From Hilde, with Love (2024) Movie Script
1
Don't.
Or there'll be no jam.
Take something warm with you too.
How long will it take?
That depends on you.
FROM HILDE,
WITH LOVE
May I?
It's a miracle, isn't it?
My wife's expecting, too.
How far along is she?
- Just the third month.
You know this, don't you?
It was my husband's.
To practice.
Practice?
So he's prepared when he's drafted.
Nonsense.
He was radioing messages with it.
No.
He practiced with it. That's all.
Who did the radio messages go to?
What messages?
You didn't notice that your husband
was sending radio messages?
Accidentally perhaps?
Technology isn't my forte.
Where did you get the radio?
It was suddenly there.
According to Mrs. Schulze-Boysen,
you picked up a similar device
from her home.
No, I...
I went there to pick up a suitcase
full of books.
What kind of books?
Just books.
About electronics, I think.
For night school.
Stop it, will you!
Mrs. Schulze-Boysen already confessed.
And she's tougher than you.
But I...
I hardly know her.
It...
It doesn't look good.
Your husband has gotten you
into big trouble.
He would never do that.
I...
I know it's illegal, but...
He so wanted to join the combat signalers.
Liverwurst?
Thank you.
"You should..." Excuse me.
"You should make more of yourself,"
I always used to say to him.
He wanted to educate himself.
To please me. It's my fault.
Coppi?
Do you know him?
Where from?
- From the beach in Lehnitz.
Quiet!
Yes.
Yes, in Lehnitz...
I saw him there.
- And what's his name?
Fritz.
Or Helmut.
Or Albert Hssler?
Soviet spy, parachutist...
Signaler.
A parachutist? Here?
Dropped by the Russians in our backlands.
- He was staying at your place!
He and your husband radioed from the boat.
See...
our officers learned to sail
especially for this mission.
Hilde, listen. That's how a lot of women
give birth in hospital nowadays.
Totally wrong.
Wait.
It's much better like this.
Because of gravity, you see?
- Crouching?
Oh, Madam Schulze-Boysen!
- Libs!
Harro's gone.
All of a sudden.
Sit down, easy now.
- Business trip.
Tea?
His secretary said
he even forgot his cap and belt.
He won't need them
at his Stellizitas'.
Maybe he was just in a hurry.
Maybe you should give her a call?
- Who?
Miss Mahlberg.
Come on, Hilde! The actress.
Get it?
When exactly?
The day before yesterday.
It never happened before?
Yes, it has... lately...
Are you being watched?
Did you notice anything?
I don't know.
Maybe.
What?
Why do you come here then?
To warn you all, of course.
Reduce contact in the next few days.
If anything happens, call the
ice cream parlor. If they arrest us,
Albert's name is Helmut. He's my colleague.
You know him from here only.
You think they have Harro?
- It's just a precaution.
Should we leave the transmitter here?
- No, take it.
Yeah?
- Yeah.
What about Albert's uniform?
I'll pick it up at yours tomorrow.
- And his gun?
I can do that.
I knew this would happen!
Libs...
He'll turn up again.
- How would you know?
If they'd arrested him,
they'd come across me.
But I got my draft card 2 days ago.
Why would they draft me,
only to arrest me?
Hilde.
Sorry.
I was going to tell you.
At the right moment.
They won't send me
straight to the front.
If you need something,
go see Mom.
What do I need, huh?
You to survive.
Nothing else.
"Dear Mrs. Frickenhorst,
your son Leo is well.
He is a Soviet prisoner of war.
Yesterday he spoke on Radio Moscow
during the program 'Letters Home,'
where he gave you his best."
Did you write this or your husband?
Neither.
You're aware of the punishment
for listening to enemy broadcasts?
Quite apart from writing letters like this.
I had nothing to do with it.
"Nazi paradise, hunger, lies, Gestapo."
It's exactly the same paper as that there.
Is it from your workplace, the paper?
Huh?
- No.
From your workplace?
And your parachutist friend's uniform,
which you gave to Ina Lautenschlger?
Do you have it, Miss Breiter?
"It's true that I gave the uniform
of Soviet spy Albert Hssler
to Ina Lautenschlger."
Did he put you up to it?
Your husband?
No, he didn't.
Finished, Miss Breiter?
Thank you.
Know any of them?
Come on.
How many of them do you think
have already admitted to knowing you?
Fritz...
Ina...
Very good.
Heinz or Heinrich,
I don't remember exactly.
Libertas.
Harro.
Clothes off.
Everything.
Arms up.
Higher.
Palms.
Run your hands through your hair.
More thoroughly.
Mouth.
Tongue.
Turn around.
Soles.
The other one.
Bend over.
Cough.
Again.
Coppi, are you still alive?
Yes.
There you are.
It's all right.
It's all right.
Strawberry jam, Hilde.
Eat up. You're eating for two now.
Shouldn't we go?
- Why? I like it here.
Albert, more cream?
- Sure.
What's it like over there?
Is it livable?
Sure.
And your parachute is... where?
- Grete!
What? All that good silk...
- You can call me Albert.
Fine.
- Waiter!
...the good cream.
The check?
- Please.
Got it. - No, Albert.
My treat.
- Nah.
Let me pay.
- Albert!
You guys'll need your money.
I'll pay next time, OK?
Is this a joke?
They're out of date.
Let me see.
You're right.
What a mess.
They send me on leave, right?
But with expired food stamps.
Damn mismanagement.
- I've got...
And he serves where?
- 6th Army, Eastern Front.
Where one hand has no clue
what the other's doing.
It's all right, not his fault.
Give the comrades my best.
- Thank you.
Stalingrad is ours!
- Yes, sir.
Grete...
- What?
He's married.
Screw you, Hilde.
Like you, by the way.
What do you think Rudi's been up to?
Two years on the front...
You've seen others, too.
What'd you write?
- Not much.
That you guys have potential, that the radio's
working but we're still getting no replies.
And that the accommodation's nice.
No luck again?
It's the range...
We'll do it. Tomorrow we transmit
from your boat on the lake.
Because the waves will spread out better?
My wife!
Stop gabbing now. I want to dance!
It's all right.
This is Radio Moscow
with a program for German listeners.
A number of soldiers
will now step up to the mic
and send greetings to their loved ones
from hundreds of miles away.
Now some music...
- This is Corporal...
Yeah! Jazz! - No, wait a sec.
Why? You know him?
...I've been in sickbay for three weeks
because of the shrapnel in my arm.
Here, I'm treated
just like the Russian soldiers.
They could let us write home, though...
But anyone listening to this,
please tell my mom that I'm alive.
Paul Letzik from Schwaan,
16 Wiendorfer Weg.
This is prisoner of war Leo Frickenhorst
speaking to his mother and sister Hanni
in Rheine in Westphalia.
All the best to you
and to all my relatives and friends. Leo.
Hello! My name is Ludwig Becher
from Heustadt upon Orla.
District Heunhofen, 35 Dorfstrasse.
Greetings to all...
Do they all fit?
Hello!
Hello!
Please come!
Please!
Please come! Open the door!
Open the door!
My baby's stopped moving!
Already below 100,
head's first, shoulder trapped.
Too late for a cesarean.
I'll try to free the arms.
We'll have to decapitate.
Arms too if necessary.
What? No!
Why? It's still alive.
And her, she'll bleed dry.
I can get it.
On your watch.
Come on, girl.
We have to be quick.
We'll get your baby out, dead or alive.
OK?
Fine.
Deep breaths now.
We'll wait for the next contraction.
Breathe. Breathe. Now.
Now it's starting!
Yes, yes!
Push! Come on, keep going!
Come on! Push! Push!
Push! Push!
Very good!
Now, push!
Keep going, girl! Keep going!
That's right, yes...
Take a deep breath and then push.
Come on, come on!
That's OK. That's OK.
OK.
Breathe.
Breathe.
We'll carry on in a sec.
Yes, it's coming.
Can you feel it?
Right. Come on!
Breathe!
Take a deep breath and then push!
Push!
Push!
Push, push, push...
More! More, girl! More!
Good. Push from up here.
That's good. Push.
Now breathe again. Look at me,
look at me. Take a deep breath and now push.
Push! Push! Good!
Good, good, good...
The shoulder's coming free.
That's good.
That's good.
And once again. Breathe.
A big deep breath.
And now once again with all you got.
Once again with all your might.
I'll breathe with you.
And now push again! Again!
There it is! There it is!
There it is!
Well done.
Please!
After all, she did it.
Only a moment.
He won't make it anyway.
Put him to your breast soon
to stimulate milk production.
A boy?
Hans,
my Hans.
Hans is his name?
It's all right.
No cheating!
Let me...
Another 70 less.
If he keeps losing weight
we'll need to give him formula.
Formula?
Yes, but the artificial stuff is fatter
and easier so they stop wanting yours.
All right, I'm here.
Breathe, just breathe.
Breathe.
Will they take him from me?
- It's for his own good.
I'll give you 3 more days
for the milk to come.
But you eat more.
Yes, my Hansy.
Soup again?
