by Eleanor Mannikka
synopsis
Using a poignant story set in 1942 about Hans Witte (Hans-Joachim Grau), a young German who would rather do anything than don a uniform and head off to do battle, novice director Nico Hofmann questions the morality of both war and, indirectly, the arms race. Hans has no choice but to leave when he receives his draft notice, and unlike other young men, he has no illusions about the horrors of war. The unspoken acknowledgment that he may never return is emotionally underscored at the train station, as he and other soldiers wave good-bye to their families and the life they have known.
