Apprehension

Director: Lothar Warneke
1981/1982 | 99 mins | German with English subtitles | DCP | Colour
Introduction and post-screening talk by Christina Schmidt

A psychologist learns about life

Divorced with a teenage son, single mother and psychologist Inge is involved with a married man. One day, she learns that she has breast cancer, which makes her re-evaluate her relationships and her life. She cries, looks for old friends, confronts people, and comes to terms with things.

With a powerful, semi-autobiographical script by Helga Schubert, Apprehension is considered by critics to be East Germany’s greatest woman’s film. Made in an experimental manner with a low budget, the film’s grainy black and white images and the use of non-professional actors contributed to its documentary-like realism. It was a box office hit when it was first released.