Coming Out (1989 film)

Coming Out is a 1989 East German film directed by Heiner Carow and written by Wolfram Witt which deals with the lead character, a high school teacher, "coming out" and accepting himself as gay. It was one of the last films made by DEFA, the East German state film studio, and the only gay-themed feature film that it made.

The film premiered at the Kino International in Berlin on 9 November 1989, the night that the Berlin Wall was opened.

It won a number of awards including a Silver Bear and Teddy Award at 40th Berlin International Film Festival, and awards at the National Feature Film Festival of the GDR.

The lead actors are Matthias Freihof, Dagmar Manzel, and Dirk Kummer. The film was shot on location in East Berlin and includes scenes shot with amateurs in some of the gay venues of the time. The East German transgender activist Charlotte von Mahlsdorf played a cameo role as a barmaid.

Plot
The story revolves around a young high-school teacher, Philipp Klarmann, who during his first day at work collides with a fellow teacher, Tanja, in a school corridor. Philipp ensures Tanja is okay and later takes her out for a drink. A romance quickly develops and they become engaged to be married.

It later becomes clear that Philipp is conflicted about his sexuality. He demonstrates empathy with a discriminated minority by defending a black man who is being bullied on a train. Jakob, an out gay friend of Tanja's, comes to visit. Unknown to her, he and Philipp have had a previous relationship that didn't end well.

Philipp later visits a gay bar, where a party is taking place. Most patrons are in costume and many are in drag. Philipp is cautious, but takes a seat near an older male character who senses his hesitation in this setting and says, "Don't be scared. Everyone is at first. Be brave."

A young man, Matthias, watches Philipp from a distance. They later meet up, have an evening out together and have sex and fall in love.

Philipp's relationship with Tanja deteriorates and he struggles with his identity. His mother indicates that she realises he is gay and that she disapproves.

Philipp is eventually forced to come out to Tanja, after she inadvertly meets Mathias during intermission at a concert by the famous conductor Daniel Barenboim that all three are attending. Matthias is distraught when he learns that Philipp has a fiancée and runs out of the concert hall in distress.

The film ends with a classroom scene, in which the head teacher, who has apparently discovered Philipp's sexual orientation, comes to do a sham classroom observation, theoretically to see if he is suitable to teach. Philipp sits on his desk saying and doing nothing, prompting the head teacher to yell 'Kollege Klarmann!' to which Philipp simply replies 'Ja', signifying his acceptance of his sexual orientation.