Das andere Leben

The film adaptation of Alexander Lernet-Holenia's novella The 20th of July is one of the few Austrian post-war feature films to deal directly with the themes of National Socialism and resistance. The friendship between Suzette, a Jewish woman, and Elisabeth, who is fighting with her war-wounded husband, is put to the test. When Suzette's husband dies, Elisabeth does everything in her power to bring her friend to safety - and thus jeopardises her own life. This production with a high-calibre cast interweaves the political and the private in a fateful way and asks the audience urgent questions of conscience. In her first film role, Erni Mangold may do little more than look the part in the Gestapo office, but she still has it thick as a fist behind her ears. (Florian Widegger)

With an introduction by Florian Widegger