A Woman in Berlin (2008)

A woman tries to survive the invasion of Berlin by the Soviet troops during the last days of World War II.

Director:

Max Färberböck

Writers:

Max Färberböck, Marta Hillers (book) (as Anonyma)

Stars:

Nina Hoss, Evgeniy Sidikhin, Irm Hermann

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nina Hoss	...	Anonyma
Evgeniy Sidikhin	...	Major Andreij Rybkin
Irm Hermann	...	Witwe
Rüdiger Vogler	...	Eckhart
Ulrike Krumbiegel	...	Ilse Hoch
Rolf Kanies	...	Friedrich Hoch
Jördis Triebel	...	Bärbel Malthaus
Roman Gribkov	...	Anatol
Juliane Köhler	...	Elke
Samvel Muzhikyan	...	Andropov
Aleksandra Kulikova	...	Masha
Viktor Zhalsanov	...	asiatischer Rotarmist
Oleg Chernov	...	Erster Vergewaltiger
Eva Löbau	...	Frau Wendt
Anne Kanis	...	Flüchtlingsmädchen

Storyline

A nameless woman keeps a diary as the Russians invade Berlin in the spring of 1945. She is in her early 30s, a patriotic journalist with international credentials; her husband, Gerd, a writer, is an officer at the Russian front. She speaks Russian and, for a day or two after the invasion, keeps herself safe, but then the rapes begin. She resolves to control her fate and invites the attentions of a Russian major, Andreij Rybkin. He becomes her protector of sorts subject to pressures from his own fellow soldiers and officers. Dramas play out in the block of flats where she lives. Is she an amoral traitor? She asks, "How do we go on living?" And what of Gerd and her diary?

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Plot Keywords:

woman raped | raped by soldier | defeat of nazis | forced sexual contact | year 1945 | 

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Taglines:

World War II ends and her story begins...

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History | War

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Germany]

Country:

Germany Poland

Language:

German Russian Georgian

Release Date:

23 October 2008 (Germany)

Also Known As:

A Woman in Berlin

Filming Locations:

Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$12,439, 19 July 2009

Gross USA:

$294,014

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,863,939

Company Credits

Production Co:

Constantin Film, Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF), Tempus

Technical Specs

Runtime:

131 min 175 min (2 parts)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

It is estimated that between 95,000 and 130,000 Berlin women were raped by Russian soldiers in the four months in 1945 that the Russian army occupied the city.

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Goofs

In the film it was announced that Germany had surrendered and the Russians broke into singing the anthem version that had been adopted somewhat in 1944 and known as the "Alexandrov version." However it had no lyrics until Stalin intervened. It is doubtful that war events would have permitted all soldiers to learn it because of the fierceness of the war. Most likely they would have broke into the chorus of the better known anthem which was known as "The Internationale."

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Quotes

Anonyma: [in German] Soldier! Why are you taking a woman against her will?

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Connections

Featured in History: Anonyma - Die Frauen von Berlin (2010)

User Reviews

facing the taboo

rape is the particular plight of women during war and acknowledged at long last as a war crime.The plight of German women at the end of WW II was especially awful as they had protection from no one. General Eisenhower who punished rape committed by his men with execution outside of Germany (first rape took place six hours after invasion of Normandy had begun)but as for German women all men had free hands as these women were all declared "willing". The Americans are the only ones to have gone through archives as for army rape in WW II however the one recent book existing is not allowed for publishing in the US because of the war in Iraq (!!)so exists in French version only. The French and the British have preferred to turn a blind eye to what was done by their soldiers towards German women let alone the Russians. It is very important that this film has been made at long last. Subject concerns all not just its victims let alone the children born out of the horrors. Bravo Germany.