Anthem of death Old Waller (Rolf Illig, beloved by many for the role of Robert Walzer in the film “The Guardian and his poet”) bypasses the paths from his youth, so at times he falls into black and white memories, which is facilitated by the structure of the novel, on which the film is made, and the inheritance of Edgar Reitz, who used this technique in the close to the message series “Homeland”, the most grandiose that was filmed in the era of New German cinema. In black-and-white memories, Waller loses her lover, who died in childbirth of his daughter Rosina (so-called heroine Irm Herman), and no effort of his superiors can stop him from bypassing the dead-end section of the railway, on which trains have not run for a long time. The silent character of the old man was brought up by years of deprivation and lack of rights, betrayal and arbitrariness of fate. The young heroes, fortunately, do not understand this. A rare German film debut of distinct merits. Separately, it is worth noting the romantic charm of the abandoned railway in the film, where the hero goes and goes (towards death).
9 out of 10