Coming Out

Coming Out (1989)

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COMING OUT

Please note: This review sucks. I wrote it as a teenager. It will be updated within the next six months.

Directed by Heiner Carow. Screenplay by Wolfram Witt. Starring Matthias Freihof, Dagmar Manzel, and Dirk Kummer. 1989, 108 min., Unrated. Available on video and DVD.

A realistic and deeply felt look at one man's struggle to accept his sexuality, director Heiner Carow's Coming Out is billed as the first and only gay feature film produced in East Germany. It also has the distinction of premiering on November 9, 1989, the night the Berlin Wall was opened.

Coming Out focuses on Philipp Klahrmann (Matthias Freihof), a high school instructor. After literally bumping into fellow teacher Tanja (Dagmar Manzel) in the hallway, he goes dancing with her. They end up back at her place, where Tanja confesses that she had a crush on him in college. Though Philipp doesn't look entirely comfortable, he doesn't leave. The two make love, and become engaged shortly thereafter.

Philipp is resolved to make the relationship work, and succeeds for a time. He visits his mother to tell her of his new girlfriend, and it is clear the news is both welcome and unexpected. But there are hints of trouble; he regards Tanja more dutifully than amorously. It isn't until Tanja introduces him to Jakob, an old friend who, unbeknownst to her, had been involved with Philipp years earlier, that Philipp is forced to confront his feelings. Shaken by the encounter, he attempts to sort things out, first by going to a gay bar and then by visiting Jakob. He is left more confused.

Enter Matthias, a young man Philipp meets in line for concert tickets. They had crossed paths before, briefly locking eyes across the bar on the night of a celebration. Later, after Philipp had drunkenly fallen to the floor, Matthias had helped him home. The two spend hours talking while waiting for tickets and then go for coffee. A hopeful Matthias asks, "What now?" Philipp, still conflicted, goes home, but eventually leaves Tanja in the middle of the night with a note explaining he needs time to himself. He and Matthias begin an affair (complete with an artfully directed love scene), but his world is again thrown in question when he learns Tanja is pregnant.

Coming Out is repetitive, but wouldn't work any other way. Our attachment to the story isn't Philipp's destination so much as his journey. His grasp on his own identity is so precarious that he is in constant emotional turmoil, and Matthias Freihof effectively portrays his shame and confusion. His body language – often nervous, at times defensive – is as expressive as his chiseled face and alert, thoughtful eyes. The other actors, including Dirk Kummer as Mathias and Dagmar Manzel as Tanja, are equally impressive.

Filmmaker Carow, who died in 1997, was one of state studio DEFA's most prominent directors. Known for his work in feature films, documentaries, and television, he helmed The Legend of Paul and Paula (1973), one of the most successful films in DEFA cinematic history. Coming Out was DEFA-financed, though they distanced themselves from the project, and went on to win the Silver Bear prize at the Berlin International Film Festival in 1990.

DVD Details: Coming Out is one of the first two titles being released by First Run Features following their announcement of a new home video distribution deal with ICESTORM International that will release the films of the DEFA in North America (When the Wall Came Tumbling Down is the other). The DVD, which has a suggested retail price of $29.95, has newly remastered sound and picture and interactive menus. The full-frame transfer is grainy at times and lacks sharpness, but given the circumstances under which the film was shot the condition of its source material is questionable.

Supplementary features include a widescreen theatrical trailer (that isn't subtitled – the film wasn't theatrically released in the United States); scrolling text about Carow, his struggle to get the film made, its ultimate reception, and a general history of homosexuality in East Germany; a 12-minute featurette highlighting the "best of East German cinema;" and The Best of Queer Berlin, a PC-friendly interactive city guide with special links and printable maps. (For those without DVD-ROM access, don't fear; you’ll still have access to general information such as establishment names, locations, and business hours.)

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