Beyond Wriezen

Three young German delinquents are released from prison and the camera follows them at a distance as they try to reintegrate into society. It's a process that brings to the surface ambitions, fears, frustration and issues of self-respect. Their rehabilitation doesn't pass without incident. Finding a job or a place to live is difficult because of prejudice, or their own inability to adapt to a world where there are many unwritten rules. Getting rid of your swastika tattoo doesn't automatically make you the ideal son-in-law, but the efforts of committed social workers mean the boys aren't entirely abandoned to fate. All three former inmates get their girlfriends pregnant, and one of them develops some serious nesting tendencies. He advises his girlfriend to stop smoking and doesn't want to show his baby to the camera, because "Berlin is full of freaks and retards." Another new father is forced to give the child up for adoption, due to his youth and the mother's emotional instability. The third one starts dealing drugs in order to provide for the family, ending up back in jail before long. shows a dreary and tough side of the German welfare state. In spite of it all, the film also has its poignant moments: the loving smile of a girlfriend, a cat playing with a moving dot of light, and a piglet running to escape a speeding car.