Be glad you're getting anything at all,
Berkowitz.
Thank you.
Could I get another slice of bread?
One each.
But I don't have enough milk.
One each. Those are the rules.
It's all right, Hansy.
That's the sky.
Sky.
Beautiful, isn't it?
I won't give you away.
You're staying with me.
With me.
My little Hans...
Yeah...
THE SOVIET PARADISE
PERMANENT EXHIBITION: THE NAZI PARADISE
HUNGER, LIES, GESTAPO.
Hey! Come on, quick! Down!
Hans!
I heard something.
Come on!
- Quiet.
Stop, freeze!
Kiss me.
- What?
Kiss.
You can stop making out now.
Harro!
You? Here?
The coast is clear!
Protecting our campaign.
Especially our newbies.
If someone does come...
- You with us?
Be more careful.
- So you take the side streets!
New blood.
Good for us all, huh?
Where did he dig them up?
What's the matter, honey?
Here. Are you all right?
All right?
That bad?
It's the third or fourth time this week.
I thought you couldn't have children?
Not so fast!
I'll be sick again!
Go to bed.
This is no fun fair.
I need to go to the bathroom.
- Doctor's orders, Berkowitz. Now!
Right. And here? Still alive?
- He's put on weight.
Shrimp.
- They don't all have to be huge.
How much today?
- 2,960 grams.
Well done, Coppi.
The ones with slim hips
often make the best mothers.
Dr. Minnigerode used to say that.
I worked for him.
Nurse?
- Dental assistant.
Trained?
No.
But I worked in his practice for ten years.
She's ready for the cells.
- Are you the new doctor here, Miss Khn?
She's staying here.
Put it in your report:
high-risk pregnancy over 30,
child still too weak due to
positional anomaly and complications.
Come on!
Upper jaw, left.
I see.
I'm sorry,
but I have to do this.
Cavity.
The tooth will have to come out.
Dr. Minnigerode is at the front,
but Dr. Ohlert will take good care of you.
164 Samaritan Street.
I'm supposed to remember it?
Write it down, then out with you.
Good.
Be careful with your scar.
Thanks.
That feels good.
- It's medicinal clay.
Let me know when you need more.
- Here.
Thanks.
- Political prisoner?
Hilde. Move it! Mastitis Nr. 2.
Liane. You can do it.
I got through it , too.
Miss Khn?
Miss Khn!
Please stay.
The doctor's such a butcher.
Right. Like Dr. Ohlert.
The dentist I recommended to him:
the worst I've ever been to.
What would you prefer?
A boy?
Or a girl?
- A girl.
Definitely a girl.
A girl, it is.
And if not, a boy.
Is it true the baby has nicer hair
if you wash yours before?
Sure.
And if you cut your nails short,
it'll grow up to be rich.
Really?
Oh, Hilde...
Miss Khn!
Calm down. Calm down now.
Think of something nice -
the sun, the water, your sweetheart...
Do you think we'll go to prison?
We are in prison.
You know what I mean.
The real thing...
Well...
Probably.
But not for long, right?
No.
I'm sure they'll release you.
What should we radio?
- Maybe that we're thinking of them?
That we support them after the declaration
of war.
No, shorter. Just greetings.
Best wishes... We wish you the very best.
Yeah.
- Very very best wishes.
To our friends?
- We wish all our friends the very best.
They're answering?
What are they saying?
- Just a sec.
"Thanks, Berlin."
It worked!
This calls for a celebration!
Look.
Momma! He wants to marry me.
What should I do?
Who?
Who wants to marry you, Betty?
Who is it?
That Hans?
Need some flour, Ella?
Can you cook in your new place?
I can get more. I know where.
Did you arrange this, Hedwig?
Why should I?
What do I know?
Because we're Jews, Franz and I.
To marry your daughter off.
To a German, of course.
That's below us, Ella.
Your son is young and good looking,
he'll get over it.
Really?
Do you know what they do to us?
Where they drag us off to?
Those camps. 'Work and recreation', as if!
Ella, it's unspeakably cruel.
But we're helping where we can.
Don't marry him, Betty.
It won't be long now.
The Russians will strike back.
Then Franz will come home
and you'll be together again.
Have fun, that's fine, but don't marry him.
You don't need a substitute.
You have Franz.
I've fallen in love with Hans.
That will pass.
Ella, Hilde can't help any of this.
She does things that are so dangerous
I don't even want to know.
Thank you for the extra bath.
We're going to see your papa, Hansy.
Hans!
- Hilde!
Hans!
Keep apart!
Stay apart.
- Go on, they're married.
Who's this then?
Our Hansy.
Didn't want to be a Hilde?
Right.
- It's all right.
It's all right.
No.
Practice!
He's your son.
Practice.
- Yes.
Hilde, I...
- It's very easy. Easy, see?
You can talk to him with a low voice.
He loves it.
Hello Hansy, little fella.
Look, it's your daddy.
Hello. Here I am.
Hope you won't be as shortsighted as me...
Outlines is all he can see right now.
There's not much more left of me.
How much time do we have?
- Time?
Quarter of an hour.
Do you want to stay here in the corridor?
We need to change his diaper.
Yeah.
You go ahead.
In the beginning he was really tiny.
But he's getting a bit heavier every day now.
I have enough milk, thank God.
Liane can't breastfeed at all.
I was so scared.
I thought...
I thought you wouldn't survive it.
But now,
with you sitting here in front of me...
What a wonderful summer we had.
The apples.
Do you remember?
The big green ones?
Ah, sweetie.
My Hilde.
Been waiting long?
You work here now?
Since my dentist was drafted.
You can sell me life insurance.
- Unaffordable these days.
How about anti-weed garden insurance?
- Seriously?
Of course not.
But we do have some crazy stuff.
Like wedding cancellation insurance.
If they get cold feet?
Hilde, I need your help.
One moment.
You already know the suitcase.
A radio transmitter?
Shouldn't I have shown it to you?
No, sure.
Sure.
For messages.
To our friends.
The Soviet secret service?
The contact came via Harro.
They want information from him
from the Ministry of Aviation.
What information?
It was stupid of me.
I don't want to get you involved.
What kind of information?
Where Hitler will deploy.
With how many men,
when he'll attack, and so on.
Attack the Soviet Union?
It's just a matter of time.
And how can I help you?
And...
Do I have to learn all this?
- Well...
Only if you want to.
The radio transmitter works on shortwave.
Here, see?
Very good reflexibility.
The waves bounce off the ionosphere
and are dispersed back to earth.
And then back into space and back,
so the signal goes all around the earth.
The technology is simple, but...
But Morse code...
it's like learning a new language.
I need someone to practice with.
I'm only up to two wpm.
Words per minute.
And...
Did you ask Ina or Grete?
May I kiss you?
Because of Franz?
Wait.
What? Do it again.
That was too fast. Again.
So: S is three dots.
N is dash-dot. So S, N dot-dash...
- No. Dash-dot-dot.
Dot-dash...
- No, but you...
Didn't you say dash-dot?
- Really?
Yeah.
- No.
No.
I said dash-dot-dot.
Dot...
Turn over. Worked better on your tummy.
Dash-dot-dot. Dot-dash...
Dot-dash. Dash-dot.
- Dash-dot-dot...
Not so fast.
Wait. I'll go again.
"Phanks"?
t
h
a
n
k
s
h
i
l
d
e
Oh!
You're welcome, Hans.
When will you send the first message?
In two weeks.
What?
We'll have to practice every day,
like a shorthand course.
No! I don't want this!
You can't do this!
But she goes to your mother!
- No, please!
My mother's weak and sick.
Please give her back!
You should be glad!
It's no life for a child in here.
- But it is to be with her mommy!
She has to get used to it.
Please! Why are you being so mean to me?
Just tonight. At least tonight. Please!
Come now!
- Please!
Drop the act now,
or I'll tie you to your bed, clear?
Please!
Please...
Is anybody else here...
of my friends?
All of ward five.
Who?
Come.
Ina!
Hilde!
Yes, my little Hansy.
May I...?
But no talking to the others.
Libs.
Libs!
Did they put you on trial yet?
Hans too?
Stay apart!
- She's feeling dizzy.
Forgive me, please, Hilde.
Please! I'm so weak.
Get moving, Schulze-Boysen.
Please.
Don't let me leave
without forgiving me.
The only destination after here is the guillotine.
- Quiet!
I'm all right.
It's fine.
I'm sure they'll pardon you.
I didn't think you'd be coming today.
It doesn't matter. Come in.
I'm busy, so just the hall and kitchen.
Don't disturb me, OK?
But it's me, Hilde.
Hilde?
We met recently, camping.
I'm here to pick
something up for Hans Coppi.
Oh, right, Hilde!
The flashlight!
You're Hans' girlfriend, right?
No, well...
We're just...
Well, that's what men alike...
I know that.
Like some tea?
I...
Rose hip.
Freshly picked and dried.
You have to try it.
You have another guy, huh?
- Well...
Hans and I are really just friends.
You lucky girl.
You know, Gnther and I...
