In this suspenseful Cold War drama, Nelly (Jördis Triebel) flees East Germany with her young son Alexej (Jacky Ido) only to find herself caught in a frustrating limbo, reminiscent of current immigration centres on either side of the Chanel Tunnel.
Before Nelly can be processed and given West German citizenship, she must first prove her loyalty to the West. And in this camp, loyalty to the West means giving up the secrets of the East – even if you don’t have any.
Christian Schwochow’s film generates a disturbing tension as Nelly attempts to navigate the murky hall of mirrors of Cold War politics. No-one will take her at face value, no-one believes she is simply a mother trying to do what’s best for her son and take him away from the repressive regime that may have killed his father. She herself loses her own ability to tell the good guys from the bad. Perhaps there is no such thing…
West covers some of the same terrain as Petzold’s similar Barbara but with a less clear cut approach to the personal politics of the situation. It’s in this muddying of the waters where the crushing bureaucracy of East Germany is replaced by a similarly crushing West Berlin (the American section) that the anger and heart of West lies, making it a riveting addition to the canon of Cold War cinema.
