Resistance ‘superheroes’
“From Hilde, With Love,” starring Liv Lisa Fries of international hit series “Babylon Berlin”, also debuted at the festival over the weekend.
It tells the true story of Hilde Coppi, a member of the “Red Orchestra” anti-Nazi resistance group, who gave birth to a son in prison while awaiting her execution for “high treason” in 1942.
Director Andreas Dresen grew up in communist East Germany, a region where the far-right AfD is poised to make strong gains in key state elections later this year.
He said that in school resistance members were often portrayed as larger-than-life “superheroes”, meaning many felt incapable of having similar courage to stand up to authority.
Fries, whose vivid portrayal impressed critics, said Coppi joined the Red Orchestra in trying to sabotage the Nazi war effort out of a basic sense of right and wrong.
“It was not only decency but also a sense of solidarity — solidarity is always worth standing up for,” she said.
Dresen stripped the movie of historical images familiar from Nazi movies such as “waving swastika flags and thumping jackboots”.
“Political terror is part of our present and unfortunately not as far away as we would like,” he said.
“I really wish this film weren’t so topical.”
“From Hilde, With Love” is one of 20 films in competition for the festival’s Golden Bear top prize Saturday.