<i>Abschied (So sind die Menschen)</i> (1930)

GERMAN FILM INSTITUTE <br>The Cinema of Crisis: German Film 1928-1936

Directed by Robert Siodmak. Written by Emmerich Pressburger and Irma von Cube. With Brigitte Horney, Aribert Mog, Emilia Unda, Konstantin Mic.

Abschied, Robert Siodmak’s directorial debut, revolves around a single evening of mistrust and miscommunication between two young lovers. Hella, a saleswoman, comes to visit her unemployed boyfriend Peter at his boardinghouse. Before meeting Peter, Hella hears a rumor that he will be leaving town the next morning. When she inquires about this rumor, Peter confirms that he has a potential job opportunity in another city. Hella recommends that Peter take the job even though it might mean an end to their relationship, but this decision spurs insecurities and fear of loss in both protagonists who quickly fall into a spiral of irrationality and misunderstanding. Costing a mere 60 000 marks, the film’s aesthetic success relies more on Siodmak’s inventive directorial style than on a large budget.
[Sources: movies.nytimes.com, filmportal.de, The Many Faces of Weimar Cinema: Rediscovering Germany’s Filmic Legacy]
DVD, 80 min.
German Film Institute pages