By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Sebastian Meise
Starring: Alfred Hartung | Anton Von Lucke | Franz Rogowski | Georg Friedrich | Thomas Penn | Thomas Stecher
Original language title: Große Freiheit
Country: austria, germany
Year: 2022
Running time: 116
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14775784/reference/
Michael says: “This German film led with a strong performance, looks back at the post WWII period in Germany, where the Paragraph 175 law, outlawing homosexuality, was still enforced. Hans Hoffman is repeatedly thrown in prison for cruising toilets, or frolicking in a lake on holiday with his lover in the decades following the war. During his frequent visits, he slowly befriends a fellow prisoner, Viktor, who at first looks down on Hans for his perversions, but over time the two become close friends. As the film progresses, with Hans serving his time then being hauled back to jail for another infraction, and Viktor endlessly seeking appeal for his far more serious conviction, it becomes apparent that each man has a different relationship with prison. By films end, when Hans is permanently released due to Paragraph 175’s appeal, a new paradigm is revealed.