Political drama that tells the story of a scientist hired by the East German secret service who was sent as a spy to West Germany
One of the strengths of ‘The Honest Spy’, a film based on real events, is its search for a moving and realistic tone, portraying an era down to the smallest detail, which is why this recreation of the story of Franz Walter ( Dr. Werner Teske in reality), a scientist who was recruited by the GDR intelligence service and sent to West Germany in the early 1980s, was filmed in several original locations, such as the old buildings of the Security Service of the State in Berlin. The protagonist did not take long to find serious detractors by criticizing the system and showing his disagreements when it came to obeying his superiors. He did not agree with the practice of wiretapping, blackmail and pressure. Franziska Stünkel writes and directs a feature debut starring Lars Eidinger (‘The Persian Teacher’) in an essential role that reflects, in the director’s own words, “the complexity of existing between two poles: good and evil, orientation and disorientation, strength and weakness, proximity and distance, the perpetrator and the victim, the truth and the lie. Devid Striesow (‘The Counterfeiters’) and Luise Heyer (‘Dark’) complete the main casting of this review of another dark passage in German history.
The main character of ‘The Honest Spy’ shows “a great complexity between two poles that translates into actor Lars Eidinger’s commitment to his character,” says Stünkel. The work of the artist, also seen in ‘The shadow of the past’ and ‘Journey to Sils Maria’, in front of the camera is commendable, with intense dialogues. “There are no scenes and almost no images in the film without him and his character,” emphasizes the filmmaker. “We followed him for the last year of his life, and in the end we sat across from him, looking into his face as he spoke his last words.” The proposal shows the political system of the GDR. “However, it is not a historical film that one can classify as part of the past,” says its head. «It is a current affairs film. It responds to the desire to address political issues in a contemporary world in which the tendencies towards totalitarian systems and authoritarian dictatorships are increasing considerably ”. The political drama and the psychological thriller walk in parallel.
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