Dear Thomas

The GDR is still young, but Thomas Brasch no longer fits in. His father Horst, in particular, wants to help build the new German state. But Thomas, his eldest son, would rather become a writer. Thomas is a dreamer, an obsessive and a rebel. His very first play was banned and he was soon expelled from film school. When the Soviet tanks rolled through Prague in 1968, Brasch protested with his girlfriend Sanda and other students with a pamphlet campaign in the streets of Berlin - and ran into a wall. His own father betrays him and Thomas Brasch is sent to prison. Released on parole, Brasch works in a factory and writes about love, revolt and death. But there is nothing to be done with someone like him in the GDR. With no prospect of being heard, Thomas leaves his homeland with the woman he loves. He was initially acclaimed in the West, made several films and was invited to Cannes twice. But Brasch refused to be taken in. Even after the fall of the Wall, back in East Berlin, he is far from giving up.

Germany, 2021
Directed by Andreas Kleinert
150 min.
German with English Subtitles