Directed by:
Heiner CarowScreenplay:
Wolfram WittCinematography:
Martin SchlesingerComposer:
Stefan CarowCast:
Matthias Freihof, Dagmar Manzel, Dirk Kummer, Michael Gwisdek, Werner Dissel, Gudrun Ritter, Walfriede Schmitt, Axel Wandtke, Pierre Sanoussi-Bliss (more)Plots(1)
An ambulance races down the streets of Berlin on New Year's Eve. A young man, Matthias, has taken an overdose of sleeping pills and is wrestling with death. A flashback: an ambitious young teacher named Philipp Klahrmann is well-liked by his pupils and a fellow teacher, Tanja. When she falls in love with him they become a couple. But then Philipp runs into Jacob, an old school friend, who reminds him of their former homosexual relationship. Philipp has been repressing his predisposition for years but can do so no longer. He meets Matthias and falls in love with him. His passionate relationship with this young man puts him in a dilemma. He is fond of Tanja, who is now expecting his child, and does not want to disappoint her. Philip embarks on a painful process of finding himself. Not knowing what to do with himself or how to cope with his problems, he instead alienates everyone else. Upset and affronted, Tanja distances herself from him, and Matthias, who is deeply in love with Philipp, tries to commit suicide. In the end, Philipp manages to overcome his fear of public opinion and comes out of the closet. (Berlinale)
(more)Cast
![Matthias Freihof](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/059/364/59364312_533729.jpg)
Matthias Freihof
East Germany
Best movies:
Valkyrie (2008)
Coming Out (1989)
Fuhrer Ex (2002)
![Dagmar Manzel](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/158/441/158441984_e2196a.jpg)
Dagmar Manzel
East Germany
Best movies:
Cracks in the Shell (2011)
Coming Out (1989)
Willenbrock (2005)
![Dirk Kummer](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/165/734/165734561_03dadd.jpg)
Dirk Kummer
East Germany
Best movies:
Coming Out (1989)
![Michael Gwisdek](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/000/271/271766_899430.jpg)
Michael Gwisdek
German Empire
Best movies:
No Place to Go (2000)
The Baader Meinhof Complex (2008)
Herzlich willkommen (1990)
![Werner Dissel](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/160/193/160193884_6a54d0.jpg)
Werner Dissel
German Empire
Best movies:
Les Misérables (1958)
The Gleiwitz Case (1961)
Coming Out (1989)
![Gudrun Ritter](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/160/275/160275809_7b7db8.jpg)
Gudrun Ritter
German Empire
Best movies:
Coming Out (1989)
The Poll Diaries (2010)
Beat (2018) (series)
Walfriede Schmitt
German Empire
Best movies:
Coming Out (1989)
Deadly Maria (1993)
Moritz in the Advertising Column (1983)
![Axel Wandtke](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/159/901/159901877_960fd3.jpg)
Axel Wandtke
East Germany
Best movies:
Never Look Away (2018)
Frantz (2016)
Coming Out (1989)
![Pierre Sanoussi-Bliss](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/161/487/161487219_1f463d.jpg)
Pierre Sanoussi-Bliss
East Germany
Best movies:
Coming Out (1989)
Bin ich schön? (1998)
Erleuchtung garantiert (2000)
René Schmidt
Best movies:
Coming Out (1989)
![Thomas Gumpert](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/164/682/164682835_23e313.jpg)
Thomas Gumpert
East Germany
Best movies:
Coming Out (1989)
Polizeiruf 110 (1971) (series)
Ein starkes Team (1994) (series)
![Ursula Staack](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/162/007/162007521_bf873c.jpg)
Ursula Staack
German Empire
Best movies:
Lola and Billy the Kid (1999)
Coming Out (1989)
Aber Doktor (1979) (TV movie)
![Robert Hummel](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/163/307/163307441_8d700e.jpg)
Robert Hummel
West Germany
Best movies:
Coming Out (1989)
The Promise (1995)
Der Zürich-Krimi (2016) (series)
Horst Ziethen
Best movies:
Coming Out (1989)
Polizeiruf 110 (1971) (series)
Gertraud Kreißig
German Empire
Best movies:
Coming Out (1989)
Moritz in the Advertising Column (1983)
Polizeiruf 110 (1971) (series)
![Gudrun Okras](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/159/655/159655766_5e0af1.jpg)
Gudrun Okras
German Empire
Best movies:
Coming Out (1989)
Twin Sisters (2002)
Polizeiruf 110 (1971) (series)
![Dieter Okras](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/160/369/160369450_65ca00.jpg)
Dieter Okras
East Germany
Best movies:
Stalingrad (1993)
Coming Out (1989)
Polizeiruf 110 (1971) (series)
Joachim Pape
Best movies:
Three Wishes for Cinderella (1973)
Liberation: The Battle of Berlin (1971)
Coming Out (1989)
Cornelia Schirmer
Best movies:
Coming Out (1989)
![Evelyn Opoczynski](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/162/517/162517108_293af1.jpg)
Evelyn Opoczynski
East Germany
Best movies:
Coming Out (1989)
Seven Freckles (1978)
Eolomea (1972)