For the Opening Night of the 2024 German Film Festival in Sydney, Palace Norton Street welcomed German director Andreas Dresen to screen his latest film With Love, From Hilde, which premiered at Berlin International Film Festival only 2 months ago.
This harrowing story of love and strength during the Nazi regime is based on the real lives of Hilde and Hans Coppi, two young resistance fighters who fall in love whilst working for the espionage organisation known as Red Orchestra.
When writing the screenplay, Laila Steiler drew a lot of inspiration from archival letters and interviews with survivors who knew the couple, making the film all the more real and impactful.
Dresen’s telling of the story centers around Hilde, showing her journey from a perfect Berlin summer in 1942 when she discovers her love for Hans and falls happily pregnant with his child, to the following year when she faces the brutal consequences of her involvement in the resitance. Despite Hilda’s inconceivable circumstance of being taken in for questioning and imprisoned by the Nazi party whilst heavily pregnant and separated from her husband, lead actress Liv Lisa Fries embodies the character with such depth and humility that the story feels overwhelmingly real. Of equal conviction and nuance is Johannes Hegemann’s portrayal of husband Hans Coppi, for whom, I was surprised to learn, this was his first feature film. The rest of the tight-knit cast also deliver compelling performances, a particular favourite of mine being Officer Kühn, played by Lisa Wagner, who provides much-needed comedy relief with her judgemental glares and peevish facial expressions.
I must warn you that this film will likely leave you in a puddle of tears. I couldn’t even muster up one question for Dresen, who generously stayed back for a Q&A after the film, I just kept nodding along as a steady flow of tears rolled down my cheeks. However, please don’t let that deter you. This is a poignant and beautifully told story, and in framing it through Hilde’s perspective, Steiler and Dresen bring out the humour and beauty and softness she sees in the world. Her fascination with nature: the sun, the sky and the water, for example, the tender beginnings of her love for Hans, and later on the fierce companionship that develops with the women she meets along her journey, are all beautiful moments to watch.
In this way, the film steers away from any of the ‘cliches’ that Dresen notes Nazi films can often fall into. Here, there are no swastikas, no blonde Nazi soldiers screaming, and the film doesn’t have grand orchestral soundtrack to dictate the reaction of the viewer. All the emotion is conveyed by the story and the acting – captured so intimately by cinematographer Judith Kaufmann through a combination of handheld, steadicam and long stationary shots.
The result is a film that feels completely raw and truthful to the historic period, and yet contemporary, in the sense that these are young characters one can identify with. This effect is a deliberate choice reflected in Birgitt Kilian’s costume design, which included many items sourced from present-day second hand stores across Berlin, and the hairstyling by Monika Münnich, which gives the actors a modern look whilst still remaining true to their 1940s surroundings. In making his characters look like people we might encounter on the streets of Berlin today, Dresen urges us to put ourselves in the shoes of Hilde and Hans and ask ‘What would I have done if this happened to me? Would I have had the same courage?’.
Captivating and provocative, From Hilde, With Love was a powerful opener for the German Film Festival, which will run until the 29th of May and features a selection of 5 other films coming directly from Berlinale 2024, the Berlin International Film Festival. This year, the festival also celebrates 70 years of German Film and places a spotlight on Werner Herzhog, a pioneer of New German Theatre. Additionally, there is a programme of German language films for children and teenagers, with school bookings available via their website:
https://germanfilmfestival.com.au/
Written by Franca Lafosse