Director Heiner Carow has crafted a long lost view of gay East Berlin before the fall of the wall. Despite the drab architecture and lack of color, Carow gives the viewer a virtual tour of East Berlin interlocked with the first and last gay themed film from that city. Matthias Freihof plays Philipp a closeted high School teacher who discovers hes gay while dating a woman. The plot is all too familiar and contains every cliché one might think of in this type of tale. However, the simple place of the setting makes this one of the truly unique and individual gay themed films of the last century. Always matter of fact and straight to the point, Carow never fills a scene with unnecessary banter. Instead we have minimalist dialogue with characters that are truly human. The bar scenes are the true East Berlin cabaret and there is a variety of characters that interact to bring life to each scene. There are plenty of sexual scenes, but all are erotic in nature instead of pornographic. Towards the end, there is a pivotal scene with a remarkable older man who lectures Philipp while snorting a tray of brandy. This actor is amazing and completes the circle of the story with a mature perspective. Director Carow has a gem here and its worth the watch.