You know Gnther, don't you?
No.
- Doesn't matter.
Gnther, he...
I mean, Harro gives me all liberties.
Gnther lives here, I...
We work together,
we love each other.
And Harro isn't even jealous.
Neither is Gnther.
That's the worst of it.
It's always just politics.
It really gets to me.
Look.
Nettle rash.
Sometimes,
I'd like to leave it all behind.
Just a cottage by the Baltic Sea, really plain?
I'd live there with Harro,
grow vegetables, have kids...
I have a sick mother to look after.
And no money for a cottage by the sea,
however plain.
And I can't have kids either.
Touch.
Sorry, I didn't mean to...
You think I'm just
an armchair revolutionary, too?
I'll show you what I do.
Come on, come along.
We editors often get letters
from the soldiers, with pictures of their...
heroic deeds.
It took a while before I understood.
Since then, I've been photographing them.
As evidence, you see?
Hi.
Finally.
Come in.
What was up?
Did someone follow you?
No.
Sorry, I had a cup of tea with Libs.
Messenger jobs aren't your thing.
Couldn't Grete do it? Or Ina?
How about "Thank you, Hilde"?
Thank you?
Why?
Hilde, you're not doing this for me or...
Franz.
Like I couldn't have a mind of my own?
Hilde.
Hilde!
Visitor, Coppi.
Interrogation?
- No, no.
My name is Harald Poelchau. I'm just here...
- Anything in the bucket?
It's just about some... spiritual support.
I know you're non-sectarian, but...
Christmas cookies?
They're leftovers.
The nuts are from our garden.
They need to be picked at the right time
or the starlings take them.
Tea?
I only have one cup. Do you mind?
- Not at all.
Your husband sends his love.
How nice.
I was just writing him.
Sometimes, the letters take ages,
then three come at once.
I was with him.
When?
On December 22nd already.
As courageously
and graciously as...
as he lived, he left us.
He gave me a few lines to give to you.
Would you read it to me?
You have such a pleasant voice.
"Borne on the wind, a leaf, falling
is our herald of time, calling.
Soft fulfillment takes its leave,
The unfulfilled remains
to grieve."
Did he write that himself?
I think so, yes.
He wanted to study, you know?
He loved reading.
Passionately.
Was he alone?
No.
Mr. and Mrs. Schulze-Boysen
passed at the same time.
Libs too?
She seemed to have hoped
to the end to be spared.
But Mr. Harro asked me
to give you his kindest regards.
Were you there?
I can't leave them to face it alone.
Hansy. I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
So sorry.
This sassy combination of sex appeal,
elegance and sportiness
that Ina is wearing,
reminds us of a piano keyboard...
- Which one is Zarah Leander?
The one in the cloche hat?
- No, the one with the cold wave.
...and warms her kidneys too,
is a real eye-catcher.
Braun and her entourage
are ordering furs galore.
I'd take mink.
Persian lamb's too common for me.
And a fox-skin bag to go with it.
Grete. Furs? In spring?
They're preparing for their victory
celebration on cold Red Square.
Hilde. The cocktail dress, please.
- They're in for a surprise.
They really think there'll be
a victory celebration in Moscow?
Not that one, the cream one.
The red one might suit you.
Take it.
No one will notice anyway.
Hilde in red?
Yes, to draw Hans out of his shell.
Hans who?
Coppi?
Nonsense.
Right, Hilde?
The lout.
Come on, admit it.
Mes dames,
enjoy this charming,
skin-toned, evening dress
from the finest silk satin...
Is it true?
No way that's Zarah Leander.
Hilde...
Or else I'll go snatch him.
Does it really look good on me?
Hey, Hilde,
you're here after all.
Where's Grete?
She was running a fever.
Nice tent.
Need a hand?
No, thanks. I can manage.
You do know how it works...
Sure.
Just that it's Grete's tent.
"Grete's tent" - right.
Property is a bourgeois category.
Should I?
I hereby christen this tent "Grete's Revenge".
Here.
So, how about a little stroll?
No, stop it! Stop it!
Harro comes from admiralty,
and works at the Ministry of Aviation.
But he's a real revolutionary.
The Nazis smashed his kidneys in '33.
He reads Lenin in the original.
And Libs, his wife, is just...
You'll get to know them soon.
What?
What are you looking at?
Nothing.
Isn't Libs Harro's wife?
Yep.
They're free spirits.
Maybe we'll see a shooting star.
Not me.
And if you do?
What's your wish?
Don't know, just silly things.
And you?
World peace and communism?
What kind of silly things?
To not be afraid anymore, for instance.
Afraid of what?
Everything.
Spiders, beetles...
The Nazis, my dentist.
Love.
Hans.
Hans.
Gone.
Oh.
Did I...? Did I wake you?
I...
I just wanted to borrow a flashlight.
I see.
They're down by the lake.
- They?
With Harro and Heinrich.
Then I don't want to disturb.
It's all right. Go.
Say hi from me.
They drafted Heinrich.
He leaves tomorrow.
I know.
You have to take over radioing.
I'm up to it, but...
Find someone to practice with.
- OK.
It's easier than we think.
Memorize the important pages.
- Let's discuss it tomorrow.
Yeah.
Come one, let's grab some sleep.
What about you and Hilde?
It's nothing.
The girls call her "the governess."
That's mean.
- She's so prude and well-behaved...
Governess...
You look terrible, Betty.
Were you sick again?
Or are you worried
because he hasn't written?
Don't be.
Yesterday, I was with friends
who've been in touch with him.
Franz is well, do you hear?
He'll write you yet.
You know what he's like.
Men.
His father too.
On stage, they're all drama kings,
but at home...
not a tear too many.
You know what he always said?
"I have feelings, too."
Which, for example?
"I get hungry and thirsty."
Do you really want to leave everything here?
You'll need to cook, too.
My friend's place
is just as cramped as this.
And you can use a set of dishes.
I'll come for it
as soon as I have a safe place to stay.
A little flour, sugar,
and some canned foods would be nice.
Should I help you carry them again?
Or else people might notice.
That would be really sweet.
Betty.
Yes?
Thank you.
Thank you, dear.
Thank you for everything.
Get up, get dressed.
It's your trial today.
The little one goes to sickbay.
But... But he needs milk.
Then quick.
Lautenschlger.
Get up, get dressed. It's your trial today.
Berkowitz! Get up, get dressed.
Hans, sweetheart...
Don't be afraid.
Tranquilizers.
I hope she wakes up
in time for the trial.
Quiet.
In here.
Get in.
Fritz? You? Sweetie.
My God!
Heinz!
Heinrich.
- Hilde?
I almost didn't recognize you.
Have I changed so much?
Maybe because of the baby.
What's it called?
Hans.
He's called Hans.
Can I ask you for a favor?
Can you hold me?
Like Fritz?
Admit nothing. Stick to the script.
Or they'll twist whatever you say...
Quiet!
Did you hear Libs is still alive?
She's distantly related to Gring.
You can't beat a little corruption.
They reckon she sang like a canary.
- She's dead!
Quiet.
Whatever. She's a hero now.
Just like Hans and the other fools
whose recklessness and vanity got us here.
Ina, stop it!
- Hans wasn't reckless.
Stop!
Line up. Stay apart.
SECRET TRIAL
Keep apart.
And how did they know
I had Albert's uniform?
They went straight to where I'd hidden it.
Did you let that slip?
Then it must have been Hans.
He was tortured.
And now he's dead.
Just like you, soon.
All of us.
And your baby will be an orphan.
And what for?
Shut your mouths now!
...under the influence of her husband
she adopted his ideology
to, like him,
become a staunch communist.
She helped to duplicate and
distribute inflammatory texts,
which she typed onto master sheets.
In the case of the exhibition
"The Soviet Paradise,"
she and her husband
posted such texts on walls in Berlin.
The defendant also listened
to the German-language propaganda program
"Letters Home" by Radio Moscow.
She wrote letters
to the families of German soldiers,
claiming they were safe and
well in Russian imprisonment.
In mid-August 1942, she took in the Russian spy
and parachutist Albert Hssler
and transported the agent's radio and uniform.
She encouraged her husband's attempts to
contact the Russian secret service by radio.
In view of her
extensive subversive activities,
the defendant's actions cannot be
classified as mere aiding and abetting.
Defendant's counsel?
No exonerating circumstances.
Mrs. Coppi, your final statement?
You have no previous convictions.
Your employers praise you.
You have a baby.
Why did you support
your husband's illegal activities
and not report him?
Because I love my husband.
Lautenschlger over there,
Berkowitz over on the D.R. side.
"Death Row."
Get in.
I'll bring the little one later.
The light stays on tonight.
It's the rules, so you...
Me?
Thanks.
Coffee substitute?
Yes.
They don't seem to be here yet.
Who?
The Gestapo.
Never heard of preventive custody?
I'm not stupid.
They could turn up any moment.
They're practically above the law.
Even if you're cleared of a charge
they can just put you in preventive custody.
Just nab you
and take you off to Oranienburg.
Or, in Grete's case, to Ravensbrck.
