Die Verantwortung

Responsibility

An interrogation of a juvenile delinquent. Worker Peter Müller, 19, stole a car and drove drunk. He now has to answer for his offenses to the conflict resolution commission of his factory. Müller admits his mistakes. A colleague says "no vandal would behave that way". His sentence is correspondingly light. The young offender must re-do his eighth-grade exams and continue his vocational training.

The film depicts youth culture away from state and party structures, with young girls in bell-bottoms, young men playing pinball and an encounter on the dance floor staged as a photo spread. "Responsibility" tackles the issue of the threats to East Germany’s younger generation, but believes in their ability to prove themselves.

Source: 66. Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin (Catalogue)