Die Familie

Summary

Documentary on the casualties of the "shoot to kill" order at the German-German boarder and their families. At least 136 people were killed when they attempted to flee from East-Germany. Most of the shootists were not trialed after the fall of the wall and were thus able to start a new life. The victims' relatives in turn still suffer from the loss of their loved ones. To this day, some of them do not know the exact circumstances that led to the deadly shots, or what happened to the bodies. The film contrasts their very personal and emotional testimonials with the cold, bureaucratic accounts found in the files of the East-German secret police.