Overnight, Ernst has to leave his mother Agathe and Nazi Germany for Paris because he took part in a protest. But there, all traces of him are lost. Agathe sets out on a dangerous search for her son and discovers that Ernst is fighting against the fascists in Spain. Agathe follows him to the front.
Acting
Helga Göring carries the whole film on sheer maternal ferocity.
Production
GDR resources somehow built convincing 1930s Spain on a shoestring.
Director
Joachim Kunert
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
DEFA studios produced this as part of East Germany's mandated antifascist education, yet it subtly critiques blind loyalty to any ideology.
Joachim Kunert filmed Spanish battle scenes in Bulgaria because actual Spain under Franco wouldn't cooperate with communist filmmakers.
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