The "Now" Pointed to by "Great Freedom"

What is Article 175 of the Penal Code, the evil law that tore apart men's lives?

Here, I would like to explain Article 175 of the Penal Code once again. The law came into effect on May 15, 1871, immediately after Germany was unified. The article criminalized sexual relations between men, including bestiality, prostitution, and sexual abuse of minors. In 1935, the Nazis expanded their interpretation of the law to include acts that did not involve physical contact, such as masturbating next to each other, and by 1937 more than 8,000 suspects were being tried in court each year. has been convicted of. They were sent to concentration camps by the Gestapo, and many died there. Hans is one of the survivors transferred to the prison.

As depicted in the film, the provision was amended in 1969. It was later revised in 1975, but it was finally abolished in 1994. What is interesting is the fact that this was a story in West Germany, whereas East Germany abolished the Nazi amendment in 1950, revised it in 1968, and decided to completely abolish it in 1988. This is the reason why Hans tells Oskar, who is disappointed in him, that he will be free if he goes to East Germany.

“Great Freedom” ©2021FreibeuterFilm•Rohfilm Productions

Nominated for Queer Palm Award at Cannes Film Festival

"Great Freedom" won the Jury Prize in the "Un Certain Regard" category at the 74th Cannes Film Festival in 2021, and although it has not been widely reported, it has also been nominated for the Queer Palm Award. This story of struggle and rebirth, which jumps through time, denounces the homosexual discrimination that existed in the past, while implicitly appealing to the fact that it still exists in today's world.

Text: Kiyoto Kiyoto

Transitioned from the apparel industry to a movie writer. Currently writing reviews and columns for Movies.com, MOVIE WALKER PRESS, and Safari Online. I also upload a blog to Yahoo! News personally. He also wrote reviews for theater pamphlets. He is the author of ``Learning from Audrey: A Stylish Exercise Book'' (published by Kindai Eigasha), and supervised ``The Life of Audrey'' and ``Audrey'' (both published by Takarajimasha).

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"Great Freedom"

Released nationwide from July 7th (Friday) at Bunkamura Le Cinema Shibuya Miyashita and other locations

Distribution: Bunkamura

©2021FreibeuterFilm•Rohfilm Productions