Westwind

In the summer of 1988, a dream comes true for twins Isabel (Luise Heyer) and Doreen (Friederike Becht) from East Germany: for the first time in their lives, they are allowed to travel to a socialist country abroad to train their rowing skills at a German-Hungarian pioneer camp. But getting there turns out to be a little more difficult than planned when the sisters miss the bus that is supposed to take them to the camp. And so, by necessity, the girls have to hitchhike, which is when they meet Arne (Franz Dinda) and Nico (Volker Bruch) from Hamburg. Doreen in particular is taken with the open nature of the boys, the music from the West and especially with Arne. Despite a strict ban on going out, a romance develops between the two that goes far beyond a holiday flirtation. But when Arne suggests that the twins escape to West Germany, not only their young love but also the relationship between the sisters is put to the test.

Westwind is based on the true story of sisters Susann and Doreen Schimk, with Susann Schimk also having been involved as a writer on the final screenplay version. This creates a high degree of authenticity, which makes the story of the film all the more interesting and exciting. The film was shot on original locations, including the real pioneer camp in Hungary. Although historical and dramatic accuracy can be discerned in many aspects of the production, a much more universal story is the real focus of the film.

Director Robert Thalheim (In the End, Tourists Arrive) rather subtly builds into his production the elements that point to life in divided Germany and an escape from the East to the West. Moments like the one in which the girls drink Coca Cola for the first time, dance to Depeche Mode or defy orders from their coach Balisch (Hans Uwe Bauer) are staged with a pleasant restraint, allowing the relationship between the fraternal twin sisters and the love between Doreen and Arne to take full centre stage.

Even though the film has a slight TV movie character here and there, there are still two elements that justify a visit to the cinema for lovers of German film: on the one hand, there is the very likeable and authentic acting of Luise Heyer and Friederike Becht, through which it is made very easy for the viewer to build up an emotional connection to the sisters, which in turn pays off in the last third of the film. On the other hand, it's the engaging images of the original locations, which, also thanks to the good set, allow the viewer to truly travel back in time to the late 80s.

Westwind is a small film, very effective in all its understated ways, that works well both as a romance, as an extraordinary sibling relationship, and as a contemporary East-West drama. If you appreciate program cinema fare from Germany, Thalheim's latest drama can definitely be recommended. Worth seeing

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp