Consequence
(Konsequenz)

Konsequenz © DEFA-Stiftung
Georgi, Klaus |
Mißbach, Peter |
Stützner, Lutz |
Georgi, Klaus |
Gehm, Hedda |
(Maucksch) Uebe, Anita |
Baensch, Werner |
Wissmann, Friedbert |
Synopsis
An ice cream vendor sports a gas mask as he tries to sell to a swarm of cars. The cars continue on their way, smoking with exhaust. A driver coughs, then his neighbor, then the animals in the forest, the trees, and finally the Earth itself begins to cough. The film-within-a-film ends, and the viewers rush back outside – into their cars.
This short film is available for purchase or streaming as part of the collection Animation Before Unification: 16 Shorts from East Germany.
Commentary
Consequence is a short film with an unflinching environmental message. The far-reaching damage caused by air pollution is communicated with muted colors, scenes of nature, and a pervasive cough.
Director Klaus Georgi ironically comments on human apathy to environmental harm with this ending, and at the same time calls the true audience to task: if we are apathetic, the planet will face the consequences.