Westler

*Westler*
Westler
	German DVD cover
Written by	Egbert Hörmann, Wieland Speck
Directed by	Wieland Speck
Starring	Sigurd Rachman, Rainer Strecker and Andy Lucas
Country of origin	West Germany
Original language	German
Production
Running time	94 minutes
Original release
Release	28 May 1987

Westler is a 1985 film originally produced for West German television and later released in cinema.^[1] It was directed by Wieland Speck and broadcast on ZDF.

Synopsis

Felix is visited in West Berlin by an American friend from Los Angeles. The two make a day trip to East Berlin where they meet Thomas.^[2] Thomas and Felix fall in love but are divided by the Wall, much like all of Germany at the time. Felix tries to keep their relationship strong by making regular visits to Thomas in the East, but this raises the suspicions of the East German authorities. Eventually, Thomas seeks to flee to West Germany by flying to Prague, where a Czech friend has arranged a contact with an escape helper.

Background

Westler is noteworthy for its realistic portrayal of a gay relationship under difficult circumstances, as well as for having been filmed partly in East Berlin without permission from East German authorities.

Cast

Sigurd Rachman as Felix
Rainer Strecker as Thomas
Andy Lucas as Bruce
Frank Rediess as Bernie
Andreas Bernhardt as Jürgen
Sasha Kogo as Elke
Hans-Jürgen Punte as Lutze
Zazie de Paris as night club singer
Harry Baer as Customs officer
Christoph Eichhorn as actor
Jörg Uwe Dost as Guest at the bar
Thomas Kretschmann as Soldier
Georges Stamkowski as Pavel
The Waltons as the Band
- Martin Zastrow as Band member
- Engelbert Rehm as Band member
Andrew Kelner as little child

Awards

Max Ophüls Festival, Audience Award, 1985
San Francisco International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, Audience Award, 1986
Torino International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, the Festival's Plate, 1987

Reception

The film gained a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 50%.^[3]

Helmut Schödel in Die Zeit said "… secretly must be filmed, secretly loved … it's about love, not about truth … I'm excited …"
Encyclopedia of International Film : "A film about one in the multiple sense, love between the systems"; He tries to describe the Berlin Wall not only as an obstacle between people and political blocs, but also as a borderline between the Old and New World. "^[4]
Uwe Witiatock, from Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung said "Partially without official filming permission and therefore filmed with a hidden camera, the divided city of Berlin has an unreal, foreign atmosphere, as if we were in Hong Kong or Singapore. You feel like being in the role of a visitor to a zoo, marveling at the conditions under which beings live in a completely different world."
taz: "The love story between the young men is extremely pleasant, unobtrusive and unimaginably self-evident. Partially filmed with a hidden camera on original DDR locations, Westler is one of the few German productions that is worthwhile!"

References

^ Uricchio, Marylynn (October 14, 1989). "'Westler' is simple love story". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
^ New York Times Overview: Westler East of the Wall
^ Rotten Tomatoes Westler (East of the Wall)
^ "Wrestler". Lexikon des internationalen Films. Retrieved 2017-01-13.

External links

Westler at IMDb

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[1] Uricchio, Marylynn (October 14, 1989). "'Westler' is simple love story". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved December 6, 2011.

[2] New York Times Overview: Westler East of the Wall

[3] Rotten Tomatoes Westler (East of the Wall)

[4] "Wrestler". Lexikon des internationalen Films. Retrieved 2017-01-13.

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