Coming Out

Tanja and Philipp are two young high school teachers in East Berlin who fall in love and quickly become engaged. Their life together soon becomes complicated when Philipp is thrust into a journey of sexual discovery when he meets Matthias, an enigmatic young man who he spends an illustrious night with after visiting a gay bar. Philipp begins living a double life, keeping his two lovers apart and grappling with his own repressed desires, until he has to face reality. Coming Out features many historic pieces of queer East Berlin, such as the gay bars Schoppenstube und Zum Burgfrieden in Prenzlauer Berg, and a cameo by Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, a well-known trans activist. Heiner Carow’s brave and bold film premiered on November 9, 1989, the night the Berlin Wall fell, and is the only film produced by the East German film studio DEFA to explicitly deal with homosexuality. 

Streaming as a part of Berlin Nights. Heists gone wrong, chance encounters, and lots of clubbing—there’s no end to what happens when the lights turn off (or stay on) in Berlin after dusk. This collection of films provides a sweeping survey of the iconic city’s nocturnal potential and the range of characters who find themselves at the center of it all. Stream for free until January 31!

Image © DEFA Stiftung / Wolfgang Fritsche