

Thanks.

How long have you been here'?

Two years.

Two years?

They have the same blue-and-white-checked bedclothes as in East German jails.

I got used to it.

A revolutionary, eh?

Why so sarcastic?

Oh, no!

Do you know her? - Never seen her before.

I'm Nelly.

Hans.

So how come you're still here'?

There's a kind of curse here: Either you leave right away or...

you're stuck here.

I don't understand.

It's better that way.

Thanks.

Have you got any money?

What are you doing?

Which block do you live in? - We don't speak German.

Come on!

Uncle Gennady's fetching us tomorrow.

Who's that?

Our uncle from Braunstadt. We're moving there.

Why?

Dad says it's nice there.

We're leaving soon, too.

Where are you going?

Somewhere really nice.

Nelly? Mom?

Yeah? - Can't you sleep either?

Do you want to come down?

It stinks here.

Sleep.

Come on, Yelena.

A funeral, but without you.

A man burnt to death, a body that can't be identified.

And you don't think he might be alive? - What do you want?

You act as if you knew something.

Then tell me what you know about Wassily.

Is he alive?

We'll be seeing each other again.

Stop!

Oh no, not now! - Please.

I was out all day. - Sol should miss my train? Come back tomorrow.

Have you got any bread? - Sure.

Maria...

I'll be along in a minute.

What are you doing?

What's the matter? - We still need eleven stamps.

Why do you still need eleven?

Can you really play that thing?

I used to play in an orchestra.

Dad!

My daughter. - You speak German.

One, two: potato stew. Three, four: Berlin Wall. Five, six: German chicks.

Seven, eight: Brandenburg Gate. Nine, ten: Mercedes Benz.

He always said we should come to Germany. We're German.

My mother didn't want to.

No sooner had we arrived than she died.

Maria...

Would you play something for us? - No. - Please.

Can these hands still play? - Yes, they can.

No, they can't. - Yes, they can.

Bitches! - Shut up!

Sometimes he would disappear for days, then suddenly show up at the door.

One time he said we were going to get married.

The next day he'd forgotten all about it.

He was completely unpredictable.

The son of a bitch.

But he was...

a very special person.

And he had a special way of touching me.

You're like my father. You live in the past, too.

I just want to know if he's alive. - What for?

Either he's dead or he's a complete asshole.

I want to confront him. - And then?

I can finally bury him. - Do it now, you fool.

Goodnight, 16. - Goodnight, 17.

You can move on to the next stage now.

You owe me some answers. - All the best to you, Frau Senff.

Vietnam?

Yes.

To each his own acts of heroism.

All right, when did you last see Wassily Batalov?

Yesterday.

Really. He suddenly appeared before me.

He smiled at me, I threw my arms around him.

I said, "Wassily, why were you so long getting cigarettes?"

What's a Russian doing in the East German Physics Association?

Is he involved with nuclear physics? - He's dead.

That was three years ago.

I can't take it anymore.

I want to live. Do you understand that?

Please.

You've left "political activities" blank.

What do you want to knomr'? - Membership of communist organizations? - OK.

Any relatives in West Germany? - None of your business.

You either answer or... - What?

That's it.

I see.

Nobody's forcing you to be here.

So you can do it.

There you go. - Thank you.

Now hold your breath, please.

Would you explain once again why you decided to leave East Germany?

Good question...

When my boyfriend died and the interrogations started...

everything suddenly felt...

Mong-

It was as if I'd been living someone else's life.

Everything was unfamiliar to me: our apartment, the street...

our friends.

I just wanted to forget.

I had hoped to start a new life here in freedom,

but it's strange...

I don't know what freedom is anymore.

Democracy, civil liberties, everything you didn't have.

Yes.

Frau Senff, we've decided to approve your application.

Frau Senff, welcome to the Federal Republic of Germany.

Thank you very much.

Congratulations. - Thank you.

All the best to you and your son. - Welcome.

You can look for a job, a nice apartment, a suitable school for your son.

You can do whatever you want.

And if you don't find an apartment, you can extend your stay here.

Thank you.

You don't need that anymore.

Have a nice day!

I've got a few things here that you don't like at all.

I'll have to eat them all on my own.

I'll put them down, but you mustn't touch them.

You won't get any more.

I've got something else.

I'm going to eat this all on my own! - No! - Help!

Who isn't ticklish? - No!

How are you'? - Fine, thanks.

