Cold Heart (6/6)

Martin is stunned. It was his own brother Falk who ordered that his daughter be swapped for a dead baby. He now suspects that Falk was also responsible for Julia's death. Following a deal with his police friend, Görlitz, Martin gets his hands on the file on Julia's accidental death and finds inconsistencies here too. Beside himself with rage, he goes to confront his brother. Marlene is very concerned about Martin and is no longer sure that discovering the truth about Anna's disappearance was the right thing for him. Falk offers Schnyder tape recordings with information on West German politicians. In return, he demands immunity for himself and his father in the event that the political system in the GDR breaks down completely. But Vera too is hot on his heels. In order to support Martin further in his claim for a paternity test, Katja looks into the whereabouts of Dr. Maiwald, the doctor who attended Anna's birth. Her informants tell her that the doctor now lives in London. In the meantime, for their own peace of mind, the Simkows have done a paternity test. When they discover they are not Anna's biological parents, they, like Martin, are completely overwhelmed by the situation. More and more people are gathering in front of Stasi headquarters, as hundreds of citizens arrive to answer the call of the Democratic Forum to protest. The demonstrators storm the building. Martin is with them. In Falk's office, the two Kupfer brothers meet...

Taking its name from the locality in the then divided city that houses the notorious Stasi secret police-run Hohenschönhausen prison, the series tells of young police officer Martin, from a loyal Party family, who falls in love with the beautiful young and rebellious Julia, from a family of dissidents: a Romeo & Juliet saga of two lovers struggling against prejudices and the social and political odds.

Grimme Award 2016
German Screen Actors Award 2014
German TV Award 2011 for Best Series
Nominated for Prix Europa 2011  
The first 6 episodes to be screened at Museum of Modern Art (MoMa) New York in April 2011.

PRESS REVIEWS

  • Family saga Weissensee recounts what life in East Germany was like, in a DALLAS style. (Der Spiegel, Sept. 13, 2010)
  • Weissensee (...) is simply a well-made drama, which profits from a tight story arc, a superb cast and terrific set design. (Süddeutsche Zeitung, Sept. 14, 2010)
  • Behind the surface story of two families in 1980s Socialist East Germany - replete with romance, intrigue and betrayal - a piece of real life emerges: authentic, dramatic. (Welt Online, Sept. 14, 2010)
  • A courageous effort - which pays off handsomely. Beneath the soap opera plot, a complex web of desires and wishes emerges, of self-deception and patronizing. (Spiegel Online, Sept. 14, 2010)
  • A highly original TV series. (Leipziger Volkszeitung, Sept. 6, 2010)
  • Germany's biggest newspaper BILD headlined "The most spectacular TV series of the year." (Sept. 11, 2010)