
            The film starts out with a short clip from a documentary where the real life Traudl Junge speaks about how even though she feels like she should be angry with her younger self for becoming Hitlers secretary, it is very hard to forgive herself.The narrative begins in November of 1942. Traudl Junge and four other young women are arriving at Führer's Headquarters Wolf's Lair in Rastenburg, East Prussia. The women are met by Hitler's valet, Heinz Linge. After he gives the women an introduction, Hitler emerges from his office and proceeds to individually ask each woman her name and where she is from. Traudl Junge is the first woman chosen to have her secretarial skills tested and is eventually chosen to be Hitlers personal secretary.The story jumps ahead to April 20th, 1945, Hitler's fifty-sixth birthday. In Berlin, inside the Führerbunker, Traudl Junge is awakened by the bombardment of Soviet artillery from above. A furious Hitler storms out of his office and asks his Generals to inform him where the gunfire is coming from. General Wilhelm Burgdorf informs Hitler that Central Berlin is currently under fire from Soviet artillery, but he doesn't know where its coming from. Burgdorf gives Hitler a phone connected to General Karl Koller who informs Hitler that the artillery battery is only twelve kilometers away. After finding out the Soviets are much closer than he was told, Hitler yells at his Generals for not informing him and that he had to find out this news for himself.Above ground in the Reich Chancellery, many head Nazi figures gather for Hitlers birthday reception. At the party, SS General Hermann Fegelein informs SS General Heinrich Himmler that Hitler is ordering the evacuation of all German military offices by initiating Operation Clausewitz. Himmler says that Hitler will take the whole Reich down if he remains in Berlin. He suggests that Fegelein speak to his sister-in-law, Eva Braun, to see if she can convince Hitler to leave the city. Soon after, Hitler enters the room and is greeted with a salute and "Sieg Heil" from everyone.The film jumps over to the evacuation of the SS Führungshauptamt. It also introduces a parallel story surrounding Professor Dr. Ernst-Günter Schenck, an SS colonel and doctor still in Berlin. Upset by the orders to evacuate, Dr. Schenck argues with SS General Tellermann that because he is both a colonel for the SS and a doctor for the Wehrmacht, he should not be ordered to evacuate so that he can stay to take care of the sick. Tellermann finally agrees and issues Schenck an authorized permit to stay in Berlin.Back in the Reich Chancellery, many of the remaining generals are giving their final goodbyes to Hitler. When Himmler says goodbye, he begs Hitler to leave Berlin and suggests getting in touch with the Western Allies, but Hitler refuses and leaves. As the generals are getting into their cars to evacuate, Himmler tells Fegelein that he thinks Hitler has finally lost it and that since Berlin will fall in the next few days, he is going to have to take it in his own hands. At the same time, Albert Speer arrives at the Reich Chancellery to talk with Hitler.Overlooking a model for the proposed "Welthauptstadt Germania", Hitler praises Speer on his genius for realizing what Germany will become once they win the war. Fegelein and Traudl Junge speak up urging Hitler to leave the city before it is too late, but he refuses again. Speer backs him up by telling Hitler that he must be on stage when the curtain falls.The film cuts away to the streets of Berlin and the civilians trying to leave before the Russians capture the city. Another parallel story is introduced surrounding a boy named Peter Kranz and his small outfit of Hitler Youth soldiers manning a FlaK 88. An older man, who is missing his left arm, walks up to the group of kids and is identified as Peters father. He tells Peter and his fellow soldiers that they are to young to fight and to stop. After several minutes of arguing, the group of soldiers tells Peters father that they will fight until the very end because they swore an oath to The Führer. Peter calls his father a coward and runs away.In his war room, Hitler refuses the plea from General Alfred Jowl to begin the retreat of the 9th Army. Hitler states that General Felix Steiner will be able to counterattack the Russians once his men arrive in Berlin. He also orders SS General Wilhelm Mohnke to defend the city at all costs. Mohnke requests the evacuation of civilians, but Hitler refuses. Outside of the war room, many of the generals express their concern that Hitler is going crazy, stating that he is ordering army divisions that only exist on the map. Hitler makes his way up to the surface to present awards to the Hitler Youth which happens to include Peter. Back in the bunker, Traudl Junge and some of the other girls discuss how they can't abandon Hitler