The crown prince. What's your name? - Alexei Senff.

OK, let's take a look.

I've got something for you.

In a laboratory, as a lab technician.

As a lab technician?

I know: You want to do research.

But you haven't worked in your profession for two years. - But...

I can pick it up again quickly.

Science here is a bit more advanced...

I'm not afraid of that.

Where will you be while Mom works? - Day care.

Don't worry about my son.

You'll have to lower your expectations.

Why not ask me if I want to work at the cemetery?

We'll look on our own. - You bet!

Don't forget to lock the door. - All right.

Sure you don't want to come?

Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Mom, wait!

Thanks.

Bye.

Are you following me?

Maybe. - In what capacity?

Private?

You owe me some answers. - Come on.

Come on, let's get out of here.

Hungry? - Yeah.

But I can't cook.

Again!

Again!

They're great!

Good evening. Are you ready to order? - A club soda, please.

And would you like dessert? - No, thanks.

Coming right up.

You...

You never believed it was an accident?

Eventually I stopped thinking about it.

I didn't want anything more to do with it.

And you?

Are you a person sometimes?

Or always just an agent?

Do you really believe your Wassily was just an ordinary person?

What are you suggesting?

OK...

A physicist who often travels to international congresses

is of interest to the Stasi.

He was being watched? - I would say...

he was watching.

What? - He was their courier.

Please stay.

What's up?

Would you put it on?

This?

I'm not going to make a fool of myself.

Just for fun.

Please.

We made macaroni with cinnamon and sugar.

Go brush your teeth and then go to bed.

Good night.

I'll be along in a minute.

Were you playing father and son?

We made macaroni with sugar and cinnamon...

What did he tell you?

Did you sound him out?

There was a suicide today. - What?

The old woman who always sat by the fence.

And he saw it.

No, let him sleep.

Let him sleep, Nelly.

Want some?

It's terrific.

Well...

Do you ever think about going back?

Yeah.

Every day)'-

But what would I do there?

Thank you.

That's right! Now run! Run, Alexei!

And fly!

And again!

Run!

We could all go on a trip together if you like.

I don't go out anymore.

"Into the big wide world..." - The curse.

Tell me...

If you needed help, would you accept it?

I could check the ads for an apartment for you...

I've got plenty of time.

Do you want to fall in love?

Don't worry, I can't.

That bad? - No.

It's not bad, it's...

That's just the way it is.

No one will shed a tear if I fritter away my life here.

But you and the kid...

What are you afraid of, Nelly?

They suspect that...

Alexei's father might still be alive.

Who? Who suspects that?

The secret services.

Which ones?

All of them.

And that frightens me.

You can't help me.

I have to speak to you. - Not now. - It's urgent.

I'll just be a moment.

Come on.

You told me that Wassily was a Stasi informant.

Yes.

He was supposed to recruit scientists from the West.

He had never been to the West.

People have many faces.

Do you know that you're very beautiful?

Of course you do.

Tell me the truth or I'll scream!

Maybe he didn't want to work for the Stasi anymore.

He contacted the West German secret service. They faked the accident, used another body.

He volunteered information, now he lives anonymously.

It's very possible.

You have an over-active imagination. - If I'm right,

the Stasi will be looking for him.

And they'll be watching you.

I'd like to extend my stay here.

Sure you don't want me to come with you?

Bye, Nelly, Mom.

Have fun.

Shashlik!

You can't serve it like that.

Got a minute'? - You can see how busy we are.

Are you hungry?

No.

I don't have time.

So, you wanted to speak to me...

May I?

You're married.

And how can you tell'?

From the way a man looks at women.

And how does a married man look at women?

Hungry...

and full at the same time.

Eager...

but not prepared to take risks.

Would you drink a glass of wiine with me?

What would you say if I asked you to follow me to a nearby hotel?

Am I too heavy?

Yes.

Can I tell my son his father's alive?

When I came here, I just wanted to forget.

But I can't do that unless I know the truth.

It's just a hunch.

That's why you've been questioning me'?

You...

You've been humiliating me because of a hunch?

We don't humiliate people.

Yes, you do.

You expect gratitude...

If you notice anyone acting suspiciously...

let me know. OK?

And if anyone asks you about Batalov, please be careful.

And who can I trust?

Take care, John Bird.

Wednesday, Café Bernstein?

You never told me you were bringing it with you.

Because I've never talked to you about Wassily's death?