And there, they can just beat you to death.
Did you bring sugar?
You were in preventive custody yourself,
weren't you?
Yes.
In Oranienburg.
Is that her?
Yes.
Grete! Here!
Wow, Hilde!
This is Hans Coppi, a comrade.
The one with the ice cream parlor?
- Right.
Hilde! Come in!
It's wonderful! Come on!
It's not that cold, Hilde!
- Don't chicken out!
Wait.
Just let yourself fall.
- You let yourself fall!
OK, next round.
Who else wanted some? Harro? Heinrich?
Ina? Strawberry?
- Yes.
Some for you, Grete, to celebrate!
- Thanks.
Hilde? Are you sure you don't want any?
No, it always gives me stomach ache.
What do you think?
We need to contact
the other resistance groups
and make our campaigns more efficient.
Exactly. Just stickers instead of posters!
No, no.
No print shops.
That's far too dangerous.
We could make our own glue.
Flour, water, sugar.
Seriously?
- Yes!
Just lick and...
stick!
They're too small.
We'll be short and concise.
Like: "War is philistine and cruel, every
German soldier has the right to desert."
No, much too pacifistic.
Heil Hitler!
Heil...
Hans! You're back?
For some time, Mrs. Lampert.
How can I help you?
I just wanted to bring a few leaflets
for our mothers' courses.
Book club?
- Yes.
Never stop learning...
- Right.
What are you all reading?
"Trials and Tribulations." Wonderful.
I find it a little kitschy.
What?
How far in are you?
Well...
Right now, we're...
...in the rowing boat.
Oh, still way in the beginning.
No, the love scene in chapter 11,
in Hankel's lumberyard.
But that's wonderful.
It's so romantic, isn't it?
I find it more melancholic.
Wouldn't you like to read with us sometime?
A little culture would do us good.
Well?
Frau Lampert?
Strawberry, chocolate or vanilla?
One scoop of each, please.
Thanks.
Hilde.
- Hilde.
Thanks for the ice cream.
- Thanks.
Bye.
See you soon
- See you.
That was brave, girl.
Who? Me?
You always type the leaflets too.
Hans told me a lot about you.
Hilde, is it?
I'm the only one who can type.
You should see her, Mom.
Her hands are like little birds.
- Hans?
Would you drive me home?
What about you, Hilde?
I live in Frankfurter Allee.
Totally different route.
We can drop you off, then Hilde.
Across town and back?
I don't know...
Maybe there's a shortcut?
The subway's faster.
It gets canceled all the time.
Really?
I use it every day.
Well, I haven't been able to lately.
Well, then next time we switch?
OK for you, Hilde?
OK?
Sure.
A bit more gently, Hilde, honey.
Like this?
Did you have fun with your friends?
Any news from Franz?
Just that he arrived safely in Copenhagen.
Hilde, honey, watch out now.
Or you'll find you're 50
one day and it's all over.
I won't live to be 50.
And stop saying "Hilde, honey."
Such a cutie!
The spitting image of your father.
- But he has my eyes.
Say, did Hans enjoy the pot roast?
I haven't heard from him
for so long.
Oh, the pot roast, his favorite dish.
Because he's always hungry.
Did you use Grandma's recipe?
I had to go all over town to get the meat.
I saved up my ration coupons.
Oh, child.
When will you finally get out?
Every day I walk along Barnimstrasse...
We can't talk about it, Mom.
And your trial?
Mom, please.
Do you like the mattress?
It's great.
Hansy will sleep like he's in seventh heaven.
And the booties?
Did you knit them yourself?
I don't have any white yarn, unfortunately.
Have you heard from Auntie Ella?
I believe she's on a trip.
Work and recreation.
Why can't we...?
All I want to know...
She's my only child!
It's against the rules.
I'm sorry, Mom.
I've been sentenced to death.
What?
When?
No!
Momma.
Mom.
Momma, please.
Mom!
Hansy.
Hansy is all that counts now.
You'll take care of him, right?
Momma.
Mom!
Calm down.
She can appeal for a pardon.
Why haven't you?
Hilde, please! Please, Hilde!
Come here.
It's all right.
"She was tasked with looking after
expectant mothers in the sickbay,
which she does with great love and care.
Her baby,
which initially gave cause for concern,
is now developing well
under her loving care.
Coppi is serving her sentence bravely with
all her willpower for the sake of her child
and without discussing this
with the other prisoners.
Insofar as the grounds for the
judgment provide no obstacle,
I hereby support her request for a pardon."
What's your first name, Miss Khn?
Khn.
Anneliese.
Where's your work?
Housework isn't really your thing, is it?
Hans.
- It's Hilde, right?
What is it?
Franz asked me to say hi
and to give you the photos.
He had to leave quickly.
- Photos?
Of the November pogrom.
He photographed it secretly.
Hilde, I'm busy right now.
Hilde, honey!
That's perfect timing, Hilde.
Can you help us?
- Now wait a minute!
It's Hilde.
- Franz's girlfriend.
Come on!
She types with ten fingers.
Will you dare to help us?
I've already typed
illegal texts for Franz.
Illegal texts...
And I know about duplicating.
Why do you say that?
Just look at Ina.
The master sheets can be messy
if you're not careful.
Come here.
Here, see?
It's all smeared yet hardly duplicated.
I tried so hard!
You have to tap the curved letters
softer
and the wide ones harder.
This is our last master sheet.
And the text?
"Declaring War on War."
Tucholsky?
Yeah.
Do you want it upper case?
It all has to fit on one page.
"They lay in the trenches for four years."
Period.
"Time,
big time.
'Thou shalt not kill,' someone groans.
And humanity listens,
and humanity moans.
Can we never change the dearth?
Let us declare war on war!
And bring peace on earth."
That's enough, Hansy.
I'm exhausted.
"A tickle for your nose..."
Coppi!
Don't worry.
We still have an hour.
Come here!
Leave the baby there for now.
Your name's right at the bottom.
The Fhrer could have shown mercy.
At least in your case.
When?
You should pack for the baby tonight.
They're picking you up tomorrow.
FOR HANS
Please don't forget me.
Please don't forget me...
And be happy, no matter what.
Cheerful and happy.
Please give him to my mother.
No one else.
They can't put him
in an institution, please!
And...
And tell my mother-in-law
to get lids for the rain barrels
so he can't fall in.
Will you tell her that?
- Yes.
Anything else?
Please go now.
Mrs. Coppi.
Pastor.
Cry if it's what you feel.
It just made me think
of Hans when I saw you.
Mr. Schmidt!
Mr. Schmidt, we need a new smock.
What do you normally do
in situations like this?
Normally?
Pray.
Or...
With Arvid Harnack, I read Goethe.
With Mr. Schulze-Boysen,
I discussed Germany's future and...
And with your husband...
Well, you already know.
So...
What do you want?
Hilde?
What do you want?
Me?
What I want?
Do you know a prayer?
Yes.
From when I was little.
When one day I must depart,
Do not sway from my side.
When one day they stop my heart,
step ye forth to be my guide.
And when my heart with fear overflows,
Tear me from my fears by your fear and woes.
I'd...
I'd like to write to my mother again, but...
You can dictate it to me.
Yes.
"Mommy.
My beloved Mommy.
I must go now.
The hardest part
is leaving my Hansy.
It's already behind me.
How happy he made me!
I know
your heart will want to break now,
but take it firmly,
take it firmly in your hands.
You can do that, can't you, Mommy?
When I was a child,
when I used to lie awake
for so long next to you,
I would dearly wish to die before you.
Later, I had another dearest wish.
I wanted to give birth to a child."
"I wanted to give birth to a child."
"So you see...
these two wishes have been fulfilled.
I'm going now to my tall Hans.
My little Hans has,
so I hope,
been passed on the best from us both.
And if you hold him to your heart,
your child will always be with you.
My good
and only mother,
my little Hansy.
All my love
is with you forever.
Be brave,
as I will try to be.
From Hilde, with love."
I will give it to her.
Personally.
How does it happen?
Quickly.
When is it my turn?
Around 7:25 p.m.
In the middle.
That's better than first or last, right?
Yes.
Keep moving.
Just a few more steps.
Frida Wesolek.
Rose Schlsinger.
Rose!
Quiet.
No!
Quiet.
No!
Oda Schottmller.
Liane Berkowitz.
There now...
Hilde Coppi,
born May 13, 1909 in Berlin.
You have been sentenced to death
for high treason,
in concomitance with aiding the enemy,
espionage, and radio crimes.
Headman, discharge your duties.
My mother was executed
on August 5, 1943.
I was raised by my grandparents.
Now I'm 80 years old
and again and again, throughout my life,
I have read my parents' letters,
looked at their photos...
Once,
I received mail from the Rhineland.
A woman wrote to me
that during the war
my mother had informed her family
that the woman's father was still alive.
She thanked me.
But when, in Moscow's archives,
I wanted to read my father's radio messages.
It turned out
that only a single one had made it through:
"We wish all our friends the very best."
It was the range, you see...