like so many other people are doing.Back in his office, Hitler tells Speer about his scorched earth plan and that he wants to systematically destroy important industrial parts of the city before the allies arrive. Begging for the mercy of the German people, Speer tells him it will only do harm to the future of Germany, but Hitler states that the only German people left are the weak and that they deserve to die.Meanwhile, up in the Reich Chancellery, Eva Braun and many other guests are having a party. Fegelein grabs Eva aside and begs her to convince Hitler to leave, but she refuses. Off to the side, Traudl Junge tells her friend Gerda that the whole situation is unreal and is like a bad dream. The whole party suddenly comes to an end when an artillery shell hits right outside the building, sending debris through the windows. Everyone descends back down into the bunker.Up on the streets, General Helmuth Weidling is being accused for not holding his post and for retreating. Even though he denies the accusations, he is ordered to report to the bunker for execution.Back in the SS Führungshauptamt, Dr. Schenck receives a call from Mohnke ordering him to collect all the medical supplies he can find and to bring them to the bunker.General Weidling arrives at the bunker as he was ordered to, asking why he is to be shot. General Hans Krebs informs him that orders are that any general who retreats is to be shot on spot. After Weildling tells him that he hasn't moved at all, Krebs informs him to speak with Hitler about it.Dr. Schenck arrives at a military hospital to get the requested medical supplies, but it has been abandoned and cleaned out except for dead bodies. Schenck also discovers a group of elderly and sick patients who have been left for dead.Back in the bunker, General Wilhelm Keitel informs General Weidling that his report has impressed Hitler and not only will he no longer be shot, but that he has been promoted to the commander of Berlin's defense. Weidling states that he would rather have been shot. On the other side of the bunker, Fegelein pleads to Traudl and Gerda to leave and informs them that what Hitler has told them about a possible victory is false.In the war room, General Krebs informs Hitler that the Russians have pushed the German lines even further into the city and that General Steiner wasn't able to gather enough soldiers for a counterattack. Hitler orders everyone leave except Keitel, Jodl, Krebs and Burgdorf. Hitler yells at them for disobeying a direct order and that his entire military has been lying to him. Hitler states all of his generals are cowards and traitors and that because of their incompetence, they have lost him the war. Hitler leaves the war room and tells Traudl that she can leave if she wants, but she refuses to. The rest of the remaining generals argue over what to do now that Hitler has given up.Eva, Gerda and Traudl talk a walk just outside the entrance of the bunker to grab a smoke. Eva talks about how she hates Adolf's German Shepard, Blondi, and abuses the dog whenever Hitler is not around. Bombs start to fall again and they retreat inside the bunker.On his way back to the bunker with medical supplies, Dr. Schenck runs into a group of soldiers about to execute a small group of old men for not helping defend the city. Schenck pleads to the soldiers to spare the old mens' lives, but they are shot anyway. Schenck leaves and finally arrives at the bunker with the supplies and is shocked to see how many wounded civilians are there.Meanwhile, Joseph Goebbels' wife and six children arrive at the bunker to stay with him under the care of Traudl. The Goebbels children dress up and present a song to Hitler. After the children leave, Hitler discusses the best ways to commit suicide with Eva, Gerda and Traudl, giving them each a cyanide capsule.Now April 23rd, Eva and Mrs. Goebbels each write letters to their families informing them that the war is almost over and that they plan on staying with Hitler until the end. Meanwhile, Hitler orders General Keitel to link up with Admiral Karl Dönitz to capture more oilfields for offensive maneuvers once they push back the Russians.Hitler receives a message from Hermann Göring stating that he wishes to take command of the Third Reich since Hitler can no longer do anything from Berlin. After declaring Göring a failure and a traitor, he orders him to be executed. Meanwhile, Albert Speer arrives at the bunker and pleads with Traudl and Mrs. Goebbels to reconsider staying with Hitler.Speer meets with Hitler to say his goodbyes. He also begs that Hitler spare the German people and not take everyone down with him, but once again, Hitler refuses. Speer then informs Hitler that he has personally ignored and even defied many of his orders for some time. Upset, Hitler rejects a handshake and tells Speer to leave.Peter, who has left his unit