West

Plot

The film tells the story of the East German Nelly Senff and her young son Alexej, who emigrate to the Federal Republic of Germany in the late 1970s, three years after Nelly's boyfriend Wassilij was killed in an auto accident. In the west, she wants to start a new life, but at first she and Alexej land at Marienfelde refugee transit camp in West Berlin. There, Allied intelligence agencies interrogate Nelly and demand information about her dead boyfriend, who is suspected to have been a spy.

Cast

Jördis Triebel as Dr. Nelly Senff

Tristan Göbel as Alexej Senff

Jacky Ido as John Bird - CIA Agent

Anja Antonowicz as Krystyna Jablonowska

Ryszard Ronczewski as Jakub as Krystynas Vater

Andreas Nickl as Gerd Becker

Polina Voskresenskaya as Jelena

Alexander Scheer as Hans Pischke

Hendrik Arnst as Pförtner Neumann

Michael Benthin as Arthur Wilhelm

Tatjana Berges as Großmutter von Jelena

Angelika Böttiger as Dame vom ärztlichen Dienst

Winnie Böwe as Susanne

Stefan Lampadius as Jürgen Lüttich

Gabriele Schulze as Frau Breitscheit

Michael Witte as Joachim Fierlinger

Tania Carlin as Britische Geheimdienstlerin in Zivil

Rike Eckermann as Britische Geheimdienstlerin

Carlo Ljubek as Wassilij

Diana Maria Breuer as Beamtin

Hacky Rumpel as Nachbar

Luise Weiß as Kellnerin

Awards and nominations

2012: German Film Awards - Film Award in Gold-nomination in the category Best Screenplay - Unproduced for Heide Schwochow

2013: Montréal World Film Festival - Prize Best Actress for Jördis Triebel, FIPRESCI Prize in the category World Competition for Christian Schwochow, Grand Prix des Amériques-nomination in the category World Competition for Christian Schwochow

2014: Seattle International Film Festival - Golden Space Needle Award-nomination in the category Best Actress for Jördis Triebel

2014: German Film Awards - Film Award in Gold in the category Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for Jördis Triebel