Different from You and Me

Different from You and Me (§175)
DVD cover with frame shot of Klaus Teichmann and Boris Winkler watching wrestlers
Directed by	Veit Harlan
Produced by	Gero Wecker
Written by	Felix Lützkendorf Hans Giese (scientific advisor)
Starring	Christian Wolff Paula Wessely Paul Dahlke Hans Nielsen
Music by	Erwin Halletz Oskar Sala (electronic music)
Cinematography	Kurt Grigoleit
Edited by	Walter Wischniewsky
Production company	Arca-Filmproduktion GmbH
Release date	1957 (German film) 1958 (USA) 2006 (DVD)
Running time	92 minutes
Country	West Germany
Language	German (1958 version dubbed in English, DVD with English subtitles)

Different from You and Me (§175) (German: Anders als du und ich (§175)) is a 1957 feature film on the subject of homosexuality directed by Veit Harlan. The film was subject to censorship in Germany, and several scenes had to be altered before it could be released.

Different from You and Me (§175) centers around the well-to-do Teichmann family in Berlin. Klaus, the 17-year-old son of Werner and Christa Teichmann, has begun to lead a life that increasingly worries his parents. Although he is an outstanding student, Klaus spends most of his free time with Manfred, a low academic achiever raised by a relatively poor single mother. The two boys share an interest in the arts, and Manfred has just published a poem in the local newspaper. Klaus has to protect Manfred from classroom bullies who attack him for his effeteness.

The Teichmanns become even more concerned when they learn that Manfred has introduced Klaus to the antique dealer Boris Winkler, who hosts decadent all-male get-togethers at his home, featuring avant-garde electronic music and freestyle wrestling by scantily clad young men. When Werner and Christa Teichmann get wind of this, they visit a psychologist, who cautions them that their son is in danger of being turned into a homosexual and that his parents should encourage him to socialize with girls his age.

When Werner Teichmann tries to ground his son, Klaus sneaks out through the bedroom window. His father searches for him, first at Manfred's apartment, then at Winkler's place, and finally at a demimonde club featuring a drag performance. Werner Teichmann finally confronts Winkler in a meeting with him in his home.

Not to be outdone, Christa Teichmann takes matters into her own hands. With the help of their housemaid, Gerda, she devises a plan to seduce Klaus and turn him from his homosexual ways. The plan is put into motion when Mr. and Mrs. Teichmann go away on a weekend trip, leaving Gerda and Klaus home alone. Gerda successfully seduces Klaus and in effect turns him straight.

All does not end well, however: at the instigation of Boris Winkler, Christa Teichmann is taken to court where she is charged with and found guilty of procuring the relationship between Gerda and Klaus.

At the time the film was made, §175 of the German Criminal Code criminalized homosexual acts between men. It was the aim of Hans Giese, a homosexual emancipation activist who served as scientific advisor to the film, to shift public opinion toward reforming and liberalizing the law.