East Germany, 1956. Kurt, Theo, and Lena are 18 years old and about to take their final exams. Together with their classmates, they decide to hold a minute of silence in class, as a tribute to the Hungarian revolutionaries harshly repressed by the Soviet army.
This minute of silence becomes a matter of state. It will change their lives. Faced with an East German government determined to identify and punish those responsible, the 19 students of Stalinstadt will have to confront all threats and remain united.
This is a true and enlightening story set against the backdrop of the Cold War. The gesture is so powerful that it provokes alarm in the highest levels of the state apparatus.
The film highlights the pressures exerted on students whose convictions, in fact, diverge. It emphasizes the different ways of being socialist and believing in freedom.
The film embraces this energy, a strong commitment in harmony with the political fervor and idealistic momentum inherent to youth. Their strategy in this struggle is both exhilarating and challenging while still infused with irony, notably through the surprising mention of Ferenc Puskás, the legendary Hungarian footballer, once nicknamed the “galloping major.”
The film is adapted from the book by one of the concerned high-school students, who chronicled these events in 2006. Lars Kraume turned it into a captivating account.
The unexpected twists and turns capture interest. And even emotion.