And because everyone said, "Talking about Dad will make Nelly sad?"

You know...

When someone dies...

who you loved very, very much...

and you can't bury him, then...

strange things happen.

You see him everywhere.

I saw him, too.

Where?

Here, on the street.

And what was he doing?

It wasn't him.

Hans?

Hey, what's up?

Can you hide this for me?

Thanks.

Hi. - Hello.

What can I do for you?

You have to eat that.

Chew!

Got any homework to do? - No.

Did you forget to lock the door?

Are you sure? - I'm positive.

Think carefully.

I didn't forget to lock the door.

Get inside!

I just wanted to...

Look, there!

Playing with trash again, East German scumbag?

Come on, Martin.

Scumbag yourself...

Sorry...

I just thought I'd drop by.

A nice apartment...

and really cheap.

Have you...

Have you told Alexei that his father might still be alive?

I think it would kill him.

How come you're always there'?

I'm caught out in the rain and you show up with an umbrella.

We need an apartment and you find one for us.

You're always there.

Why?

If you like...

tear it up.

Should I keep away from you both?

Maybe...

I... I don't know.

Sit back down.

Bon appétit. - Same to you.

Do I smell bad or something?

Come on. - I want to stay with Hans.

You have homework to do. - I can do it later.

We can see each other later. If you've no objection...

Stay here! Hans betrays other people.

Come back! - I don't want to! Come back right now!

You can't see it in a person. - Let's ask him.

He won't tell us the truth. - Hans isn't lying, you are!

Let go!

I want to go back home.

That's not what this is about. Come on.

Morning. - Morning.

Oh man, I can't sleep.

May I?

They write differently here.

What? - They have better pens.

They have more money, too. - Then go find a job!

Morning. - Morning.

Mom...

Hurry HP-

What are you staring at?

Moms take their kids to school here. That's the way it is in the West.

I wouldn't let myself go if I were you. - But you aren't.

Alexei's right. - Leave me alone, will you?

Would you all just leave me alone?

Calm down!

Beat it!

What did you say?

You OK?

Come on in.

Well...

Can we make macaroni?

Nelly's waiting for you. - Please.

No, I'm taking you to Nelly. - No!

Come on... - I don't want to!

We're going to Nelly...

You can't stay here. - I don't want to go to Nelly!

A bit crooked...

but as good as new. - You mustn't tell Nelly.

She'll think it was my fault.

Baloney. She won't think that. - She will.

Have you any idea what time it is? - Yes, I do.

I'm cold.

Do you want to come in?

Would you come on now, please?

He can manage on his own, he doesn't need a wet nurse. Thanks a lot.

Your schoolbag.

Know what an East German scumbag is?

He can explain it to you.

You have to promise me something.

The two of us have got to stick close together from now on.

Will you promise me that?

Good.

Nelly!

I want to sleep now. - Nelly, please.

I handed out flyers.

For that they interrogated me night and day.

Solitary confinement...

all their merry little games.

Bautzen Stasi Prison.

Do you have any idea what that means?

Two years.

When I got out I prepared my escape from the country.

And do you know who ratted on me?

My own brother.

And you seriously believe I would work with them?

I want to go now. - Someone says I'm an informant.

How am I supposed to prove I'm not'? - You don't have to prove anything.

In other words, you don't care.

I want to forget!

What do you want to forget?

All that.

Have you considered

what your paranoia is doing to Alexei?

When you throw his presents in the trash can?

He looked so proud with his bunch of flowers.

I'm sorry.

What's up, Pischke?

Does it hurt? - Stasi rat!

Oh, look. Can't you see anymore?

You traitor!

Nice and warm, isn't it?

Open your mouth, it tastes delicious!

Scram! Get out of here!

I have a surprise.

I've got a job!

I think Hans is dead.

Is he dead?

Can you stand up?

Careful: piss.

Don't touch me.

This is howl imagined Dad in his coffin.

Do you think about him often?

Not so much anymore.

Hans is going to wake up again.

Looking forward to going home?

Maybe we'll visit you in Poland.

Thanks, room 16.

Goodbye, Herr Jakub.

Goodbye.

Hurry up out there, we've got to leave. - I can carry that.

Silent night, holy night

All is calm, all is bright

Round yon Virgin Mother and Child

Holy Infant so tender and mild...

Where are you going, Pischke?

I'll get the door.

Subtitling by SUBS Hamburg Michael Hale