Herzlich willkommen

Friedrich manages to escape from East Germany to the West in the 1950s. On his arrival, he is greeted with the words Herzlich Willkommen, or "cordial, heartfelt welcome." However, once he finds employment, what he experiences is anything but a cordial welcome at his new job, where he is a teacher/counselor for "wayward children" located in a former castle. The institution is headed by a former Nazi who runs it with the help of the more criminal, bullying boys. Despite these obstacles, Friedrich manages to establish a rapport with a boy who wants to go "straight," and also begins to have an affair with an attractive female teacher at the school.

Uwe Bohm

Friedrich Dombrowski

Barbara Auer

Elke Kramer

Hark Bohm

Direktor Dr. Fischer

Anna Thalbach

Iris

Eva-Maria Hagen

Sekretärin

Michael Gwisdek

Hausmeister

Heinz Hoenig

Iris' Vater

• Hark BohmDirector · Producer · Screenplay
• Dorothee SchönScreenplay
• Walter KempowskiNovel
• Christoph HolchProducer
• Martin SchulzExecutive Producer
• Natalia BowakowExecutive Producer
• Edward KłosińskiDirector of Photography
• Jens-Peter OstendorfOriginal Music Composer
• Moune BariusEditor

Release date

February 22, 1990

Status

Released

Original language

German

Runtime

1h 32m

Genres

Drama