Grosse Freiheit / Great Freedom

For Hans, the end of the Second World War does not mean freedom, not by a long shot. Instead, he is transferred directly to prison. His crime? Hans is homosexual, and the infamous Paragraph 175 of the German penal code makes sexual acts between men a punishable offense. But Hans will not have his sexuality denied and ends up behind bars several times in the years that follow. While there, he repeatedly meets Viktor, who has been convicted of murder. After initial disgust, a tentative trust develops between the two, which over the decades turns into affection. A precisely observed and virtuously narrated drama, carried by the congenial acting duo Franz Rogowski and Georg Friedrich.