A prison in Brandenburg in 2001. 36-year-old Martin Schulz is released after more than 11 years’ imprisonment. A former citizen of East Germany from East Berlin, he was in prison when the wall came down in 1989. Martin is full of optimism as he steps out of the prison door. But he hardly recognises his old East Berlin any more, so much of it is new. He visits his wife, Manuela, and his 11-year-old son, Rokko. All of a sudden, Martin is confronted with his worst fear. Rokko, it seems, doesn’t even know who he is. Martin wanders aimlessly about eastern Berlin, meeting both winners and losers from the fall of the wall. All Martin wants is to do is find his feet and get to know his son. But in spite of his good intentions, he is overshadowed by his past. He is arrested and, although innocent, winds up in a cell again. All the odds are stacked up against him; nobody believes him when he declares his innocence. Except Manuela and Rokko, who stand by him… —film.com
