I Love You All

In February of 1990, a couple months after the Berlin Wall came down, Officer S. of the East German Ministry for State Security recorded his memories and thoughts in a diary. His account forms the basis for \i I Love You All\i0 , which is not even a documentary in the strictest sense of the word. It is more of an image essay in the rich tradition of French filmmaker Chris Marker, who made montages of fiction excerpts, historical footage, and personal observations. Accompanied by Officer S.'s memories, the film creates a world of paranoia and control in which S. had the profound conviction that the entire socialist utopia had to be spied on. Footage from the endless series of cameras that scan the streets of Berlin for suspicious dealings, extremely rare video recordings of Stasi interrogations, and lots of apparently meaningless shots of citizens being observed provide the viewer with the perspective of the Stasi officers. These men were convinced that they were performing crucial duties for the entire East German populace. As a result, the desperation they felt when the wall crumbled was considerable. Didn't people understand the beauty of socialism? In S.'s mind, if every citizen had the loyalty of a Stasi officer, the wall would never have fallen.