Cited as the first and - so far - only gay themed film to emerge from East Germany, Coming Out was filmed on location in East Berlin, premiered on November 9, 1989 (the night the Wall came down), and won the Silver Bear Prize the following year at the Berlin Film Festival.
Its historical context is its great claim to fame, however, as even though it is a competent depiction of East German (gay) life in the late eighties, it fails to explore any real new territory thematically and dramtically, and had it been filmed elsewhere and premiered on a different night, Coming Out would probably have never have crept into the worldwide video and DVD scene at all.
Typical themes of guilt-ridden angst surface from the very first scene when teenaged pretty boy Matthias (Dirk Kummer in his screen debut) is wheeled into the hospital after failed suicide attempt. Young Matthias’ tearful self-hatred sets the stage for Matthias Freihof’s feature debut as Philipp, a sexually conflicted high school teacher, who embarks on an ill-fated affair with the troubled Matthias.
Philipp is a progressive teacher who rejects formality — he dresses casually in jeans, insists on being called by his first name, and experiments with interactive communication exercises in the classroom, all to the consternation of the staid school administration. This unorthodox approach contrasts with his approach to his own love life, which he bends to fit the most conventional rules. The first day he literally bumps into fellow teacher Tanja (Dagmar Manzel) and takes her out dancing at a local club. He reluctantly follows Tanja home for a perfunctory one-night stand. Philipp even suggests they get married, but his body language clearly indicates that his heart isn’t into it.
This does provide him an opportunity to surprise his mother with the news of his girlfriend. Pleased but shocked, his mother approves of her son’s “conversion” to an acceptable lifestyle. This, of course, unravels in time due to Philipp’s inability to commit to marriage, and an uncomfortable encounter with a former male lover and a visit to an underground gay bar.
Although the subject matter is hardly revelatory, the film does well by leaving Philipp’s situation without final resolution. Heiner Carow flirts with Philipp’s character without delving into deeper levels, requiring the viewer to make assumptions. While Philipp helps defend one gay man on a subway (leaving facial bruises that mysteriously disappear after one scene), he flees another similar situation.
Contrasting with these scenes is the tastefully composed scene of Phillip’s and Mathias’ one night affair. Kudos to cinematographer Martin Schlesinger for capturing sensual passions and tenderness without resorting to raw sexual content—the emotional content remains key, and he appropriately captures Phillip’s new found joy here, contrasting greatly with his overall melancholy.
Coming Out contains a great little other-story in the form of an elderly man in the underground gay bar who spills his life story about Nazi persecution and Soviet rules and regulations after downing half a dozen shots of brandy. Even the gay men parading freely in the underground bar hide their addresses and keep their identities secret out of habit - it’s a long life of loneliness, according to the old man.
Paragraph 175