FROM HILDE,
WITH LOVE
Don't.
Or there'll be no jam.
Take something warm with you too.
How long will it take?
That depends on you.
FROM HILDE,
WITH LOVE
May I?
It's a miracle, isn't it?
My wife's expecting, too.
How far along is she?
- Just the third month.
You know this, don't you?
It was my husband's.
To practice.
Practice?
So he's prepared when he's drafted.
Nonsense.
He was radioing messages with it.
No.
He practiced with it. That's all.
Who did the radio messages go to?
What messages?
You didn't notice that your husband
was sending radio messages?
Accidentally perhaps?
Technology isn't my forte.
Where did you get the radio?
It was suddenly there.
According to Mrs. Schulze-Boysen,
you picked up a similar device
from her home.
No, I...
I went there to pick up a suitcase
full of books.
What kind of books?
Just books.
About electronics, I think.
For night school.
Stop it, will you!
Mrs. Schulze-Boysen already confessed.
And she's tougher than you.
But I...
I hardly know her.
It...
It doesn't look good.
Your husband has gotten you
into big trouble.
He would never do that.
I...
I know it's illegal, but...
He so wanted to join the combat signalers.
Liverwurst?
Thank you.
"You should..." Excuse me.
"You should make more of yourself,"
I always used to say to him.
He wanted to educate himself.
To please me. It's my fault.
Coppi?
Do you know him?
Where from?
- From the beach in Lehnitz.
Quiet!
Yes.
Yes, in Lehnitz...
I saw him there.
- And what's his name?
Fritz.
Or Helmut.
Or Albert Hssler?
Soviet spy, parachutist...
Signaler.
A parachutist? Here?
Dropped by the Russians in our backlands.
- He was staying at your place!
He and your husband radioed from the boat.
See...
our officers learned to sail
especially for this mission.
Hilde, listen. That's how a lot of women
give birth in hospital nowadays.
Totally wrong.
Wait.
It's much better like this.
Because of gravity, you see?
- Crouching?
Oh, Madam Schulze-Boysen!
- Libs!
Harro's gone.
All of a sudden.
Sit down, easy now.
- Business trip.
Tea?
His secretary said
he even forgot his cap and belt.
He won't need them
at his Stellizitas'.
Maybe he was just in a hurry.
Maybe you should give her a call?
- Who?
Miss Mahlberg.
Come on, Hilde! The actress.
Get it?
When exactly?
The day before yesterday.
It never happened before?
Yes, it has... lately...
Are you being watched?
Did you notice anything?
I don't know.
Maybe.
What?
Why do you come here then?
To warn you all, of course.
Reduce contact in the next few days.
If anything happens, call the
ice cream parlor. If they arrest us,
Albert's name is Helmut. He's my colleague.
You know him from here only.
You think they have Harro?
- It's just a precaution.
Should we leave the transmitter here?
- No, take it.
Yeah?
- Yeah.
What about Albert's uniform?
I'll pick it up at yours tomorrow.
- And his gun?
I can do that.
I knew this would happen!
Libs...
He'll turn up again.
- How would you know?
If they'd arrested him,
they'd come across me.
But I got my draft card 2 days ago.
Why would they draft me,
only to arrest me?
Hilde.
Sorry.
I was going to tell you.
At the right moment.
They won't send me
straight to the front.
If you need something,
go see Mom.
What do I need, huh?
You to survive.
Nothing else.
"Dear Mrs. Frickenhorst,
your son Leo is well.
He is a Soviet prisoner of war.
Yesterday he spoke on Radio Moscow
during the program 'Letters Home,'
where he gave you his best."
Did you write this or your husband?
Neither.
You're aware of the punishment
for listening to enemy broadcasts?
Quite apart from writing letters like this.
I had nothing to do with it.
"Nazi paradise, hunger, lies, Gestapo."
It's exactly the same paper as that there.
Is it from your workplace, the paper?
Huh?
- No.
From your workplace?
And your parachutist friend's uniform,
which you gave to Ina Lautenschlger?
Do you have it, Miss Breiter?
"It's true that I gave the uniform
of Soviet spy Albert Hssler
to Ina Lautenschlger."
Did he put you up to it?
Your husband?
No, he didn't.
Finished, Miss Breiter?
Thank you.
Know any of them?
Come on.
How many of them do you think
have already admitted to knowing you?
Fritz...
Ina...
Very good.
Heinz or Heinrich,
I don't remember exactly.
Libertas.
Harro.
Clothes off.
Everything.
Arms up.
Higher.
Palms.
Run your hands through your hair.
More thoroughly.
Mouth.
Tongue.
Turn around.
Soles.
The other one.
Bend over.
Cough.
Again.
Coppi, are you still alive?
Yes.
There you are.
It's all right.
It's all right.
Strawberry jam, Hilde.
Eat up. You're eating for two now.
Shouldn't we go?
- Why? I like it here.
Albert, more cream?
- Sure.
What's it like over there?
Is it livable?
Sure.
And your parachute is... where?
- Grete!
What? All that good silk...
- You can call me Albert.
Fine.
- Waiter!
...the good cream.
The check?
- Please.
Got it. - No, Albert.
My treat.
- Nah.
Let me pay.
- Albert!
You guys'll need your money.
I'll pay next time, OK?
Is this a joke?
They're out of date.
Let me see.
You're right.
What a mess.
They send me on leave, right?
But with expired food stamps.
Damn mismanagement.
- I've got...
And he serves where?
- 6th Army, Eastern Front.
Where one hand has no clue
what the other's doing.
It's all right, not his fault.
Give the comrades my best.
- Thank you.
Stalingrad is ours!
- Yes, sir.
Grete...
- What?
He's married.
Screw you, Hilde.
Like you, by the way.
What do you think Rudi's been up to?
Two years on the front...
You've seen others, too.
What'd you write?
- Not much.
That you guys have potential, that the radio's
working but we're still getting no replies.
And that the accommodation's nice.
No luck again?
It's the range...
We'll do it. Tomorrow we transmit
from your boat on the lake.
Because the waves will spread out better?
My wife!
Stop gabbing now. I want to dance!
It's all right.
This is Radio Moscow
with a program for German listeners.
A number of soldiers
will now step up to the mic
and send greetings to their loved ones
from hundreds of miles away.
Now some music...
- This is Corporal...
Yeah! Jazz! - No, wait a sec.
Why? You know him?
...I've been in sickbay for three weeks
because of the shrapnel in my arm.
Here, I'm treated
just like the Russian soldiers.
They could let us write home, though...
But anyone listening to this,
please tell my mom that I'm alive.
Paul Letzik from Schwaan,
16 Wiendorfer Weg.
This is prisoner of war Leo Frickenhorst
speaking to his mother and sister Hanni
in Rheine in Westphalia.
All the best to you
and to all my relatives and friends. Leo.
Hello! My name is Ludwig Becher
from Heustadt upon Orla.
District Heunhofen, 35 Dorfstrasse.
Greetings to all...
Do they all fit?
Hello!
Hello!
Please come!
Please!
Please come! Open the door!
Open the door!
My baby's stopped moving!
Already below 100,
head's first, shoulder trapped.
Too late for a cesarean.
I'll try to free the arms.
We'll have to decapitate.
Arms too if necessary.
What? No!
Why? It's still alive.
And her, she'll bleed dry.
I can get it.
On your watch.
Come on, girl.
We have to be quick.
We'll get your baby out, dead or alive.
OK?
Fine.
Deep breaths now.
We'll wait for the next contraction.
Breathe. Breathe. Now.
Now it's starting!
Yes, yes!
Push! Come on, keep going!
Come on! Push! Push!
Push! Push!
Very good!
Now, push!
Keep going, girl! Keep going!
That's right, yes...
Take a deep breath and then push.
Come on, come on!
That's OK. That's OK.
OK.
Breathe.
Breathe.
We'll carry on in a sec.
Yes, it's coming.
Can you feel it?
Right. Come on!
Breathe!
Take a deep breath and then push!
Push!
Push!
Push, push, push...
More! More, girl! More!
Good. Push from up here.
That's good. Push.
Now breathe again. Look at me,
look at me. Take a deep breath and now push.
Push! Push! Good!
Good, good, good...
The shoulder's coming free.
That's good.
That's good.
And once again. Breathe.
A big deep breath.
And now once again with all you got.
Once again with all your might.
I'll breathe with you.
And now push again! Again!
There it is! There it is!
There it is!
Well done.
Please!
After all, she did it.
Only a moment.
He won't make it anyway.
Put him to your breast soon
to stimulate milk production.
A boy?
Hans,
my Hans.
Hans is his name?
It's all right.
No cheating!
Let me...
Another 70 less.
If he keeps losing weight
we'll need to give him formula.
Formula?
Yes, but the artificial stuff is fatter
and easier so they stop wanting yours.
All right, I'm here.
Breathe, just breathe.
Breathe.
Will they take him from me?
- It's for his own good.
I'll give you 3 more days
for the milk to come.
But you eat more.
Yes, my Hansy.
Soup again?
