Der Übergang

Orlando Lübbert is a very particular case in the context of Chilean cinema in exile: while many directors moved between countries, he was the only one who worked in both German states. Starting in the Federal Republic of Germany with Die Fäuste vor der Kanone (1975; co-director: Gastón Ancelovici), he then signed a contract with DEFA in the GDR where his most important film was made: Der Übergang.

It’s late 1973, several months after the putsch, Carlos, a textile factory worker, tries to flee Chile via the Andes to Argentina. On his way he meets two fellow refugees: Lorenzo, a white collar worker and Juan, a student who had been tortured by the junta. The three join forces – but this union will be tested by circumstances…

A fable about human nature in extraordinary circumstances realised in a quietist, humble style. Lübbert knows how to focus on his characters’ moral dilemmas and psychological breaking points without making any dramaturgical fuss. Not all will make it across the border and some will be forced to act in ways they never considered themselves capable of. But the vast emptiness of the mountains couldn’t care less.

– Olaf Möller

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