Christa Wolf (1929-2011) was one of (East) Germany’s most important writers. Wolf’s novels, scripts and essays offer rich reflections on her experience in Nazi, divided and reunified Germany. Adapted as films and published abroad, her works often caused controversial public discussions. 

This documentary is a personal and open conversation between Christa Wolf and her friend, the author Daniela Dahn; it took place in 1990, during and after the radical political and social changes in East Germany. Topics include: Wolf’s life and her role as an artist in society; what made her stay in the GDR despite its repressive aspects; her women’s writing group, her books and her dreams, hopes and fears before and after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The film draws the picture of an exceptional biography, intimately entwined with German history, by combining a discussion full of intense, philosophical and challenging ideas with rarely shown footage of Wolf’s readings, her statement at the mass protest in East Berlin on November 4, 1989 and clips from her films.