This afternoon at 7 PM, the Instituto Goethe in Madrid (Zurbarán Street, 21) will premiere the film East/West, directed by Natja Brunckhorst in 2024.
Director Natja Brunckhorst chooses the summer of 1990 and a true story to shoot a carefree comedy about the GDR: after the fall of the Wall in 1989, but still before the official accession to the FRG. If the consciousness of East Germans is already changing, what inventive ingenuity does capitalism awaken, how some neighbors take advantage of the still quite confusing situation to enrich themselves personally: all of this is told in this film through a rather amusing story of thieves. Political jabs are not lacking, precisely launched by a stellar cast of German actors who visibly enjoy their work.
The story revolves around a very close-knit community of neighbors who, almost by chance, stumble upon a unique opportunity… and seize it with increasing boldness. What initially seems like an innocuous plan among neighbors soon acquires its own dynamic, straddling ingenuity, improvisation, and latent competition. This not only shakes the fragile balance of the community but also raises the question of how far one is willing to go in times of change.
With great lightness, dry humor, and a fine sense of the contradictions of this transitional period, the film paints a vivid portrait of the end of the GDR, somewhere between nostalgia, new beginnings, and the logic of a world that is reinventing itself.
East/West was presented as a candidate to represent Germany at the 2025 Oscars ceremony.
Reservations must be picked up at least 15 minutes before the event starts. Otherwise, the tickets will be released. Please note that this event starts at 7:00 PM, so you should arrive by 6:45 PM.
Screening in the original version with Spanish subtitles. Free entry with prior registration at this link.