Tales of a River

At the point where the Mulde River branches off to the south from the Elbe lies the city of Dessau, in the east of Germany. Before the reunification of Germany, Dessau was located in the German Democratic Republic and everything was different. A number of inhabitants talk about the things that have changed for them - not in a political sense, but in the everyday, individual details of their lives. Hans used to be a party economist and now he is a nurse. Renate was working below her educational level in a factory, and although she now has a more interesting job, she still misses her colleagues and the feeling of solidarity. Angelika has moved up from being a simple employee to a successful manager in a brand-new office block built in Bauhaus style. Interwoven through all these stories is that of the elderly Herr Weise, who has gone through his share of political revolutions in his lifetime. For filmmaker Petra Lataster-Czisch, Tales of a River is also a personal investigation: although she now lives and works in the Netherlands, she was born in Dessau in 1954. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)