Director Andreas Kleinert, born in East Berlin in 1962, shows the poet Thomas Brasch, who lived there until 1976. Kleinert knows what he is talking about, at least as far as the location and everyday life there are concerned. The details of Brasch's biography are fictionalised, but in general the director sticks to factual parameters: we see how Brasch loved women and rebelliousness, how he cherished and despised the GDR at the same time, and that he never sold out to social or political expectations either there or in the West. Kleinert's drama dissects the challenges of art, the handling of success, and the contemporary history of a divided Germany.

Director Andreas Kleinert stages the life of author, poet, and filmmaker Thomas Brasch in CinemaScope and B&W. He loosely divides the biography into chapters, each of which is titled with a quotation procured from a Brasch poem. He looks at Brasch both as a private person and as an artist, in as much as the two can even be separated. In the opening scene, Kleinert immediately pursues the aspiration of also incorporating art visually by showing Thomas Brasch as he uses a felt-tip pen to write all over the entire body of a reclining nude woman.
A date appears, taking everything back to 1955: Thomas's father, Horst, is driving the then ten-year-old to the cadet school of the National People's Army of the GDR. A summery GDR is seen in extreme long shot, but the peaceful atmosphere is deceptive. Thomas is not thrilled about the boarding school, but Horst, an SED party functionary, forces him to go. Here, already, the suspicion arises that the two will rarely see eye-to-eye. "You only ever do what you want," Thomas's mother Gerda later says to him, and what Thomas wants to do is certainly not what his father wants or could even approve of.
The film jumps forward at least ten years; the troublesome Thomas moves out of the family home to become a writer. In his "pad" there are endless parties – and alcohol, dancing, reciting of poems. A bohemian life in the GDR is recounted, one in which Brasch appears intellectually and sexually unbridled. He is tossed out of film school, gets his girlfriend Bettina pregnant, constantly falls in love with other women who willingly let themselves be seduced. In August 1958, when the Prague Spring is violently suppressed by the Warsaw Pact military, in protest Brasch distributes leaflets in Berlin. This political action ends with him, denounced by his own father, being arrested and sent to prison for two years and three months.
Released early, Brasch has to complete his probation as a milling machinist in a transformer plant. It proves to be an inspiration and he begins writing like a manic (Kleinert also gives him a few obscure literary visions here). Despite how busy he is, he goes to the Berliner Ensemble in the evenings and falls in love with the theatre. And in particular with the actress Elevin Katarina – who, however, is already taken. Brasch writes the play Lovely Rita for her, which leads to her riding off on a bike with him the day after her wedding. The two stay together; after all his numerous, carefree affairs, Brasch has finally found a long-lasting love.
The years have passed. Success is almost within reach for both of them: she as an actress, he as an author. But the couple's rebellious spirit is not appreciated in the GDR – their work is forbidden or subject to restrictions, and the Stasi creeps into their life. Soon after Brasch smuggles his manuscripts to the West, he and Katarina apply to leave the country. In 1976, they move from East Berlin to West Berlin to henceforth live in Western decadence, both more saddened than enthusiastic. But the success really takes off now, and brings offers from New York City, engagements in Vienna, awards at Cannes, and a lot of money – as well as parasites, alcohol, and cocaine.
Brasch makes films and refuses to sacrifice his artistic integrity, becoming ever more and more maniacal. Kleinert does not show the tailspin chronologically; time and again, the tremendous productivity of Brasch is shown, with the countless manuscripts on tables, floors, and sofas – even the walls of the room walls are inscribed from floor to ceiling. But the film jumps onwards, first to the fall of the Berlin Wall, then to the end of the poet. Brasch still refuses to let his talent be corrupted, but worn down by age and loneliness his behaviour becomes increasingly difficult.
Thomas Brasch dies in 2001 in Berlin, where he has spent his entire life, at the age of only 56. Withal, Kleinert's film remains gentle. Quotes from Brasch's texts are once again heard, short moments of former, happier days are seen – until Brasch, smiling pleasantly, blows us a kiss goodbye.

