Das Brot der frühen Jahre (1962)

This is the unremarkable story of an ordinary German who has made himself comfortable in the Federal Republic during the late Adenauer years and believes he is leading a contented, fulfilled life. Walter Fendrich is an electrician and earns a steady income installing washing machines. He owns a car of his own—a notable thing at the time—and lives in a comfortable, bourgeois apartment. His social advancement also seems assured since Ulla Wickweber, his boss’s daughter, is his girlfriend. Until now, these material things have been the guiding principles in the life of Walter Fendrich, who grew up in bitter poverty. But one day everything changes: he questions the life he has led so far and turns everything he has achieved upside down. A reunion with his childhood friend Hedwig Muller completely throws him off balance emotionally. Love takes him by surprise, forcing him to recognize the utter meaninglessness of his previous life. The values that had mattered to him lose their significance, and from then on he no longer wants to follow socially prescribed guidelines and conventions. Fendrich acts on this: he quits his job and breaks up with Ulla that very same day, in order to begin a new life with Hedwig and enjoy his newfound freedom.