Be glad you're getting anything at all,
Berkowitz.
Thank you.
Could I get another slice of bread?
One each.
But I don't have enough milk.
One each. Those are the rules.
It's all right, Hansy.
That's the sky.
Sky.
Beautiful, isn't it?
I won't give you away.
You're staying with me.
With me.
My little Hans...
Yeah...
THE SOVIET PARADISE
PERMANENT EXHIBITION: THE NAZI PARADISE
HUNGER, LIES, GESTAPO.
Hey! Come on, quick! Down!
Hans!
I heard something.
Come on!
- Quiet.
Stop, freeze!
Kiss me.
- What?
Kiss.
You can stop making out now.
Harro!
You? Here?
The coast is clear!
Protecting our campaign.
Especially our newbies.
If someone does come...
- You with us?
Be more careful.
- So you take the side streets!
New blood.
Good for us all, huh?
Where did he dig them up?
What's the matter, honey?
Here. Are you all right?
All right?
That bad?
It's the third or fourth time this week.
I thought you couldn't have children?
Not so fast!
I'll be sick again!
Go to bed.
This is no fun fair.
I need to go to the bathroom.
- Doctor's orders, Berkowitz. Now!
Right. And here? Still alive?
- He's put on weight.
Shrimp.
- They don't all have to be huge.
How much today?
- 2,960 grams.
Well done, Coppi.
The ones with slim hips
often make the best mothers.
Dr. Minnigerode used to say that.
I worked for him.
Nurse?
- Dental assistant.
Trained?
No.
But I worked in his practice for ten years.
She's ready for the cells.
- Are you the new doctor here, Miss Khn?
She's staying here.
Put it in your report:
high-risk pregnancy over 30,
child still too weak due to
positional anomaly and complications.
Come on!
Upper jaw, left.
I see.
I'm sorry,
but I have to do this.
Cavity.
The tooth will have to come out.
Dr. Minnigerode is at the front,
but Dr. Ohlert will take good care of you.
164 Samaritan Street.
I'm supposed to remember it?
Write it down, then out with you.
Good.
Be careful with your scar.
Thanks.
That feels good.
- It's medicinal clay.
Let me know when you need more.
- Here.
Thanks.
- Political prisoner?
Hilde. Move it! Mastitis Nr. 2.
Liane. You can do it.
I got through it , too.
Miss Khn?
Miss Khn!
Please stay.
The doctor's such a butcher.
Right. Like Dr. Ohlert.
The dentist I recommended to him:
the worst I've ever been to.
What would you prefer?
A boy?
Or a girl?
- A girl.
Definitely a girl.
A girl, it is.
And if not, a boy.
Is it true the baby has nicer hair
if you wash yours before?
Sure.
And if you cut your nails short,
it'll grow up to be rich.
Really?
Oh, Hilde...
Miss Khn!
Calm down. Calm down now.
Think of something nice -
the sun, the water, your sweetheart...
Do you think we'll go to prison?
We are in prison.
You know what I mean.
The real thing...
Well...
Probably.
But not for long, right?
No.
I'm sure they'll release you.
What should we radio?
- Maybe that we're thinking of them?
That we support them after the declaration
of war.
No, shorter. Just greetings.
Best wishes... We wish you the very best.
Yeah.
- Very very best wishes.
To our friends?
- We wish all our friends the very best.
They're answering?
What are they saying?
- Just a sec.
"Thanks, Berlin."
It worked!
This calls for a celebration!
Look.
Momma! He wants to marry me.
What should I do?
Who?
Who wants to marry you, Betty?
Who is it?
That Hans?
Need some flour, Ella?
Can you cook in your new place?
I can get more. I know where.
Did you arrange this, Hedwig?
Why should I?
What do I know?
Because we're Jews, Franz and I.
To marry your daughter off.
To a German, of course.
That's below us, Ella.
Your son is young and good looking,
he'll get over it.
Really?
Do you know what they do to us?
Where they drag us off to?
Those camps. 'Work and recreation', as if!
Ella, it's unspeakably cruel.
But we're helping where we can.
Don't marry him, Betty.
It won't be long now.
The Russians will strike back.
Then Franz will come home
and you'll be together again.
Have fun, that's fine, but don't marry him.
You don't need a substitute.
You have Franz.
I've fallen in love with Hans.
That will pass.
Ella, Hilde can't help any of this.
She does things that are so dangerous
I don't even want to know.
Thank you for the extra bath.
We're going to see your papa, Hansy.
Hans!
- Hilde!
Hans!
Keep apart!
Stay apart.
- Go on, they're married.
Who's this then?
Our Hansy.
Didn't want to be a Hilde?
Right.
- It's all right.
It's all right.
No.
Practice!
He's your son.
Practice.
- Yes.
Hilde, I...
- It's very easy. Easy, see?
You can talk to him with a low voice.
He loves it.
Hello Hansy, little fella.
Look, it's your daddy.
Hello. Here I am.
Hope you won't be as shortsighted as me...
Outlines is all he can see right now.
There's not much more left of me.
How much time do we have?
- Time?
Quarter of an hour.
Do you want to stay here in the corridor?
We need to change his diaper.
Yeah.
You go ahead.
In the beginning he was really tiny.
But he's getting a bit heavier every day now.
I have enough milk, thank God.
Liane can't breastfeed at all.
I was so scared.
I thought...
I thought you wouldn't survive it.
But now,
with you sitting here in front of me...
What a wonderful summer we had.
The apples.
Do you remember?
The big green ones?
Ah, sweetie.
My Hilde.
Been waiting long?
You work here now?
Since my dentist was drafted.
You can sell me life insurance.
- Unaffordable these days.
How about anti-weed garden insurance?
- Seriously?
Of course not.
But we do have some crazy stuff.
Like wedding cancellation insurance.
If they get cold feet?
Hilde, I need your help.
One moment.
You already know the suitcase.
A radio transmitter?
Shouldn't I have shown it to you?
No, sure.
Sure.
For messages.
To our friends.
The Soviet secret service?
The contact came via Harro.
They want information from him
from the Ministry of Aviation.
What information?
It was stupid of me.
I don't want to get you involved.
What kind of information?
Where Hitler will deploy.
With how many men,
when he'll attack, and so on.
Attack the Soviet Union?
It's just a matter of time.
And how can I help you?
And...
Do I have to learn all this?
- Well...
Only if you want to.
The radio transmitter works on shortwave.
Here, see?
Very good reflexibility.
The waves bounce off the ionosphere
and are dispersed back to earth.
And then back into space and back,
so the signal goes all around the earth.
The technology is simple, but...
But Morse code...
it's like learning a new language.
I need someone to practice with.
I'm only up to two wpm.
Words per minute.
And...
Did you ask Ina or Grete?
May I kiss you?
Because of Franz?
Wait.
What? Do it again.
That was too fast. Again.
So: S is three dots.
N is dash-dot. So S, N dot-dash...
- No. Dash-dot-dot.
Dot-dash...
- No, but you...
Didn't you say dash-dot?
- Really?
Yeah.
- No.
No.
I said dash-dot-dot.
Dot...
Turn over. Worked better on your tummy.
Dash-dot-dot. Dot-dash...
Dot-dash. Dash-dot.
- Dash-dot-dot...
Not so fast.
Wait. I'll go again.
"Phanks"?
t
h
a
n
k
s
h
i
l
d
e
Oh!
You're welcome, Hans.
When will you send the first message?
In two weeks.
What?
We'll have to practice every day,
like a shorthand course.
No! I don't want this!
You can't do this!
But she goes to your mother!
- No, please!
My mother's weak and sick.
Please give her back!
You should be glad!
It's no life for a child in here.
- But it is to be with her mommy!
She has to get used to it.
Please! Why are you being so mean to me?
Just tonight. At least tonight. Please!
Come now!
- Please!
Drop the act now,
or I'll tie you to your bed, clear?
Please!
Please...
Is anybody else here...
of my friends?
All of ward five.
Who?
Come.
Ina!
Hilde!
Yes, my little Hansy.
May I...?
But no talking to the others.
Libs.
Libs!
Did they put you on trial yet?
Hans too?
Stay apart!
- She's feeling dizzy.
Forgive me, please, Hilde.
Please! I'm so weak.
Get moving, Schulze-Boysen.
Please.
Don't let me leave
without forgiving me.
The only destination after here is the guillotine.
- Quiet!
I'm all right.
It's fine.
I'm sure they'll pardon you.
I didn't think you'd be coming today.
It doesn't matter. Come in.
I'm busy, so just the hall and kitchen.
Don't disturb me, OK?
But it's me, Hilde.
Hilde?
We met recently, camping.
I'm here to pick
something up for Hans Coppi.
Oh, right, Hilde!
The flashlight!
You're Hans' girlfriend, right?
No, well...
We're just...
Well, that's what men alike...
I know that.
Like some tea?
I...
Rose hip.
Freshly picked and dried.
You have to try it.
You have another guy, huh?
- Well...
Hans and I are really just friends.
You lucky girl.
You know, Gnther and I...
You know Gnther, don't you?