Doris Kuhn (20.04.2022)

Reviews and Commentary:

"The film is recommendable both for ethics and religion lessons as well as for literature and history. It draws attention to the milieu of the artistic opposition of the GDR, and reveals the complexity of the familial and political entanglements of some of the stakeholders of the time. Their efforts to achieve a place of their own become as clear as the unpredictability of the state repression. On the basis of the texts of Brasch that flow into the film, this search for an autonomous position can be delineated by means of concrete example. Of particular interest in this biographical film is the seamless amalgamation of attested biographical information with unfettered fictionalisation. For example, while some figures sport historically verifiable names (Biermann, Havemann), others remain pseudonymous. This artifice stimulates discussion about the legitimacy of the procedure. What are its advantages and limitations?" (Dr. Claus Löser)

"The expressive visual language and the phenomenal ensemble, with an unbridled Albrecht Schuch in the title role, make this artist biography a cinematic gem." (Deutsche Film- und Medienbewertung FBW [German Film and Media Evaluation])

"Kleinert's narrative is sovereign and extremely successful: for one, it remains conceptional enough for today's audience that it never becomes didactic but, rather, becomes a feature film about an artist whose character, whose emotions, but above all whose political decisions – which for many nowadays are not easy to understand – always remain comprehensible, intelligible and, also, in the vast majority of the cases, highly sympathetic or emotionally comprehensible.
And Kleinert does this in a manner that – which is no less important! – does not betray his characters. Because we should also not deceive ourselves regarding the following: contemporary culture, with its levelling and infantilism and its fixation on entertainment – would find Thomas Brasch a horror. (Rüdiger Suchsland, artechock)

"It is about someone who offends, rebels, and flees from compromise and tranquillity. In short: Dear Thomas focuses on the 'uncomfortable' of the main character, and thus only portrays one personal character trait. […] The drive behind the political artist Brasch remains neglected. (Robert Wagner, critic.de)

Awards:
2022 LOLA
2021 Tallinn Film Festival: Grand Prix for Best Film
2021 Tallinn Film Festival: Best Actor for Albrecht Schuch in Dear Thomas

Production Country

Germany (DE)

Production Period

2019-2021

Production Year

2021

color

color

Aspect Ratio

1:2,35

Duration

Feature-Length Film (61+ Min.)

Type

Feature Film

Genre

Biography / Portrait

Topic

Relationship / Family, Literature, Work, GDR

Available Media

DCP, Blu-ray Disc, DVD, DCP, DCP, DCP

Original Version

German (de)

DCP

Subtitles

German (full), German (partly), English (en), French (fr), Spanish (Latin America), Portuguese (Brazil), Arabic (ar), Chinese (zh), Russian (ru), Czech (cs), Italian (it), Estonian (et), Turkish (tr)

Note on the Format

DCP sind verschlüsselt

Blu-ray Disc

Subtitles

German (full), German (partly), English (en), French (fr), Spanish (Latin America), Portuguese (Brazil), Arabic (ar), Chinese (zh), Russian (ru), Czech (cs), Italian (it), Estonian (et)

DVD

Subtitles

German (full), German (partly), English (en), French (fr), Spanish (Latin America), Portuguese (Brazil), Arabic (ar), Chinese (zh), Russian (ru), Czech (cs), Italian (it), Estonian (et)

Note on the Format

DVD Auswertungszeit: ab 01.09.2023 und in Abstimmung mit dem Lizenzgeber.

DCP

Subtitles

Polish (pl), Ukrainian (uk)

Note on the Format

DCP sind verschlüsselt
Sonderanfertigung: DCP mit polnischen und ukrainischen UT im Bild; Zweizeiler, um die UTs in den beiden Sprachen gleichzeitig zeigen zu können.

DCP

Subtitles

German (full), German (partly), English (en), French (fr), Spanish (Latin America), Portuguese (Brazil), Arabic (ar), Chinese (zh), Russian (ru), Czech (cs), Italian (it), Estonian (et), Romanian (ro)

Note on the Format

DCP sind verschlüsselt

DCP

Subtitles

German (full), German (partly), English (en), French (fr), Spanish (Latin America), Portuguese (Brazil), Arabic (ar), Chinese (zh), Russian (ru), Czech (cs), Italian (it), Estonian (et), Japanese (ja)

Note on the Format

DCP sind verschlüsselt