FROM HILDE, WITH LOVE/ IN LIEBE, EURE HILDE

Germany, 2023, 124 minutes, Colour.

Liv Lisa Fries, Johannes Hegemann, Lisa Wagner.

Directed by Andreas Dresen.

This is a very different war film from Germany, although it can be linked with films about individuals and groups who resisted Hitler and the Nazi regime, films about Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Sophie Scholle. And, it has a different tone, especially with the German authorities, in most films extremely intense, sometimes verging on the caricature. By contrast, here the authorities have their convictions but many of them, and interrogator offering food, and diligent in support of midwife, and, especially, the mellowing of the prison guard, are shown to have some humanity. Which means that the response to the film is different from what is usual.

It is based on a true story, a group of young activists in Berlin, previous difficulties for some of them with the government, socialist and communist sympathies. They are against the fascist attitudes of the Nazi regime and make contact with Moscow, experimenting with radio, getting information about German prisoners, to send letters to loved ones in Berlin reassuring them. This is dangerous, against a number of laws, accusations of treason.

The film focuses on the key central character, Hilde, rather reserved, intelligent and well educated, becoming more and more friendly with the group, and falling in love with their leader, Hans, Johannes Hegemann, charmed by him, a strong and pleasant personality who elicits a loyalty from the variety of people in the group. Hilde is drawn into activities, collecting and delivering the radio, typing the messages, giving advice on radio use, pasting posters at night in the underpasses.

Hilde is played by Liv Lisa Fries (Berlin Babylon, Freud’s Last Session), an intense performance, on screen in every sequence, required to go through a great deal of emotion, from her reserve, from the intensity of her relationship with Hans, coping with her emotional mother, arrested and interrogated, imprisoned, the very difficult birth of her baby, love for her baby, her support of and work for the women in the wards, her trial, her message to her young son, her final signature the title of the film. And, all the protesters were guillotined.

The way this drama works is to have two lines of narrative. The film opens in the present with Hilde’s arrest and continues through her imprisonment to her execution. But, within this narrative are very detailed and frequent flashbacks, building up her personal story, relationships, involvement with the group. So, there is emotionally interesting contrast between what is happening to her and the impact of her remembered past.

The cumulative effect of the film, comparatively low key with other Nazi imprisonment stories, is that the buildup with the birth of her baby and love for her child, having to give it up, preparing, with the help of a sympathetic pastor, for her execution – and the execution with its sudden jolt of the guillotine, is extraordinarily harrowing.

1. A World War II story? Germany? A different story? Resistance to the Nazi regime?
2. Berlin, the war, the visualising of the city, homes, picnics at the river, arrests and interrogation, prison, executions? The musical score?
3. The title, the final letter to her son, the meaning of her life, death – and the epilogue with the voice-over from her son 80 years later, his appreciation of his mother?
4. The screenplay, the two stories developing, intercut? The story in the present, the activities, the arrest and interrogation, prison? The flashbacks to the past, the development of Hilde’s activities, relationship with Hans, with the other members of the group, building up to the arrest? The placement of the flashbacks at emotional points, during the interrogation, in the prison, at the execution?
5. A portrait of Hilde, her background, her mother and the relationship, her mother’s illness and sensitivities? Hilde and her education, wide reading, intelligence? Her appearance, her continually wearing her glasses? Her fiance on the front? Encounters with Hans, the attraction, his work, the friends and their activities and networks, personalities, enthusiasm, against the regime? Socialist leanings, contact with Moscow? Her greater involvement, typing, helping with the pasting up of posters in the underpasses, collecting the radio in delivering it, her knowledge of radio, studying? The intense involvement?
6. The plan for sending messages to Moscow, interviews with the captured soldiers, the messages from the soldiers, writing out the letters, posting them? The final irony that only the first generic message was received?
7. The relationship with Hans, his love for her, sexual, leading up to the proposal, her pregnancy? Her mother’s reactions? Hans and the shop, ice cream, his mother?
8. The presentation of the authorities, much more low-key than so many films, the interrogation, the interrogator offering food, the doctor, the midwife and the birthing of the baby, the guard, Anneliese Kuhn and her mellowing and assistance?
9. In the garden, the strawberries, the arrest, pregnant, her firm denials, the sandwich, her going to prison, the humiliation of the strip search, going upstairs to the cell, the table, the bare boards? Her psychological state? The breaking of the waters, banging on the door, the doctor, too late for caesarean, the midwife, her concern, the graphic depiction of the birth and its difficulties, to take the baby away, Hilde allowed to hold it, the decision that she should keep it, in the ward, her caring for others, Liane Berkowitz, her fears, Hilde and her listening to her, comforting her? The decision for Hilde to help in the wards? Not to go back to her cell?
10. The authorities and allowing the encounter with Hans in the corridor, his holding the baby? The pastor, visiting Hilde, Hans’ execution, the poem that he left her?
11. Coming to trial, with the other women, the continued flashbacks bringing them to life, the interrogations and the information that each had given? The emotional responses? Hilde and her trial, the accusations, sentenced to death?
12. The time with the baby, the closeness of mother and child, the visit of her mother and her tantrums and grief, the arranging of the baby to be entrusted to her?
13. The buildup to the execution, Anneliese Kuhn and the revelation of her name, writing the testimony for Hilde, sympathetic towards the baby, the baby taken? Hilde and the lineup, the discussions with the Pastor, his support? The other women in the line, names called, going in, door shut, the guillotine?
14. Hilde going in, lying down, the sudden guillotine falling?
15. The emotion for the audience throughout the film, identifying with Hilde, her actions, her cause, the Nazi regime? The relationships and emotion, the baby? The cumulative effect is harrowing for the audience?