West Wind is based on a true story of the producer Susann Schimk and her twin sister: a coming-of-age sibling drama with four young people from both sides of The Wall. She also contributes to the film script. Director Robert Thalheim did a beautiful job in portraying the young people’s romance and struggle with poetic cinematograph, nostalgic soundtrack and the talented young actresses Friederike Becht (Doreen) and Luise Heyer (Isabel).
In the summer of 1988, the East German twin sisters Isabel and Doreen were awarded a camp trip to the Hungarian Lake Balaton because of their rowing achievements. Their dream was to get into the national rowing team in Berlin the next year. On the road they were attracted to the abundance of a record store and thus miss the bus to the camp site. Neither would have imagined how this tiny single thing would change their lives forever. Two students from Hamburg, Arne and Nico, gave the twins a ride in an orange beetle and thus began a series of adventure.
It was a time of ideological confrontation and the Iron Curtain permeated the training camp. So when the coach discovered Arne and Nico sneak into the camp to see the girls, he jumped to his feet and banned the girls from any future western contacts. Disciplined and diligent, both girls were promising socialist young pioneers; on the other hand, they were merely teenagers who found it hard to resist western music. They climbed out of the camp fence for a Disco rendezvous where they danced to the revealing Just like Heaven by The Cure, regardless their somewhat awkward clothes. Doreen and Arne fell in love immediately and that put a threat to the Sister Ally: they used to have almost synchronized movements in walking, running, and rowing but now Isabel had to find excuses when Doreen failed to show up in the training. By and by, the spontaneous and spirited Doreen found it impossible to focus on the training.
Arne was so sure about his love for Doreen that he suggested to take the sisters across the border in their trunks. On the threshold of adulthood, when collectivism confronted individual rights, when honor and duty confronted feelings and passion, the girls started to question authority and pursue a dream according to their own will. Isabel chose to stay while Doreen embraced the gamble. Under extreme circumstances, this fateful decision showed the courage of love. It warms me to see Isabel’s coolness and the coach’s protection of the girls when he realized what had happened.
A year later, The Wall came down. The story 'If love conquers, can the reunion be far behind' also echoes Shelley's "If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?"
PS. You too think Franz Dinda bears a close resemblance to Keanu Reeves?
