Coming Out (1989/I)

Director:

Heiner Carow

Writer:

Wolfram Witt (writer)

Release Date:

10 November 1989 (East Germany)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

Reportedly the first film to come out of East Germany to deal openly with gay issues. Philipp, a closeted...

Plot Keywords:

Love | Gay | Gay Bar | Teacher | Love Triangle

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Matthias Freihof	...	Philipp
Dagmar Manzel	...	Tanja
Dirk Kummer	...	Matthias
Michael Gwisdek	...	Achim
Werner Dissel	...	älterer Herr
Gudrun Ritter	...	Frau Moellemann
Walfriede Schmitt	...	Philipp's mother
Axel Wandtke	...	Jakob
Pierre Sanoussi-Bliss	...	Araber (as Pierre Bliss)
René Schmidt
Thomas Gumpert
Ursula Staack
Robert Hummel	...	Lutz
Horst Ziethen
Gertraud Kreissig
Gudrun Okras
Dieter Okras
Joachim Pape
Cornelia Schirmer
Maria Planitzer	...	Oberärztin (as Dr. Maria Planitzer)
Charlotte von Mahlsdorf		(as Charlotte [Lothar Berfelde])
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Evelyn Opoczynski	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Heiner Carow

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Wolfram Witt		writer

Original Music by
Stefan Carow

Cinematography by
Martin Schlesinger

Film Editing by
Evelyn Carow

Production Design by
Regina Fritzsche
Georg Wratsch

Costume Design by
Regina Viertel

Makeup Department
Heide Haß	....	assistant makeup artist
Hannelore Petzold	....	makeup artist
Karin Wacker	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Ralph Brosche	....	assistant unit manager
Wolfgang Hammer	....	unit manager
Horst Hartwig	....	production manager
Wolfgang Lange	....	unit manager
Rosalinde Schwarzer	....	unit manager
Dietmar Steinkühler	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Dirk Kummer	....	assistant director
Hanna Seydel	....	assistant director

Art Department
Marcus Berndt	....	props
Frank Cochlovius	....	props
Peter Glaser	....	props
Sven Hausmann	....	props
Klaus Schackner	....	set builder

Sound Department
Hans-Joachim Kreinbrink	....	sound
Horst Mathuschek	....	sound
Konrad Walle	....	sound mixer

Camera and Electrical Department
Wolfgang Fritsche	....	still photographer
Dieter Lück	....	assistant camera
Winfried Tafel	....	assistant camera

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Evi Behnke	....	wardrobe
Susanne Carow	....	wardrobe
Brigitte Mierke	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Heike Bauer	....	assistant editor

Other crew
Erika Richter	....	script editor

Production Companies

• Deutsche Film (DEFA) (Gruppe "Babelsberg")

Distributors

• Progress Film-Verleih (1989) (East Germany) (theatrical)
• Homescreen (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Icestorm Entertainment (199?) (Germany) (VHS)

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

East Germany

Language:

German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Netherlands:12 | UK:15 | USA:Unrated | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Bebelplatz, Staatsoper, Mitte, Berlin, Germany

Company:

Deutsche Film (DEFA)

Trivia:

Premiered in East-Berlin on 9 November 1989. When the news broke that the border between East and West had been opened, the film was stopped and the audience was informed about the event taking place outside the cinema. The vast majority of the audience demanded to see the rest of the film before joining the masses outside.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Schau mir in die Augen, Kleiner (2007)

Soundtrack:

Schlohweißer Tag

A young East German man's coming out story

As a youth Philipp had an unconsummated relationship with a schoolmate but panicked and ended it. He's now a teacher in a high school and starting a relationship with a woman named Tanja who teaches at the same school. When Tanja introduces him to a friend of hers who turns out to be Philipp's old schoolmate, Philipp's questions about his sexuality resurface. When Philipp begins to explore his feelings by checking out a local gay bar he meets Mathias, a charming young man who is equally smitten with him.

Philipp is attractive and has a puppy dog-like air of vulnerability, but while Philipp is starting to be more honest with himself about what he wants, he's not honest with those around him and in his confusion and panic ends up hurting all of those that try to love him. This makes for a sadder movie than other coming out stories such as Beautiful Thing or the older Making Love.

In summary this is an interesting but ultimately unfulfilling story look at one man's coming out. There are scenes that are over the top and others that I just plain don't understand but this may be a cultural thing. E.g. Several patrons leaving a gay bar have never met Philipp but come up to him as they pass him in the street, stroke his hair and point him inside. Also the bar has gay men in costumes that are wilder than anything I see in the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade. Is it a special event or were gay bars in East Germany more festive than I'd heard?