Kaputt (2016)

• 67%
• 2016
• Animation
• Documentary
• Volker Schlecht
• Alexander Lahl

Gabriele Stoetzer and Birgit Willschuetz were political inmates at Hoheneck Castle, the most notorious women's prison in East Germany. Their story is one of overcrowded cells, despotic hierarchies, ruthless every-days, and the enduring effects of incarceration. Most of all, however, it is about the crushing pressure of forced labor. Prisoners at Hoheneck manufactured millions of pantyhose, bed sheets, and other products for West German retailers, bringing enormous profits to both sides of the Iron Curtain. Part of the young animated documentary tradition, the seven-minute film pairs original audio interview extracts with abstract, monochrome animation.