and been fleeing from the approaching Russians, is able to make it to his home to find his father and mother waiting for him.During dinner, Hitler appoints General von Greim as the Commander in Chief of the Air Force with order to reorganize and correct the mistakes that have been made. He tells von Greim that he must be ruthless because compassion is for the weak and a betrayal of natural selection. During this dinner, Hitler receives a report that Himmler has offered Germany's surrender to the western allies. Upset that his most loyal general has betrayed him, Hitler orders Himmler to be executed and for Fegelein to report to the bunker to be promoted in place of Himmler.Hitler has a meeting with General Ernst-Robert Grawitz who is requesting to leave Berlin so that he and his family can escape, but is denied. After Grawitz is dismissed, Otto Günsche informs Hitler that Fegelein has left the bunker and cannot be found, upsetting Hitler even more. Meanwhile, at home, Grawitz kills himself along with his entire family and Fegelein is executed for treason once he is found.Back in the war room, Hitler is informed that the Russians have advanced even further and that Berlin no longer has any air support, stopping any more supplies from reaching the remaining army. However, Hitler still has hope that General Walther Wenck will be able to rescue Berlin. After Hitler leaves the room, the remaining generals discuss that Wenck lacks the manpower to do anything to the Russians, but they cannot surrender.Traudl Junge then reports to Hitler so that she can write his last will. Hitler states that since WWI, all of his thoughts and actions have been dictated by his love and loyalty to the German people. As Traudl is typing it up, Goebbels informs her that Hitler has ordered him to leave Berlin, but he cannot do it and will need her to write up his will too. Meanwhile, Hitler then has a small ceremony where he marries Eva.Later on, Hitler is informed that neither General Wenck nor any other army division will be able to rescue Berlin. Hitler tells them that he cannot surrender and that neither can any of his generals. Hitler informs Otto Günsche that he and Eva will commit suicide and that he is to make sure that the Russians will never be able to find his body.Dr. Schenck and Dr. Werner Haase are ordered to the bunker where Haase gives Hitler instructions on how to commit suicide. Meanwhile, Dr. Schenck is forced to wait with a bunch of drunken soldiers who have given up any hope of victory, but later witnesses Hitler giving Blondi a cyanide capsule.Meanwhile, Eva and Traudl talk about the approaching end. Eva gives Traudl one of her best fur coats and makes her promise to try and make it out of the bunker alive. Hitler then has his last meal with Traudl and a few others, and then informs them that the time has come. He gathers around Traudl and his remaining friends, including the Goebbels, to wish them goodbye. Mrs. Goebbels attempts one last time to convince Hitler to leave Berlin, but he refuses, stating that millions of people will curse him tomorrow. Hitler and Eva retire to their room and commit suicide. Otto Günsche then informs the remaining generals that Hitler is indeed dead and his and Eva's bodies are carried to the surface where they are doused with gasoline and burned.General Krebs has a meeting with the Russian generals informing them that Hitler is dead and that Germany will not accept unconditional surrender. However, the Russian generals tell him that they must.Later on, Mrs. Goebbels gives all of her children a sedative and poisons them while they are asleep. She and her husband commit suicide not long after, along with Generals Krebs and Burgdorf. General Weidling orders the Germany Army to cease fire. Traudl Junge, along with a few other women, is able to make it out of the bunker dressed as soldiers. Dr. Schenck informs the women that they don't have to be taken prisoner because the Russians aren't looking for them. Traudl is joined by Peter, who is now orphaned after his parents committed suicide, and the two of them are able to pass through the Russian army.Some of the remaining SS soldiers, along with Dr. Schenck, are hiding from the Russians in a building. When they finally hear the news that Germany has officially surrender, the majority of them commit suicide in order to remain loyal to Hitler, but Dr. Schenck is able to make it out of there alive.After getting through the Russians, Traudl and Peter find a bicycle and escape from Berlin.The film ends by revealing the fates of each individual after the war. The last clip is the real life Traudl Junge talking about how even though she wasn't aware of the extent of the concentration and extermination camps until after the war, she still feels like being young isn't an excuse and that it would have been possible for her to find things out.
