WESTEN / WEST

East Berlin in the late 1970s. Nelly Senf, a doctor of chemistry, is allowed to leave the German Democratic Republic together with her son Alexey. After crossing the border, the mother and son land in Marienfelde refugee centre in Berlin, where she is subjected to close scrutiny by the secret services of the allied powers. Having just escaped constant surveillance by the Stasi in the GDR, she feels unpleasantly reminded of the life she’d wanted to put behind her. Her day-to-life in the transit zone between East and West becomes increasingly overshadowed by questions and doubts, and the prospect of a fresh start seems to be slipping away. WESTEN / WEST is the tale of woman whose search for a new life requires her to decide who she wants to be and what kind of life she wants for her son and herself.