Marienborn - Production & Contact Info (original) (raw)

Marienborn, a small village somewhere in the middle of Germany, was once world famous. The town lay on the border between East and West and for decades served as the most important and most guarded border crossing of the Iron Curtain. Many...See moreMarienborn, a small village somewhere in the middle of Germany, was once world famous. The town lay on the border between East and West and for decades served as the most important and most guarded border crossing of the Iron Curtain. Many here worked for 'the system', sometimes forced, as Stasi officer, guard, accountant or waitress. In this hermetically closed-off border town, where no westerner or outsider was allowed, the villagers formed a tight-knit community, caring for each other and creating a pleasant atmosphere. Yet, everyone knew that no one could truly be trusted. Criticism was unwelcome and even close friends could be informants. Now, almost 25 years after the fall of the Iron Curtain, this documentary shows how the people of Marienborn are haunted by their past. Conflicting feelings of guilt, regret and a longing for their former sense of community have resulted in a lonely mutual silence. Meanwhile, the once-isolated community is flooded by outside visitors. Tourists ask imposing questions, pilgrims search for healing at the village's Holy well and an African asylum seeker, who ended up here by chance, tries to understand how the villagers live together. Being suspicious while falling under suspicion. Looking, while being watched. In this documentary the closed-off community of Marienborn lives as if in a claustrophobic dream while trying to reconcile with the past.See less