Jenseits der Mauer (2009)

In September 1974, Ulrich and Heike Molitor try to leave for the Federal Republic of Germany through the Helmstedt-Marienborn border crossing using forged identity cards, with their two children, Klaus and Miriam, hidden in the trunk of their car. When a border guard becomes suspicious, the couple unsuccessfully try to escape the checkpoint by force. They are sentenced to six years in prison; alternatively, they are offered the chance to leave for the Federal Republic, but only if they leave their daughter Miriam behind as an adopted child. The family chooses this option. The baby is adopted in Leipzig by Frank and Susanne Pramann and given the name Rebecca. In February 1989, Rebecca meets two boys, Nils and Victor, at a public celebration. Victor serves with the border troops, and his experiences with the Wall have deeply affected him. Meanwhile, Rebecca’s biological parents try to contact her by mail, but Stasi officer Brigitte Schröder intercepts all their letters. Eventually, Brigitte herself recognizes the constraints and injustices of the GDR and reveals herself to Rebecca’s parents in a letter. This is how Rebecca learns about her biological parents, who are not allowed to enter the GDR because they fled it in 1974. Their son Klaus, however, is allowed to enter legally. With the help of Brigitte Schröder’s letter, he finds Rebecca in Leipzig. Inspired by Klaus’s visit, Rebecca wants to cross the border into the Federal Republic with her boyfriend Victor. He initially refuses. That same evening, Günter Schabowski announces the fall of the Wall, but by then Rebecca and Victor have already set out. On television, Klaus Molitor recognizes Rebecca crossing the Bornholmer Straße border crossing amid the crowds. He and his parents immediately set off to welcome her in West Berlin. Now her biological parents can also meet her adoptive parents. It remains unclear which parents—and therefore which country—Rebecca will stay with.