Great Freedom

From 1872 to 1994, German law criminalised homosexuality via ‘Paragraph 175’. It’s this rule, and all of its fearful effects on people and society, that hangs over Australian director Sebastian Meise’s masterful, moving prison-based drama. Over three criss-crossing time periods: Nazi-era 1945, old-guard shedding 1969 and a 1957 interlude, out gay man Hans, is imprisoned repeatedly for ‘lewd acts’, each time encountering Victor, a toughened criminal who’s much less able than Hans to discuss their queerness. An illuminating and vital Cannes award-winner.

‘Our film has no political agenda. It tells the story of two people who couldn’t be more different, but find each other in their longing for love and freedom. The mechanisms of oppression that form the basis of their story are ultimately interchangeable. I can say that Section 175 is one of the biggest scandals in recent German history. This paragraph was not only inhuman but also unconstitutional. Under the pressure of global reform movements, it had to be amended in 1969. The fact that it was only abolished 25 years later was perfidious. This saved the state hundreds of thousands in reparations, and it did not have to admit that it had violated basic human rights.’

Director Sebastian Meise, from an interview with Screendaily.