The Lost Son (1/6)

The Lost Son (1/6)

Five years have passed since Julia Hausmann was arrested for treason. The then heavily pregnant woman has lost her baby and never seen her beloved one again. The only reason Martin hasn't been to the prison is because of his father's relationships. The former Volkspolizist (East German policeman) has been working since then as a carpenter. He has broken with his family. He will never forgive his brother Falk for betraying and parting him from Julia. Now Martin holds a letter: Julia has been ransomed by the West and is asking him not to think about her anymore, she tells him she no longer loves him. But Martin doesn't believe it and sets off in search of her. Julia is still being held in Hoheneck prison, her health is bad. Falk Kupfer uses the young woman to exert pressure on her mother Dunja Hausmann in order to force the latter to work for the Stasi secret police. The once very feisty Dunja wants to save her daughter from things getting even worse and bows to the inevitable. Martin's father Hans Kupfer has, in the meantime, given up all operational duties at the Ministry for State Security and is suppressing his love for Dunja Hausmann. Although his wife Marlene knows he doesn't return her love, she is too weak to separate from her husband. Vera and Falk's marriage is also on the rocks. Vera's mental state is precarious. She no longer shares Falk's convictions, is very scared of him and wants a divorce. She receives some terrible news: Roman, their son and a top gymnast, is in hospital with serious kidney damage. Hans suspects his grandson has fallen victim to ambitious doping experiments, but Falk trusts the doctors running the programme. When Hans shows him the secret file that confirms his suspicion Falk is enraged. Roman needs a donor kidney as fast as possible - otherwise he will die. Vera is desperate, she cannot believe Falk knew nothing about the medication. Since they themselves are unsuitable as organ donors, Falk bites the bullet and calls his brother. Martin reacts furiously: Falk is to blame for the loss of his child and the separation from Julia, and the fact she is sitting in jail, and now he's supposed to help him?

Taking its name from the locality in the then divided city that houses the notorious Stasi secret police-run Hohenschönhausen prison, the series tells of young police officer Martin, from a loyal Party family, who falls in love with the beautiful young and rebellious Julia, from a family of dissidents: a Romeo & Juliet saga of two lovers struggling against prejudices and the social and political odds.

Grimme Award 2016
German Screen Actors Award 2014
German TV Award 2011 for Best Series
Nominated for Prix Europa 2011  
The first 6 episodes to be screened at Museum of Modern Art (MoMa) New York in April 2011.

PRESS REVIEWS

• Family saga Weissensee recounts what life in East Germany was like, in a DALLAS style. (Der Spiegel, Sept. 13, 2010)
  
• Weissensee (...) is simply a well-made drama, which profits from a tight story arc, a superb cast and terrific set design. (Süddeutsche Zeitung, Sept. 14, 2010)
  
• Behind the surface story of two families in 1980s Socialist East Germany - replete with romance, intrigue and betrayal - a piece of real life emerges: authentic, dramatic. (Welt Online, Sept. 14, 2010)
  
• A courageous effort - which pays off handsomely. Beneath the soap opera plot, a complex web of desires and wishes emerges, of self-deception and patronizing. (Spiegel Online, Sept. 14, 2010)
  
• A highly original TV series. (Leipziger Volkszeitung, Sept. 6, 2010)
  
• Germany's biggest newspaper BILD headlined "The most spectacular TV series of the year." (Sept. 11, 2010)