Prof. Ernst-Günther Schenck was played ny Christian Berkel who will later display Fritz Shimon Haber in Haber (2008).
    

Downfall


            The film begins in Africa, a picture of a boy riding his bicycle through the open plains carrying a note of great significance to the main characters. A once prominent Jewish family has been torn apart by the promise of war in their homeland. WWII is on the verge of breaking out across Europe and the Nazi party's stranglehold is tightening around Germany's neck. Cut to an icy glade in Germany where many children are sledding and playing in the snow. A mother and daughter are sledding together down a snowcapped hill; Regina, afraid of her own shadow and even little dogs, and her mother Jettel, an ambitious socialite. Still in Germany after Walter, a former lawyer (Regina's father/Jettel's husband) has fled to a farm in Kenya where he is working as the foreman but has caught malaria, Regina and Jettel are still living a life of comfort until they receive a letter from Walter. The letter beckons them to come to Kenya where the Nairoibi population of Jewish citizens has agreed to pay their fare into the country. In his letter, Walter begs Jettel to bring an icebox, mosquito netting and to leave the China at home as it will be no use in their new home. Max, Walter's father, wishes the family well but does not wish to accompany them as he feels that everything will be okay within a year or two.Cut back to Kenya where Walter is still sick with malaria, the farm's African cook Ouwour dismisses the normal Quinine treatment prescribed by Süsskind, a German expatriate and family friend, in favor of an African herbal treatment and miraculously Walter is healed. Upon being healed, a bond is formed between Walter and Ouwour when Walter gives his former judicial robes to Ouwour for curing him, stating that "he no longer needs the robe, he was a lawyer in his first life; he needs to think with his braun, not with his brain now.Six months later, Regina and Jettel arrive in Rongai, Kenya with Walter. Walter recognizes immediately that Jettel has no desire to think of Africa as her new home and views it only as a stop in their lives as opposed to a second life. Regina on the other hand immediately forms a bond with Ouwour and begins to adapt to life in Kenya, befriending the local children and exploring her surroundings. Pan shortly into the future and Regina is becoming an independent child, no longer afraid of snow and small dogs. Süsskind comes to deliver supplies and stay with the family; Jettel naively asks how long he has been away from home, to which he replies "this is my home." This is a sense of awakening for Jettel who until now has perceived their rickety farmhouse as only a place to stay. That night Walter and Jettel get into an argument because she had foolishly packed the china and finer goods and left the more important goods, pertinent to their surroundings, at home because she simply refused to let go of their former pampered lifestyle. With no other real companion than Ourwour, Regina begins to learn the lay of the land and the day to day of African life from him whereas Jettel still looks at him as almost a slave. She asks for his help to gather water in one scene, to which he replies that it is womans work yet she persists. He is mercilessly teased by the African women at the waterhole because he allows his ties to the family to outweigh tradition.Six months later, still on the farm, Jettel is still unhappy with their lack of plush surroundings and complains that she needs meat and is tired of eating "slop." This bothers Walter who reluctantly and in anger informs her that they escaped Germany in the nick of time; the Nazi's had raided Jewish residences, businesses and synagogues and had sacked them all. Jettel finally begins to realize that Walter might have been right all along in his assessment that they had to leave Germany and that the Nazi's looked at the Jews as subhuman. On Nov. 10, 1938, Walter writes his father a letter begging him to leave and bring the family to Kenya before it is too late. Walter has realized that his parents are some of the most important people in his life because they were always there for him and now he wants to be there for his family, to provide the way his parents did. Meanwhile, Jettle still has biases against the black population and thinks they are dirty, warning Regina against anything unusual they might try to make her eat or do. Regina, already stubborn and curious, sets off to do just that.Fast forward a little and Jettle starts to realize Ouwour is more than a slave, that he is a smart individual. Six months after that, Regina and her father are loving their "second life" while Jettel is slowly coming to realize what life as an Afrcan is like. Shortly after Walter and Regina and Jettel begin to really adjust, war fully breaks out between the British and Nazi Germany and all Germans living in British holdings, including Jews, are imprisoned in internment camps. Walter goes to one, Jettel and Regina to another, Regina making Ouwour swear he will find them when they get