Last night at 1 AM, on 8th October 2023, ZDF broadcast one of the best German thrillers of recent years, “Freies Land” (2019). Luckily, there is the ZDFmediathek, where you can watch the film for free.
What kind of thriller is this? “Freies Land” is set in 1992, shortly after the reunification, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. But there is no sense of reunification in Löwitz on the German-Polish border: A “Wessi” has taken over the state-owned enterprise that kept the place alive and threatens layoffs and job cuts.
Two policemen investigate the disappearance of two young girls in a hostile environment. The commissioner from Hamburg, Stein, looks irritated at the methods of his colleague, a hefty ex-Stasi man, who gets information by beating a suspect or twisting their arm. To unwind, he downs a few beers and wolfs down sausages.
The hotel they are staying at is called “Fortschritt” – just that is quite cheeky.
The disappearance of girls seems to surprise no one in the town: Everyone wants to get out of this hole and into the big wide city of Berlin. Moreover, the girls were just little tarts anyway. But it quickly becomes clear that no one leaves Löwitz that easily.
German director films a Spanish thriller in US style
What is special about the film? The film is by Christian Alvart (Antikörper, Pandorum), the German director who is most adept at US-style thriller cinema. He is also known for the unconventional Till Schweiger crime scenes.
However, in this thriller, Alvart has an extremely good story and a fantastic setting in Löwitz in 1992.
For “Freies Land”, he relocates a thriller from the Spanish province to Germany, but you can’t tell because the film seems so tailored to Germany after the fall of the wall. To recreate 1992 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, they filmed in Ukraine in 2018.
The film shines with atmosphere and robust characters. Everywhere there are groans and grunts. Quirky characters appear, many armed or threatening in other ways, somehow everyone has something to hide: The rule of law is far away. No character in the film seems particularly satisfied with their life or comfortable in their skin. Even the usually ethereal Nora Waldstätten looks most of the time desperately lost.
The characters seem as if they need to find their way in the new world, everyone has to grapple with the new reality: As if they know the grammar spoken in the new world, but the words are alien to them.
The star of the film is surely Felix Kramer as “East Bull” Markus Bach, who refuses to acknowledge a change in circumstances and perseveres stubbornly.
“This is now a free country,” a journalist indignantly exclaims at one point – “Tomorrow again,” Bach roars back.
There are glimpses of rural coziness and light, but also much shadow. Perhaps even more than one would expect at first glance.
How can you watch it? In free TV, “Freies Land” was broadcast in the night from 7th to 8th October at 1:00 AM on Saturday.
However, you can still watch the film for free in the ZDFmediathek until January . Maybe a nice contribution to the “Day of German Unity,” which somehow passes us every year with Sunday speeches and a bridge day.
The film is rated FSK 16, so you can only watch it without any issues between 10 PM and 6 AM. Unless you unlock your account with ZDF.
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