I will not be silent

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Movie
Original title I will not be silent
Country of production Germany
original language German
Publishing year 2017
length 89 minutes
Rod
Director Esther Gronenborn
script Esther Gronenborn,
Sönke Lars Neuwöhner
production Kerstin Ramcke
music Gert Wilden junior
camera Birgit Guðjónsdóttir
cut Sabine Brose
occupation
Entrance to the memorial and documentation center for victims of euthanasia in the Alte Pathologie in Wehnen.

I will not be silent is a German television film from 2017. The post-war drama is based on real events and is based on the story of the grandmother of the director Esther Gronenborn . Nadja Uhl embodies Margarethe Oelkers in the film. Main roles are occupied by Janina Fautz , Barbara Philipp , Martin Wuttke , Rudolf Kowalski as well as Katja Flint and Eleonore Weisgerber in guest roles.

The film premiered at the 28th Emden-Norderney International Film Festival , where it was presented on June 9 and 12, 2017.

action

Oldenburg 1948: The young war widow and mother of two sons, Margarethe Oelkers, is denied the war widow's pension due to her because of a lack of confirmation of her husband's employment with the health department. When she therefore loses control at the welfare office, she is taken over by her husband's former supervisor, Dr. Ahrens, with the diagnosis of schizophrenia, admitted to the sanatorium in Wehnen (today: Karl Jaspers Clinic Wehnen ). Margarethe Oelkers was tortured and humiliated there for a year and subjected, among other things, to electroshock therapy. After her release, she returns to her apartment traumatized and is placed under the guardianship of her neighbor, former SS member Erich Windhorst.

From then on she fights for custody of her children and for their complete rehabilitation . She deepens her friendship with Antje Eversen, whose mother died in Wehnen during the Nazi regime . Margarethe Oelkers gradually learns what happened in Wehnen and begins to understand her husband's notes. This apparently secretly documented the euthanasia practiced in Wehnen by allowing people to starve or freeze to death.

For Oelkers' request for a certificate that he has never had schizophrenia , Dr. Admit a misdiagnosis to Ahrens . Margarethe Oelkers confronts him and accuses him of instructing her in order to silence her. Dr. Ahrens turns out to be an incorrigible supporter of the so-called  National Socialist “racial hygiene” , who glorified the time. Mrs. Ahrens, for whom Margarethe Oelkers sewed, recognizes the danger that her husband puts himself into with his unteachable manner, also because she knows that Oelkers will not simply be silent. She ensures that Margarethe gets what she wants at all costs: the required certificate to regain custody of her children, but which also contains the confirmation that Ahrens was wrong in his diagnosis and her admission to the insane asylum Wrong has been done. Your children should not grow up with the shortcoming that arises from the suspicion that their mother was “crazy”.

The small family then moves into a new apartment for good reason.

When Erich Windhorst was arrested, Margaret's neighbor, Mrs. Schröder, who had a close relationship with Windhorst, acknowledged this with the words that she , the madwoman, should be gassed instead of simply being led away from decent citizens.

Production, publication

It is a production by Nordfilm in coproduction with Mia Film on behalf of ZDF . The ZDF editorial team was Caroline von Senden and Anja Helmling-Grob. The film was shot from May 14th to July 15th, 2016 in Prague and the surrounding area. The film was funded by Nordmedia-Film- und Mediengesellschaft with 150,000 euros.

I will not be silent (working title: Die Vergeltung ) had the television premiere on September 8, 2017 on the Arte cultural channel , both in the German and French programs under the title Je ne me tairai pas .

Reviews

Picture of the woman praises: “Rudolf Kowalski plays this man [Note: Dr. Ahrens] very convincingly as an unteachable person, as there were many after the war and for a long time in important positions in the medical profession and the judiciary. The film is mainly carried by the main actress Nadja Uhl [...] as a courageous and intrepid mother. "

TV-Spielfilm points with the thumbs up and awards 2 of 3 possible points for claim as well as 1 for tension and writes: “The depressing drama with a lot of timbre coherently, celebrated its premiere in northern Germany at the international film festival Emden-Norderney. A scandal of the post-war period becomes clear: Even after the end of the war, those responsible often remained in office and dignity. ”Conclusion:“ A dismaying look back at disastrous times. ”

The GOKA rating is: “'I will not be silent' tells a depressing story. An impressive film that is so frightening precisely because it is based on real events. Nadja Uhl embodies the combative war widow who asserts herself in spite of all obstacles. ”It was also said that one should watch the film“ because it tells of a chapter of National Socialism in Germany that one cannot turn a blind eye to ” may.

Awards

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. a b dpa: I will not be silent . ( bildderfrau.de [accessed on September 8, 2017]).
  2. a b I will not be silent - post-war drama - TV feature film. In: TV feature film online. Retrieved September 8, 2017 .
  3. I will not be silent - content and actors - film owl. Retrieved September 8, 2017 .
  4. a b Premiere for “I will not be silent” at the 28th Emden-Norderney International Film Festival adS studio-hamburg.de, May 24, 2017. Accessed on September 10, 2017.
  5. a b I will not be silent adS crew-united.com
  6. a b GOKA event of the week: “I will not be silent” adS goldenekamera.de. Retrieved September 10, 2017.