Synopsis

In August 1961 the world was already divided, but no one ever dreamt of the long border reaching its full height. Moscow had the copyright for the concept and execution, and German firms delivered the barbed wire. An unjust regime has committed a new injustice, the west protested, threatened, and lamented, but the wall grew. All the arteries between the two halves of the city were served. To the people on both sides, separated by a few hundred meters between East & West became the longest strip of land in the world. So began the strangest experiments in history. A people who once made enough to rule the world became two. Soon the only the wall supported the illusion: All that divide Germany was a Wall.The open sequence of the film follows a group of friends Konrad, Sophie, Max; Wolfgang, and Monika have all devised a way to cross the Berlin Wall without detection. The group maneuvers the sewer systems armed with the clothes on their back, a flashlight, and a map etched on the palm of their hand. The group must work under cover of darkness, all in mist of rotating patrols monitoring the wall. In act of urgency the group makes their way to the strategic sewer entrance to make the journey of smelly lower Germany. As Sophie, Max, Wolfgang, and Monika make their decent into the sewer Konrad is forced to seal the entrance because of approaching army patrols. Sophie would not go without Konard, but he assures her that he make the journey at a later date. Sophie and the rest of the group press on with their objectives of reaching the other side of the wall. On the surface Konrad is confronted by his parents who were out surveying the streets, fearing that he might have picked up from one of the circling patrols for trying escape over wall. Father and son embrace and is than rebuked for failure to tell his parents where he had gone, or what he was planning to do. In the fathers anger, he informs the authorities that his son as been found after searching for him through out most of night. Meanwhile Sophie and her cohorts navigate their way through waste infested sewers of Germany. Many are found covering their noises with scarfs with little resistance to the smell. After some considerable time the group finally makes it to her aunts house. Sophie and her and embrace, after not hearing from one another for days. Sophie reassures her and that despite traveling through the sewers of Germany they all made it out okay. When Sophie begins to inquire about Conrad Sophie informs her that he will be joining the group at a later date.We next see Konrad seated motionless while a police is going the details of his capture. His conclusion is that the maximum for boarder crossing has a maximum penalty of five years. Thus an interrogation ensues where the inspector begins to explain that you no matter how hard he tried he, and all his friends would be caught. He then begins to tell Konrad insight Sophie, Max, Wolfgang and Monika have all been captured and detained by the government. Next he inquires about whom in the group had the drawing for the sewer system? Throughout the entire interrogation Konrad has not said a single word. His only gesture in the entire scene comes when he told tie his one shoelace on his left shoe. The inspector proceeds to tell Konrad how he must feel at that exact moment in time, similar to a caged animal wanting to be set free. The interrogator than tells him the true nature of why boarders were erected, to prevented East and West Germany could stop from shooting one another. He than acknowledges his disappointed that he had to attempt to cross borders, like so many others, and it was a shame he nor his comrades could be convinced of a lager understanding of why the wall was ever erected in the first place.We now enter the apartment of Konrad and his parents. Konrad and his sister have grown anxious to know weather Sophie, Max. Wolfgang, and Monika were successful in their attempt to make it across boarders while avoiding all detection. Several hours have passed since Konrad saw Sophie, Max, Wolfgang, and Monika since the night of their escape. Konrad is found pleading his sister to contact the parents to ensure Sophie did make it across the boarder safely. Simone calmly assures Konrad that if the family had gotten a phone call, such an outcome would have confirmed the group might have been captured. This is the one scenario Konrad fears the most without a phone contact Konrad has no confirmation that Sophie is even alive and if might not see her ever again. Simone then lifts the head of her brother and makes him a promise that Sophie would contact him very soon, and the Wall not last long.In this next scene we are exposed to a fashion we Sophie has been made in charge of helping models dress for a small fashion show for a small group of designers and clients alike. The fashion is much sophisticated then your average shopper of the day. Sophie has made herself at home with her aunt who has giving her something to smile about. In the middle of the fashion show, the stepfather of Sophie has paid a visit the aunt on suspicion that Sophie might have made it across and is staying with her and hiding out. Since the wall was erected, any civilians trying to jump over the wall without proper documentation will be reprehend and sent back or are shot. Sophie aunt reassures her stepfather that she came over for her desire to work in the industry, and so that is way she gave the chance to come and work for her as an assistant. The Stepfather only reason for his coming is so he and Sophie might have a chance to talk. Once alone in Sophie makes it clear that she has no desire to go back with him. After her father committed suicide in prison Sophie was sent to live with him. Given the tension in the scene, in is made clear their relationship with one another is rocky at best. The stepfather only wants her to go back with him because it is unlawful for any German citizen to be any portion of East and West Berlin without proper documentation. Following this there is a brief encounter between German investigators and the mother of Sophie. After an ongoing investigation into her sudden disappearance, authorities have come to inform her that Sophie has crossed boarder lines illegally, and by doing so, she has now declared herself as part of the enemy. Her mother remains committed to the understanding that all she wanted to do was visit her aunt and return home in just a few days time. The police affirm that because she chose to cross any part of the boarder without official authorization, she has now declared herself an enemy of Germany. Her mother is now being ordered to severe all contact between herself and Sophie. If she were to continue having correspondences with Sophie, she would also constitute herself as a member of the enemy.Sophie and her Aunt are each revisiting old photos of when Sophie was just a little girl. Both of them have made the same distinction that in every picture the two of them ever took together, they always could see the two of them always holding hands. Sophie then makes the point that when she was a child, and even to the present day, her aunt said Sophie would always be her Aunt special little girl. In this same setting Sophie make another for her to pin a letter to her expressing her love for her. The Aunt said, should would if she could. With all prestige and money she ever made. Sophie was the one her Aunt loved most. This scene is followed by a short sequence of Sophie swinging back and forth on a swing set hug from a tree as her aunt looks on through the living room of the house. Konrad standing still in contemplation about what he will be doing with life until he knows his beloved Sophie is back in his arms forever. Following this Konrad pivots around and finds himself staring at an arching bridge with a passing train.We next hear the shouting of orders of what to do if any civilian try and jump over the wall. The German Army has established border patrol units to monitor the wall around the clock. This is the first of its kind, and to the Germans is the most humane way to police and cut down on then number of people making attempts to hurdle the wall. Those who do not choose to follow these new regulations are considered a member of the enemy. The scene is a small band of patrol officers running through the drill of Stop, do not move or I will shoot! The solider is than to run an stab the escapee with his basinet in both the right and left lung. Konrad is one of the men required to take part in this drill. As the drill makes his way down the first line of boys, he comes to a boy, as it is his to simulate the drill. The boy can only muster the words, stop dont move. This only irritates the drill instructor and reminds him, he is a solder. The orders are, find capture and destroy. When the boy is told to carry on, he boy can only say stop, dont move1 The instructor then approaches him and says, Are you against Peace? Fall out! With a single act, a feeling is placed within the heart of Konard, the strongest example for change is silent disobedience.This is follow by a span of the wall. The wall is out fitted with guards stationed all along the wall acting as surveillance for the patrols down below. Next we see and hear a series of two pre-recorded forms of propaganda media transmitted on two moving trucks with megaphone