For a made for TV crime thriller this is a remarkably complex and subtle film, in fact I would have to say that it is not in the first instance a crime movie at all, but rather an absorbing study of cultural alienation and personal isolation.
Also a commentary on the moral and political degeneration of the world, it tells the story of an African man who came to the then (East) German Democratic Republic where he was trained as an engineer to return home and develop his own country. In the subsequent political upheavals things changed, and third world refugees like him are now at the mercy of greedy syndicates who smuggle in those who want to escape the political and economic turmoil of their home countries for the "Promised Land" of Europe, where they are exploited for (illegal) cheap labour.
Politically persecuted in his home country, he can no longer return for fear of torture and execution, and is making a last ditch attempt for political asylum, while at the same time attempting to smuggle in his two children, an action which would destroy his chance for asylum if discovered.
Stylishly photographed, in parts with an almost graphically contrasty effect, there are excellent performances from all the main characters representing a broad spectrum of people. The film opens one's mind to the predicament of a person who no longer has any place where he is safe and belongs, is cut off from his relatives, and has to put up with racial intolerance and prejudice, precariously manoeuvering on the margins of society. In essence it shows that the human decency, compassion and responsibility of ordinary people can make all the difference.
Also a commentary on the moral and political degeneration of the world, it tells the story of an African man who came to the then (East) German Democratic Republic where he was trained as an engineer to return home and develop his own country. In the subsequent political upheavals things changed, and third world refugees like him are now at the mercy of greedy syndicates who smuggle in those who want to escape the political and economic turmoil of their home countries for the "Promised Land" of Europe, where they are exploited for (illegal) cheap labour.
Politically persecuted in his home country, he can no longer return for fear of torture and execution, and is making a last ditch attempt for political asylum, while at the same time attempting to smuggle in his two children, an action which would destroy his chance for asylum if discovered.
Stylishly photographed, in parts with an almost graphically contrasty effect, there are excellent performances from all the main characters representing a broad spectrum of people. The film opens one's mind to the predicament of a person who no longer has any place where he is safe and belongs, is cut off from his relatives, and has to put up with racial intolerance and prejudice, precariously manoeuvering on the margins of society. In essence it shows that the human decency, compassion and responsibility of ordinary people can make all the difference.