No.
- Doesn't matter.
Gnther, he...
I mean, Harro gives me all liberties.
Gnther lives here, I...
We work together,
we love each other.
And Harro isn't even jealous.
Neither is Gnther.
That's the worst of it.
It's always just politics.
It really gets to me.
Look.
Nettle rash.
Sometimes,
I'd like to leave it all behind.
Just a cottage by the Baltic Sea, really plain?
I'd live there with Harro,
grow vegetables, have kids...
I have a sick mother to look after.
And no money for a cottage by the sea,
however plain.
And I can't have kids either.
Touch.
Sorry, I didn't mean to...
You think I'm just
an armchair revolutionary, too?
I'll show you what I do.
Come on, come along.
We editors often get letters
from the soldiers, with pictures of their...
heroic deeds.
It took a while before I understood.
Since then, I've been photographing them.
As evidence, you see?
Hi.
Finally.
Come in.
What was up?
Did someone follow you?
No.
Sorry, I had a cup of tea with Libs.
Messenger jobs aren't your thing.
Couldn't Grete do it? Or Ina?
How about "Thank you, Hilde"?
Thank you?
Why?
Hilde, you're not doing this for me or...
Franz.
Like I couldn't have a mind of my own?
Hilde.
Hilde!
Visitor, Coppi.
Interrogation?
- No, no.
My name is Harald Poelchau. I'm just here...
- Anything in the bucket?
It's just about some... spiritual support.
I know you're non-sectarian, but...
Christmas cookies?
They're leftovers.
The nuts are from our garden.
They need to be picked at the right time
or the starlings take them.
Tea?
I only have one cup. Do you mind?
- Not at all.
Your husband sends his love.
How nice.
I was just writing him.
Sometimes, the letters take ages,
then three come at once.
I was with him.
When?
On December 22nd already.
As courageously
and graciously as...
as he lived, he left us.
He gave me a few lines to give to you.
Would you read it to me?
You have such a pleasant voice.
"Borne on the wind, a leaf, falling
is our herald of time, calling.
Soft fulfillment takes its leave,
The unfulfilled remains
to grieve."
Did he write that himself?
I think so, yes.
He wanted to study, you know?
He loved reading.
Passionately.
Was he alone?
No.
Mr. and Mrs. Schulze-Boysen
passed at the same time.
Libs too?
She seemed to have hoped
to the end to be spared.
But Mr. Harro asked me
to give you his kindest regards.
Were you there?
I can't leave them to face it alone.
Hansy. I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
So sorry.
This sassy combination of sex appeal,
elegance and sportiness
that Ina is wearing,
reminds us of a piano keyboard...
- Which one is Zarah Leander?
The one in the cloche hat?
- No, the one with the cold wave.
...and warms her kidneys too,
is a real eye-catcher.
Braun and her entourage
are ordering furs galore.
I'd take mink.
Persian lamb's too common for me.
And a fox-skin bag to go with it.
Grete. Furs? In spring?
They're preparing for their victory
celebration on cold Red Square.
Hilde. The cocktail dress, please.
- They're in for a surprise.
They really think there'll be
a victory celebration in Moscow?
Not that one, the cream one.
The red one might suit you.
Take it.
No one will notice anyway.
Hilde in red?
Yes, to draw Hans out of his shell.
Hans who?
Coppi?
Nonsense.
Right, Hilde?
The lout.
Come on, admit it.
Mes dames,
enjoy this charming,
skin-toned, evening dress
from the finest silk satin...
Is it true?
No way that's Zarah Leander.
Hilde...
Or else I'll go snatch him.
Does it really look good on me?
Hey, Hilde,
you're here after all.
Where's Grete?
She was running a fever.
Nice tent.
Need a hand?
No, thanks. I can manage.
You do know how it works...
Sure.
Just that it's Grete's tent.
"Grete's tent" - right.
Property is a bourgeois category.
Should I?
I hereby christen this tent "Grete's Revenge".
Here.
So, how about a little stroll?
No, stop it! Stop it!
Harro comes from admiralty,
and works at the Ministry of Aviation.
But he's a real revolutionary.
The Nazis smashed his kidneys in '33.
He reads Lenin in the original.
And Libs, his wife, is just...
You'll get to know them soon.
What?
What are you looking at?
Nothing.
Isn't Libs Harro's wife?
Yep.
They're free spirits.
Maybe we'll see a shooting star.
Not me.
And if you do?
What's your wish?
Don't know, just silly things.
And you?
World peace and communism?
What kind of silly things?
To not be afraid anymore, for instance.
Afraid of what?
Everything.
Spiders, beetles...
The Nazis, my dentist.
Love.
Hans.
Hans.
Gone.
Oh.
Did I...? Did I wake you?
I...
I just wanted to borrow a flashlight.
I see.
They're down by the lake.
- They?
With Harro and Heinrich.
Then I don't want to disturb.
It's all right. Go.
Say hi from me.
They drafted Heinrich.
He leaves tomorrow.
I know.
You have to take over radioing.
I'm up to it, but...
Find someone to practice with.
- OK.
It's easier than we think.
Memorize the important pages.
- Let's discuss it tomorrow.
Yeah.
Come one, let's grab some sleep.
What about you and Hilde?
It's nothing.
The girls call her "the governess."
That's mean.
- She's so prude and well-behaved...
Governess...
You look terrible, Betty.
Were you sick again?
Or are you worried
because he hasn't written?
Don't be.
Yesterday, I was with friends
who've been in touch with him.
Franz is well, do you hear?
He'll write you yet.
You know what he's like.
Men.
His father too.
On stage, they're all drama kings,
but at home...
not a tear too many.
You know what he always said?
"I have feelings, too."
Which, for example?
"I get hungry and thirsty."
Do you really want to leave everything here?
You'll need to cook, too.
My friend's place
is just as cramped as this.
And you can use a set of dishes.
I'll come for it
as soon as I have a safe place to stay.
A little flour, sugar,
and some canned foods would be nice.
Should I help you carry them again?
Or else people might notice.
That would be really sweet.
Betty.
Yes?
Thank you.
Thank you, dear.
Thank you for everything.
Get up, get dressed.
It's your trial today.
The little one goes to sickbay.
But... But he needs milk.
Then quick.
Lautenschlger.
Get up, get dressed. It's your trial today.
Berkowitz! Get up, get dressed.
Hans, sweetheart...
Don't be afraid.
Tranquilizers.
I hope she wakes up
in time for the trial.
Quiet.
In here.
Get in.
Fritz? You? Sweetie.
My God!
Heinz!
Heinrich.
- Hilde?
I almost didn't recognize you.
Have I changed so much?
Maybe because of the baby.
What's it called?
Hans.
He's called Hans.
Can I ask you for a favor?
Can you hold me?
Like Fritz?
Admit nothing. Stick to the script.
Or they'll twist whatever you say...
Quiet!
Did you hear Libs is still alive?
She's distantly related to Gring.
You can't beat a little corruption.
They reckon she sang like a canary.
- She's dead!
Quiet.
Whatever. She's a hero now.
Just like Hans and the other fools
whose recklessness and vanity got us here.
Ina, stop it!
- Hans wasn't reckless.
Stop!
Line up. Stay apart.
SECRET TRIAL
Keep apart.
And how did they know
I had Albert's uniform?
They went straight to where I'd hidden it.
Did you let that slip?
Then it must have been Hans.
He was tortured.
And now he's dead.
Just like you, soon.
All of us.
And your baby will be an orphan.
And what for?
Shut your mouths now!
...under the influence of her husband
she adopted his ideology
to, like him,
become a staunch communist.
She helped to duplicate and
distribute inflammatory texts,
which she typed onto master sheets.
In the case of the exhibition
"The Soviet Paradise,"
she and her husband
posted such texts on walls in Berlin.
The defendant also listened
to the German-language propaganda program
"Letters Home" by Radio Moscow.
She wrote letters
to the families of German soldiers,
claiming they were safe and
well in Russian imprisonment.
In mid-August 1942, she took in the Russian spy
and parachutist Albert Hssler
and transported the agent's radio and uniform.
She encouraged her husband's attempts to
contact the Russian secret service by radio.
In view of her
extensive subversive activities,
the defendant's actions cannot be
classified as mere aiding and abetting.
Defendant's counsel?
No exonerating circumstances.
Mrs. Coppi, your final statement?
You have no previous convictions.
Your employers praise you.
You have a baby.
Why did you support
your husband's illegal activities
and not report him?
Because I love my husband.
Lautenschlger over there,
Berkowitz over on the D.R. side.
"Death Row."
Get in.
I'll bring the little one later.
The light stays on tonight.
It's the rules, so you...
Me?
Thanks.
Coffee substitute?
Yes.
They don't seem to be here yet.
Who?
The Gestapo.
Never heard of preventive custody?
I'm not stupid.
They could turn up any moment.
They're practically above the law.
Even if you're cleared of a charge
they can just put you in preventive custody.
Just nab you
and take you off to Oranienburg.
Or, in Grete's case, to Ravensbrck.
