In Gefahr und größter Not bringt der Mittelweg den Tod

The film In Gefahr und größter Not bringt der Mittelweg den Tod paints a kaleidoscopic picture of Frankfurt am Main in the early 1970s. It describes a week in this city, which is caught between student protests and carnival celebrations. Amidst urban development, surveillance and political upheaval, the paths cross of a sociologist who collects data for the police and a young woman who perfects pickpocketing as a survival strategy. Documentary observations, feature film scenes and essayistic commentary merge into an analytical and at the same time playful assessment of the Federal Republic of Germany. The film raises questions about power, resistance and conformity – and assumes that the proverbial ‘middle ground’ is not a salvation, but a dead end. (C.S.)

Courtesy DFF