DER DESERTEUR

May 1945: The end of the War in the Tyrolean Alps. The injured SS soldier Anton has deserted. On the run he discovers a remote mountain alp. Hannah, a Jewish woman, is hiding here. She tends to his wounds. There is great mistrust between the two but together they cope with the harsh everyday life. They are looked after by 16-year-old peasant girl Charlotte. At night, they hear fighting between the German troops and Italian partisans. Over time, a cautious familiarity develops between Anton and Hannah – he, who has done and seen terrible things, she, who has lost her family and been struggling with fear and loneliness up here in the mountains. They grow closer. Hannah finds out that Anton was no ordinary soldier. He was part of the SS, a man of conviction. Brutal truths come to light. The war is as good as over, but what kind of future awaits them? Georg turns up: He‘s been looking for Anton, hunting him down. He was the one who shot Anton – his best friend. Georg is fighting a battle that has long been hopeless, driven by hatred and the will to destroy everything and everyone in his path. The Deserter is a story about war and guilt, but also about compassion and humanity.

Christoph Baumann photos © CHR Filmproduktion