I Was Nineteen: Konrad Wolf

Many people tend to not realize that East Germany had an extremely vigorous and fascinating film industry during its years as a Soviet satellite. Of all of its film-makers and directors, perhaps few were as skilled, valued, and admired than Konrad Wolf. One of his greatest films was I Was Nineteen, a film that recounts his experiences as a soldier in World War Two. However, instead of fighting for Germany, both Konrad and Gregor Hecker, the film's protagonist, fought for the Soviets in the Red Army. Their families had fled the Nazi Party by moving to Moscow. As a result, both Konrad and Gregor are stuck in a strange limbo: ethnically German but culturally Russian. The film watches as Gregor invades Germany and is promoted to lieutenant. We watch as he sets up an outpost in a newly conquered German town, negotiates the surrender of a Nazi-held fortress, and fights back against a German counter-attack. There are several poignant moments where Gregor's identity is called into question. One of the most powerful is when he encounters a blinded German soldier on a bridge who treats him like a comrade, not knowing that he was part of a Red Army patrol. Some may view this film as an episodic war feature, much like Samuel Fuller's The Big Red One. But it is much more. It is an examination of identity and culture marred by war.

8/10