Gundermann (4 Stars)

In 2006 a film was made called "The Lives Of Others", which showed the way the East German secret service (Stasi) used civilians to spy on one another. It wasn't the first film dealing with this subject, but its international popularity made it the first film to show people in other countries how deviously the Stasi worked. "Gundermann" is a true story that shows the Stasi's activities from a different side. The film's hero is an operative ("Spitzel") for the Stasi. He only worked for the Stasi for eight years, from 1976 to 1984, and his work for the Stasi would have been forgotten if not for the German reunification in 1990. The film follows his life from 1992 to 1995, when his past comes back to haunt him.

Gerhard Gundermann was born on 21st February 1955. He was highly intelligent and could have had a successful career as a scientist, but his problem was that he was an independent thinker who refused to be told what's right or wrong. He was a dedicated Communist his whole life, before and after reunification, but East Germany, the DDR, wasn't a pure Communist state, whatever it pretended to be. When Gundermann was doing his military service he refused to salute his commanding officers, because Karl Marx said that in a Communist society all men are equal. Due to this he was refused a place in university, and he became an excavator driver in a coal mine in Hoyerswerda.

It was during this time that his skill as a singer songwriter emerged. He performed for his colleagues at the mine, speaking to their hearts. He actively spoke out for better working conditions at the mine. These were refused. because they would have cost too much money. He was told that in a Socialist economy the success of a company takes priority over the lives of individuals. To me that sounds more like Capitalism than Socialism, but that was the irony of life in the DDR.

Blackmail was one of the Stasi's greatest skills. Gundermann was allowed to go on tour in other countries, as long as he reported conversations with his fellow musicians to the Stasi. His activity slowly increased, until he was informing on his colleagues, his neighbours and everyone around him.

Gundermann was popular before reunification, but after 1990 his popularity drastically increased in the former part of East Germany. He became the voice of the East Germans, the Ossis. He sang songs about the disillusionment in the East. Reunification had promised equality, but it never came. 30 years later there's still no equality. The only equality offered is that anyone with sufficient intelligence or other skills is now allowed to move to the West. Everyone who remains in the East is a second class citizen. Many Ossis say they would have been better off under Communism, but they've forgotten the operations of the Stasi. That was the worst aspect of the DDR.

In 1992 Gundermann found out that his work as a Spitzel for the Stasi had been uncovered. He was approached by former friends who had been told about him. This put Gundermann in a dilemma. At the time he'd thought he was doing the right thing. He was working to protect Communism. He didn't realise that he was hurting innocent people. This clashed with his self ideals as someone who wanted to help people. It clashed with the texts of his protest songs. It wasn't until a journalist gave him the files the Stasi had written about him that he realised what he'd done.

In 1995 Gundermann confessed on stage that he had been a Stasi Spitzel. This was a shock to his fans, but they forgave him. However, the film points out that Gundermann never apologised. He saw himself as a victim of the Communist system. He was forced to collaborate with the Stasi. Is this true? If a person is coerced to do bad deeds, can he say "It's their fault, not mine"? I think not. Gundermann wasn't tortured into working for the Stasi, he was just offered rewards. He wasn't given a stick, he was offered a carrot. Many of Gundermann's fans respected him for coming out, but he doesn't deserve any praise for this act. He only admitted his past sins because he knew they would eventually be reported in the press. He wanted to get his own story out first.

As a film, "Gundermann" shows the murky moral ambiguities of life in the DDR better than "The Lives Of Others". It's a shame that this film hasn't been released with English subtitles. Everyone should see this film.