out. For Walter it is a sad and lonely time where he questions whether two people are truly meant to be together for their whole lives. For Jettel it is a retreat back into civilization as the women are put up in a 5 star resort and pampered because the British cannot find other holdings for them. Though back in a pampered environment, Jettel realizes that Regina needs a stable home, even though she is flourishing still and learning English to boot, and that although Jettel prefers a life of luxury, she must be there to support her husband in his wishes. When the Jewish women of the camp begin to organize a drive to allow their husbands to be released, Jettel goes along with them and writes a letter to the Jewish community to help organize their release. Meanwhile, Walter begins to question why Germany would turn its back on them and becomes embittered against the Nazi regime. Once their release is organized, it is reliant upon the men of the family having a job to go back to. Because Walter has been terminated from his job as farm steward he cannot be released. Jettel arranges for a special visit to the Jewish community leader in Nairobi to ask for help yet she cannot arrange it. Upon learning of her wishes, a British soldier who speaks German and has had his eye on Jettel proposes that he can help arrange a job for Walter through some of his contacts but it comes at a cost; Jettel must sleep with him. With her marriage on the rocks and she wishing for her family's protection she willingly agrees. A job on a new farm in, Kenya is arranged and the family moves there. Once again, Regina flourishes in her African surroundings, absorbing culture and life as easily as if she were a native. However, Walter and Jettel have problems as he begins to suspect Jettel may have been unfaithful in order to provide his release. This, accompanied with his embitterment towards Germany lead him down a further path of despair and desolation towards his country. Finally accepting her life as woman of the farm, Jettel begins to enjoy her African surroundings and day to day life that comes with it.On October 2, 1940, the family receives word from his father that it is impossible for them to emigrate now and that he is afraid for his and his family's well-being. This is a major blow to Walter and he begins to resent Hitler and his regime to a point of no return. Shortly after, Owour miraculously finds the family on their new farm and once again restores a sense of order to them. Through his teachings, Regina truly befriends the village children and starts to become immersed in the culture. While Jettel does not mind, she begins to reinstate her wishes that Regina attend school and learn a proper education. Six months later, Regina begins to attend a British ran school where, although she is not exiled, she quickly becomes aware of how Jewish means different to others: no prayer participation, different rules, and somewhat of an unease coming from the other children. Although it is different, Regina thrives in her schoolwork, mainly due to her drive to achieve despite being different.While she is gone, Walter and Jettel struggle to find themselves back in love. Once again the question of love for life is brought up and although neither of them agree that they want to be with each other, they seem to recognize that they need each other even if it is only for one anothers sake. They reach out to each other in a philosophical form more than a loving form but it seems to keep them together. Regina visits sporadically and still fits right into the African culture of the village despite her preening at the British academy. Meanwhile, Jettel is settling more firmly into her role as woman-ward of the farm, taking more part in the day to day running of the farm. It is during one of Regina's visits that the family receives news that their relatives in Germany are being sent to concentration camps in Poland. Walter tells Jettel that Poland means death yet she is unwilling to accept that at face value even though she knows the truth in his words. While Walter becomes more and more embittered towards his former homeland and begins to want to do something about it, Jettel seems to embrace Africa more and more. At one point she cannot leave an old woman to die alone and a villager explains to her that this is the way of the tribe, to be with the ancestors. This seems to comfort Jettel in that she begins to realize that her family too will be with their ancestors.Months later, Süsskind visits and informs Walter that the British army is allowing Jewish Germans to enlist to fight against the Nazi's. While Jettel doesn't like his decision, she becomes resigned to it and assumes Walter's responsibility as head of the farm with Ouwour's help. Once Walter has left however, Susskind begins to visit the farm more often and plays upon Jettels need for companionship. This goes on for a few months until Walter returns on leave after the Allies landed in Normandy in force, symbolizing the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany. Regina however, aware of her mother's former tryst with the British