Inga Humpe

An unconventional essay film that interrogates the visual and ideological legacy of the Vietnam War. Blending staged scenes, archival footage, photographs, and philosophical dialogue, the film follows various characters — including an American soldier captured by North Vietnamese villagers — as they reflect on violence, memory, and image-making. Set partly in West Berlin and partly in reconstructed spaces representing Vietnam, the film avoids traditional dramatic narrative in favor of a fragmented montage of voices, documents, and reenactments. Interweaving love stories, political debate, and historical commentary, Farocki creates a critical reflection on how war is represented, seen, and imagined, both in cinema and in public consciousness. The result is a complex meditation on images as weapons and instruments of perception.

The Earth shortly before its end. The houses in the cities are deserted, the streets smashed. The sky shimmers dark gray.

During a robbery at KaDeWe, of all places, a magical encounter occurs between Hedi, a saleswoman in the textile department, and Fritzi, the daughter of KaDeWe owner Adolf Jandorf. It is love at first sight: Against all social and family odds, the two disparate young women begin a passionate relationship. At the same time, Fritzi's older brother and war returnee Harry is fighting for his father's recognition as the new junior manager of KaDeWe - and against his own despair. At Harry's side is Georg, a general manager placed in front of him by his father, who has worked his way up from a poor background to the top echelons of KaDeWe. Georg, of all people, will play a decisive role in the future fate of the department store...