Zeit ohne Eltern

Time Without Parents

Two daughters, two pairs of parents, two families representing an estimated figure of some one million affected people in the former GDR. Time Without Parents tells the story of Jana Simon and Franziska Kriebisch who both grew up in the GDR. They didn′t know each other but shared the same fate of being separated from their parents from one day to the next after the secret police arrested them. Jana′s parents are arrested after trying to escape with their children; Franziska′s parents are arrested after applying for an exit visa. Franziska and Jana were both 10-years-old at the time. Jana and her brother are taken to an orphanage; Franziska and her brother are then raised by their grandparents.

One year later, both pairs of parents are released. The Kriebisch′s freedom is paid for by West Germany. The Simons continued to live under observation until the fall of the Wall. But a normal family life is no longer possible. The experiences leave their mark and both families fall apart. Since then, no one has talked about what actually happened.
Twenty years later, upon the daughters′ insistence, the parents and children come back together and talk about what happened back then...

Source: German films Service & Marketing GmbH