And there, they can just beat you to death.
Did you bring sugar?
You were in preventive custody yourself,
weren't you?
Yes.
In Oranienburg.
Is that her?
Yes.
Grete! Here!
Wow, Hilde!
This is Hans Coppi, a comrade.
The one with the ice cream parlor?
- Right.
Hilde! Come in!
It's wonderful! Come on!
It's not that cold, Hilde!
- Don't chicken out!
Wait.
Just let yourself fall.
- You let yourself fall!
OK, next round.
Who else wanted some? Harro? Heinrich?
Ina? Strawberry?
- Yes.
Some for you, Grete, to celebrate!
- Thanks.
Hilde? Are you sure you don't want any?
No, it always gives me stomach ache.
What do you think?
We need to contact
the other resistance groups
and make our campaigns more efficient.
Exactly. Just stickers instead of posters!
No, no.
No print shops.
That's far too dangerous.
We could make our own glue.
Flour, water, sugar.
Seriously?
- Yes!
Just lick and...
stick!
They're too small.
We'll be short and concise.
Like: "War is philistine and cruel, every
German soldier has the right to desert."
No, much too pacifistic.
Heil Hitler!
Heil...
Hans! You're back?
For some time, Mrs. Lampert.
How can I help you?
I just wanted to bring a few leaflets
for our mothers' courses.
Book club?
- Yes.
Never stop learning...
- Right.
What are you all reading?
"Trials and Tribulations." Wonderful.
I find it a little kitschy.
What?
How far in are you?
Well...
Right now, we're...
...in the rowing boat.
Oh, still way in the beginning.
No, the love scene in chapter 11,
in Hankel's lumberyard.
But that's wonderful.
It's so romantic, isn't it?
I find it more melancholic.
Wouldn't you like to read with us sometime?
A little culture would do us good.
Well?
Frau Lampert?
Strawberry, chocolate or vanilla?
One scoop of each, please.
Thanks.
Hilde.
- Hilde.
Thanks for the ice cream.
- Thanks.
Bye.
See you soon
- See you.
That was brave, girl.
Who? Me?
You always type the leaflets too.
Hans told me a lot about you.
Hilde, is it?
I'm the only one who can type.
You should see her, Mom.
Her hands are like little birds.
- Hans?
Would you drive me home?
What about you, Hilde?
I live in Frankfurter Allee.
Totally different route.
We can drop you off, then Hilde.
Across town and back?
I don't know...
Maybe there's a shortcut?
The subway's faster.
It gets canceled all the time.
Really?
I use it every day.
Well, I haven't been able to lately.
Well, then next time we switch?
OK for you, Hilde?
OK?
Sure.
A bit more gently, Hilde, honey.
Like this?
Did you have fun with your friends?
Any news from Franz?
Just that he arrived safely in Copenhagen.
Hilde, honey, watch out now.
Or you'll find you're 50
one day and it's all over.
I won't live to be 50.
And stop saying "Hilde, honey."
Such a cutie!
The spitting image of your father.
- But he has my eyes.
Say, did Hans enjoy the pot roast?
I haven't heard from him
for so long.
Oh, the pot roast, his favorite dish.
Because he's always hungry.
Did you use Grandma's recipe?
I had to go all over town to get the meat.
I saved up my ration coupons.
Oh, child.
When will you finally get out?
Every day I walk along Barnimstrasse...
We can't talk about it, Mom.
And your trial?
Mom, please.
Do you like the mattress?
It's great.
Hansy will sleep like he's in seventh heaven.
And the booties?
Did you knit them yourself?
I don't have any white yarn, unfortunately.
Have you heard from Auntie Ella?
I believe she's on a trip.
Work and recreation.
Why can't we...?
All I want to know...
She's my only child!
It's against the rules.
I'm sorry, Mom.
I've been sentenced to death.
What?
When?
No!
Momma.
Mom.
Momma, please.
Mom!
Hansy.
Hansy is all that counts now.
You'll take care of him, right?
Momma.
Mom!
Calm down.
She can appeal for a pardon.
Why haven't you?
Hilde, please! Please, Hilde!
Come here.
It's all right.
"She was tasked with looking after
expectant mothers in the sickbay,
which she does with great love and care.
Her baby,
which initially gave cause for concern,
is now developing well
under her loving care.
Coppi is serving her sentence bravely with
all her willpower for the sake of her child
and without discussing this
with the other prisoners.
Insofar as the grounds for the
judgment provide no obstacle,
I hereby support her request for a pardon."
What's your first name, Miss Khn?
Khn.
Anneliese.
Where's your work?
Housework isn't really your thing, is it?
Hans.
- It's Hilde, right?
What is it?
Franz asked me to say hi
and to give you the photos.
He had to leave quickly.
- Photos?
Of the November pogrom.
He photographed it secretly.
Hilde, I'm busy right now.
Hilde, honey!
That's perfect timing, Hilde.
Can you help us?
- Now wait a minute!
It's Hilde.
- Franz's girlfriend.
Come on!
She types with ten fingers.
Will you dare to help us?
I've already typed
illegal texts for Franz.
Illegal texts...
And I know about duplicating.
Why do you say that?
Just look at Ina.
The master sheets can be messy
if you're not careful.
Come here.
Here, see?
It's all smeared yet hardly duplicated.
I tried so hard!
You have to tap the curved letters
softer
and the wide ones harder.
This is our last master sheet.
And the text?
"Declaring War on War."
Tucholsky?
Yeah.
Do you want it upper case?
It all has to fit on one page.
"They lay in the trenches for four years."
Period.
"Time,
big time.
'Thou shalt not kill,' someone groans.
And humanity listens,
and humanity moans.
Can we never change the dearth?
Let us declare war on war!
And bring peace on earth."
That's enough, Hansy.
I'm exhausted.
"A tickle for your nose..."
Coppi!
Don't worry.
We still have an hour.
Come here!
Leave the baby there for now.
Your name's right at the bottom.
The Fhrer could have shown mercy.
At least in your case.
When?
You should pack for the baby tonight.
They're picking you up tomorrow.
FOR HANS
Please don't forget me.
Please don't forget me...
And be happy, no matter what.
Cheerful and happy.
Please give him to my mother.
No one else.
They can't put him
in an institution, please!
And...
And tell my mother-in-law
to get lids for the rain barrels
so he can't fall in.
Will you tell her that?
- Yes.
Anything else?
Please go now.
Mrs. Coppi.
Pastor.
Cry if it's what you feel.
It just made me think
of Hans when I saw you.
Mr. Schmidt!
Mr. Schmidt, we need a new smock.
What do you normally do
in situations like this?
Normally?
Pray.
Or...
With Arvid Harnack, I read Goethe.
With Mr. Schulze-Boysen,
I discussed Germany's future and...
And with your husband...
Well, you already know.
So...
What do you want?
Hilde?
What do you want?
Me?
What I want?
Do you know a prayer?
Yes.
From when I was little.
When one day I must depart,
Do not sway from my side.
When one day they stop my heart,
step ye forth to be my guide.
And when my heart with fear overflows,
Tear me from my fears by your fear and woes.
I'd...
I'd like to write to my mother again, but...
You can dictate it to me.
Yes.
"Mommy.
My beloved Mommy.
I must go now.
The hardest part
is leaving my Hansy.
It's already behind me.
How happy he made me!
I know
your heart will want to break now,
but take it firmly,
take it firmly in your hands.
You can do that, can't you, Mommy?
When I was a child,
when I used to lie awake
for so long next to you,
I would dearly wish to die before you.
Later, I had another dearest wish.
I wanted to give birth to a child."
"I wanted to give birth to a child."
"So you see...
these two wishes have been fulfilled.
I'm going now to my tall Hans.
My little Hans has,
so I hope,
been passed on the best from us both.
And if you hold him to your heart,
your child will always be with you.
My good
and only mother,
my little Hansy.
All my love
is with you forever.
Be brave,
as I will try to be.
From Hilde, with love."
I will give it to her.
Personally.
How does it happen?
Quickly.
When is it my turn?
Around 7:25 p.m.
In the middle.
That's better than first or last, right?
Yes.
Keep moving.
Just a few more steps.
Frida Wesolek.
Rose Schlsinger.
Rose!
Quiet.
No!
Quiet.
No!
Oda Schottmller.
Liane Berkowitz.
There now...
Hilde Coppi,
born May 13, 1909 in Berlin.
You have been sentenced to death
for high treason,
in concomitance with aiding the enemy,
espionage, and radio crimes.
Headman, discharge your duties.
My mother was executed
on August 5, 1943.
I was raised by my grandparents.
Now I'm 80 years old
and again and again, throughout my life,
I have read my parents' letters,
looked at their photos...
Once,
I received mail from the Rhineland.
A woman wrote to me
that during the war
my mother had informed her family
that the woman's father was still alive.
She thanked me.
But when, in Moscow's archives,
I wanted to read my father's radio messages.
It turned out
that only a single one had made it through:
"We wish all our friends the very best."
It was the range, you see...
FROM HILDE,
WITH LOVE