Heimlichkeiten (1968)

The investigation into a murder on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast—where a woman’s body has washed up on a beach crowded with tourists from both East and West—brings some rather unpleasant complications for several of the holidaymakers. The questioning reveals that quite a few of them have secrets they are trying to hide. One example is Gisela Stein, who has travelled here from East Germany, and her West German counterpart, Walter Riemeck, a married businessman who lives in West Berlin. Walter has decided to divorce his unsuspecting wife, Margot. Gisela, whom Walter picked up at the airport, is having an affair with him here, one that neither of them wants anyone to know about. They have registered at the hotel as a married couple. To make the story believable, Walter stole Margot’s passport so he could present it when Gisela checked in. The police investigation threatens to expose their secret. Walter soon becomes afraid, then outright panicked, and makes a hasty escape from the resort. Other guests have secrets too: for instance, West German Lothar Kunze has a deeply rooted Nazi past, and the musician Jan has a relationship with a local Bulgarian woman that is problematic in the Cold War era. Police Inspector Damjanow conducts his investigation with care and makes it clear to those with secrets that a life of deception, lies, and concealment eventually leads to problems.