DCP | 1989 | directed by Heiner Carow | GDR | 113 minutes | German with English subtitles
The East German feature Coming Out centers on a young teacher named Philipp as he gradually learns to accept his homosexuality. While Philipp attempts to be in a heterosexual relationship with his colleague Tanja, an encounter with a gay friend from the past pushes him to explore his repressed self. As he wanders through the gay bars of East Berlin, Philipp meets Matthias. This new relationship sets him on a difficult path toward liberating himself from internalized prejudice and accepting his sexual identity. Released on November 9, 1989 — the evening the Berlin Wall fell — Coming Out became the first and last East German film to openly discuss homosexuality.