The life-story, told only in photos, of Gerda Siepenbrink, a simple woman from a lower-middle-class background who lived from 1922 to 1975. The film-maker chose this form because she wanted to tell a story that is both individual and collective. Brückner did not want to use actors in costumes to bring history to life, but to use the historic material itself: documentary photos, photos from the Siepenbrink family album, other family photos and drawings. The film focuses on photos by the famous German photographer August Sander (1876-1964). So it is not only about Gerda Siepenbrink, but also about this great portrayer of the Germans.
