Coming Out (1989 film)
| Coming Out | |
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German theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Heiner Carow |
| Produced by | Horst Hartwig |
| Written by | Wolfram Witt |
| Starring |
Matthias Freihof Dirk Kummer Dagmar Manzel |
| Music by | Stefan Carow |
| Cinematography | Martin Schlesinger |
| Edited by | Evelyn Carow |
| Distributed by | DEFA |
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Release date
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Running time
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113 minutes |
| Country | East Germany |
| Language | German (English subtitles) |
Coming Out is a 1989 East German film directed by Heiner Carow and written by Wolfram Witt which deals with the lead character, a high school teacher, "coming out" and accepting himself as gay. It was one the last films made by DEFA, the East German state film studio, and the only one it made that dealt with issues around homosexuality.
The film premiered at the Kino International in Berlin on 9 November 1989, the night that the Berlin Wall was opened.
It won a number of awards including a Silver Bear and Teddy Award at 40th Berlin International Film Festival, and awards at the National Feature Film Festival of the GDR.
The lead actors are Matthias Freihof, Dagmar Manzel, and Dirk Kummer. The film was shot on location in East Berlin and includes scenes shot with amateurs in some of the gay venues of the time.
The film has been shown at film festivals around the world and has won a number of awards, including:
The story revolves around a young high-school teacher, Philipp Klahrmann, who during his first day at work collides with a fellow teacher, Tanja, in one of the school's corridors. As Phillip insists on making sure the Tanja is okay, there is an obvious connection between the two that is much more than a simple friendly co-worker relationship. As a result of the brief accident in the hallway, Philipp ensures Tanja is okay and later on takes Tanja out for a drink. A romance quickly develops between the two. That same night, back at Tanja's apartment, the two engage in a frank discussion. Tanja reveals that they attended the same university and that she had a crush, as did most of her female classmates, on Philipp who was at that time "going steady" with another classmate. Eventually, the two partake in their first physical display of affection, and after sleeping together Philipp bluntly asks if Tanja would want him as her husband.
Philipp's character develops and the audience often questions his sexuality and witnesses his allure to both sexes, first when a girl, possibly a student, though it is never said turns down the advances of another man and immediately flirts with Philipp in a theatre by putting her hand on his leg. Later scenes include Philipp being hit on by many men and also continually being perceived as a pretty face.
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