SPOILER ALERT: The scene with Barbara and Stella near the very end.

At first, I felt that the Stasi would have arrested Babs immediately, for being witnessed by her neighbor leaving with Steffi.

But then I considered that this whole movie was about who can be trusted. No one, of course, not even Andre. That's the world Barbara lives in. Speech is used economically. Affection can be make one weak, so it's curtailed. Cold place.

BUT, if one can't know who is an enemy, one also can't know who is a friend. The neighbor gardening at night might not have been unsympathetic to Barbara. Another suspicious character was the third doctor at the clinic. But again, she doesn't share her knowledge of Barbara's activities with the Stasi either. Because words can be recorded and reported, neither the neighbor nor the doctor can say anything in support. Remember when the third doctor leaves the table, casually, when Stella sits down with Andre? That was a very subtle act of almost friendship - absenting oneself so nothing can be overheard. Screwy thing in our overly confessional, vomit up all for Oprah, world, isn't it? That's why I loved that particular moment so much.

So, I think that the neighbor never reported Barbara. As all important connections must be hidden, never spoken, maybe the neighbor knew that the town needed Barbara. Maybe the neighbor decided to mind her own business (even if her job was to spy.) Maybe the neighbor sympathized with any escape, deep down. We don't know. The reasons cannot be spoken under these circumstances. No one can praise Barbara publicly for her doctoring, no one can plead for her to stay, no one can express any sympathy for her condition. But one CAN omit themselves from circumstances, absent themselves as a witness, or simply not talk.

So we, the audience, get to participate in the building of the narrative with our own reasons for why Barbara wasn't arrested, why she didn't leave herself, why Steffi was so important to her, what her reaction really was to the magazine in the hotel, if she loves Andre or if she loves her work in the provinces (we really don't know definitively), all of which established a wonderful (silent) dialogue with the film maker! That doubt and instability is at the very heart of this film's portrayal of life under the Stasi. It makes for a beautiful film with so many levels of interpretation.

This film was quite the gift from Petzold.

The neighbour is gardening in the dark of night. Now, who (I ask you) does that?

I do agree with your observations.

Barbara and Stella had a hell of a long time on the beach to wait for the sailor. You would think the Stasi would have caught up with them, since the sea is probably one most viable way to leave that part of East Germany? The neighbor was more than nosy - she was a Stasi informant, and citizens were forced to keep tabs on each other. If she didn't keep tabs and report "suspicious" activities, she would also get in trouble. That is the systematic way a totalitarian state uses citizens to control other citizens.

But then... anything is possible. After all, many refugees have escaped extreme circumstances, and many East Germans found a way to go West. Petzold is one of the finest directors of this generation. I am deeply honored to see his films, because they are so complex. You can debate the nuances for hours and hours.

Also... maybe the neighbor wasn't necessarily gardening, but gathering vegetables she grew for dinner. Some plant varieties are also better tended to at night? I don't know but it's totally possible for someone to hang around the garden in the evenings. Maybe she was also burying something in the garden like Barbara 😂

Logistics aside... this scene where Barbara forfeited her escape to Stella is one of the most touching scenes in cinema I have ever seen. It moved me to tears. For someone so hardened as Barbara to sacrifice herself so a younger generation can escape a brutal regime and thrive somewhere new, it's really touching.

My question is - Barbara disappeared for a few hours. She never really explained why she disappeared for several hours in the past. The Stasi just kept inspecting her flat but didn't punish her. While they are violating her privacy, I'm surprised that they just let her go every time she disappears and re-appears without an explanation. After Stella's escape, I wonder how they will punish Barbara since she returned to reunite with Dr. Reiser. Updated: I just read another poster's comment that Barbara was able to disappear for as long as she did because the Stasi officer (whose wife was dying of cancer and was treated by Dr. Reiser) somewhat turned a blind eye as thanks to Dr. Reiser. Logically speaking, the Stasi should have been pursuing Barbara if they were really intent in capturing her immediately instead of inspecting her apartment.





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