soldier, is unforgiving toward her friendliness with Süsskind and confronts her. This has two effects on her mother, the first of which is that she recognizes that Regina is becoming a woman and is struggling with her own rites of passage between becoming a woman of the "civilized" world and that of the African. The second is a new found respect for her husband and what he has done to keep the family safe and together. While being Jewish, she comes to recognize that faith and ethnicity have nothing to do with the perception of the outside world when they refuse to see you as human; much as she formerly thought of the African people when she first came to the continent from Germany. When Walter returns again on leave, he and Jettel share a passionate night in which they conceive a child. It is on this night that he informs her that their family is dead and that he has been chosen to go back to Germany to start a new western government there. In November of 1946, he receives his commission to go back and must prepare his family for their return. Neither Regina nor Jettel take this news well as they have both immersed themselves in the culture as he once had when he first arrived on the continent. The roles of husband and wife had now been reversed as she was happy finally as the proprietor of their farm instead of missing their former plush life in Germany and with him wishing to return to it.In the end it is Regina, reluctant as she is to return to a land of which all she remembers is fear that is the voice of reason between the two parties. Süsskind is at dinner with them when Walter announces his decision that they will return to Germany, Süsskind, the first to embrace Africa as his home cannot understand Walter's welcoming readiness to embrace Germany as his country once again, angering Walter. Jettel wants to stay at the farm and continue their life as framers while Walter wants to return to Germany and build a new, non-corrupt political system. They fight and he begins to leave back to the military base when a huge swarm of locusts come to the farm and threaten the entire crop. As he is leaving he sees the entire village go out to protect the crop and he remembers Regina's last words to him, "mother needs you." He joins the fight against the locusts and when Jettel sees this it seems to rekindle the flame between them, she thinking he'd already made up his mind to leave. While he is still torn between love for country and love for family, Walter tells Jettel that he cannot and will not leave without her. She leaves the decision in his hands resigning herself to the love of her life over the love of her new country. When preparing to leave, Walter finds Ouwour preparing for a journey of his own, a long safari he must go on in order to keep from dying of heartbreak, so deep is his love for this family that has come to cherish his country. Walter finds the robe he gave him upon first meeting and tells him he has forgotten it. Ouwour responds that he has not forgotten it, it was never his to forget as Walter had told him that he didn't need it in his new life. Ouwour calmly informs Walter that he is returning back to his first life and leaving his second, so he will probably need the robe again. The family boards a train to return to Germany, thus coming full circle in their journey for a new life and having found it, being able to return eventually to their old one. However, this time, the return to their old life came with a new member of the family; a son was born on June 6, 1947, thus representing a new chapter to an old way of life. A tale of a complicated and complex journey of people searching for their own purpose and meaning in life and finally, in a roundabout way, finding it.In this movie appears Juliane Köhler who will later play the role of Clara, Fritz Shimon Haber's wife in Haber (2008).
    

Nowhere in Africa


            It is 1943 as Allied bombs are pelting Berlin and Lilly Wust (Maria Schrader) is bringing up four children as her husband Gunther (Detlev Buck) is away fighting the war. Lilly has a few affairs to help with the absence of affection and being a loyal German she has a bust of Hitler prominently displayed in her house. When Lilly receives a love letter form an admirer who signs off as Jaguar she assumes it is from a man but is intrigued when she discovers that Felice Schragenheim (Maria Schrader) a local journalist is initiating the romance, a relationship forbidden in Germany. Awakened to a passion she has never known Lilly falls madly in love with Felice and moves to divorce her husband causing a mad storm of controversy as the relationship is a lesbian affair and Felice is Jewish and works against Germany as a resistance fighter. The two women make a love pact and try to block out the anti-Jewish persecution of the Nazi movement, but their time is running out.In this movie appears Juliane Köhler who will later play the role of Clara, Fritz Shimon Haber's wife in Haber (2008).
    

Aimee & Jaguar


            
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Juliane Köhler

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