Wackersdorf (2018) - full transcript

County of Schwandorf, Upper Palatinate,
Bavaria, Southern Germany, 1981

What's wrong, Hans?

They're waiting for you.

Dear comrades,

dear friends and companions...

Dear friends and companions,

I'd love to give a grand speech.

I even wrote one.

But I think the truth
will serve us all better.

Trust me, this isn't easy.

No one here can turn back time.



Neither can I as County Commissioner.

Structural transformation is inevitable.

We must look ahead.

All of us.

Together.

If someone expects a quick solution,
I'll have to disappoint them.

Some of you have already left the region.
Others are considering it.

I know that, and it
worries me a great deal.

But I swear to you...

I swear to you:

I'll do everything,

everything in my power
to bring back jobs to the county.

But until then,

dear friends,



until then,

I appeal to an old virtue of us miners,

and this is a personal request:

You must

persevere.

Persevere? Tell that to
my bank and the bailiff.

First the job was gone,

then the house, wife and children.

Persevere.

What should I persevere for?

For what?

Erwin...

Stay!

You're already voted out. Both of you.

And?

How was it?

What do you think?

Mr. Schuierer speaking.

Who?

Well, that's a bit surprising, I...

Yes, of course.

And where?

Yes, I know it.

Yes, good-bye.

I've heard of families
that actually have Sundays. Real Sundays.

Good day.

County Commissioner, finally!

He's grown quite impatient.

A minister of state.

Goddammit, in my sports bar!

Mr. Schuierer!

Just in time!
- Hello.

Five to twelve.
- Yes.

I've brought a few white
sausages from Munich.

And mustard, too.

We have butchers in Upper Palatinate, too.

Certainly, don't get me wrong, but...

gastronomically...

there are differences.

You know?

The strict recipe regulations
inside the Munich city limits:

the ratio of veal and pork,

bacon bits, nitrate, etc.

Excuse my barging in,
I happened to be in the area.

Meetings in Regensburg.

County Commissioner, I have
something to discuss with you. Personally.

White sausages.

That's fine.

See?

We southern Bavarians
put parsley in the brine.

Those are the finer touches.

Thank you.

They shouldn't get cold, either.

The issue is strictly confidential.

I'm serious, Mr. Schuierer.

Not even he knows about it.

It's just between us.

We, the Bavarian government,
are trying to strike a deal

for a major industrial project
that'll define the future.

Squeaky clean job,
high-tech and so forth, all white-coat.

In our area?

We're contending with
two other locations in Germany, but...

the county of Schwandorf
has a good hand of cards.

As a socialist, you won't understand this,

but the structurally weak regions are
particularly dear to our Prime Minister.

And, Mr. Schuierer,

we're talking about at least 3000 new jobs.

So?

The Minister of the Environment!
- In person.

So? What's this about?

Tell me already!

If it works out, it'll be a real humdinger.

I can't talk about it.

But...
- Not even with you, Josef.

Not yet.

Now look at those scalawags!

Oh, well...

Do you have one for me?

Certainly.

Hello, Hans.

Not missing much anymore.

We wouldn't be nearly this far along
without your help.

Better late than never, right?

Right you are.

I'll fetch you a beer.

Bon appetit.

Nice that you're here already.

So, grilled sausage

or pork belly?

Pork belly.

Good morning, Commissioner.

Morning.

Good morning, Commissioner.

Is it your birthday?

Not until October.

It's for us all, and that too.

You have a visitor.
I called, but you were already gone.

He's inside.

Good day.

Hello. I'm Mr. Billinger, GRN.

The German Society
for the Regeneration of Nuclear Fuel.

Thanks. Well, then... please.

Mr. Schuierer.

I'm very pleased to finally meet you.

Pardon my charging in this way,

but time is of the essence.

First of all:

My visit has been closely coordinated
with the Bavarian state government.

You're already vaguely familiar
with the whole business?

The Minister of the Environment
provided certain hints.

In the meantime, it has
become more concrete.

County Schwandorf
has a high priority for us,

actually,

highest priority.

Duck breast, smoked.

Hands off! The boss goes first.

How much longer?

"Bloc de Foie Gras d'Oie."

Stuffed goose liver.
Leberkäs should be more to your taste.

So we're talking about a clean, efficient,

simply an up-to-date form of high-tech.

That is, in particular,
this wonderful Upper Palatinate landscape

will remain untouched. Well, mostly.

But there's more.

People will be able to savor
this landscape and their traditions

in a somewhat more...

carefree way,

because these modern jobs
will create wealth and security.

You're so quiet.

What do you say?

What can I say?

The settlement of new industries would of
course be a great blessing for my county.

My party also has a positive stance
toward nuclear power.

But I have to admit that I myself
don't know a great deal about it.

That's quite normal.
Don't worry about that.

I'll provide you with all the
relevant details. Completely.

And that's very important, too.

Because whenever new
and advanced technologies are introduced,

there are always skeptics,
backward-thinkers and scaredy-cats,

for whom everything new is a threat.

Though there's no danger at all,
though the new may be...

simply great.

Mr. Schuierer,

The state government
will determine the location.

The inclusion of
residents is in your hands.

That's a great responsibility,

but also a huge opportunity.

Please.

You already know Ms. Knapp.

Surely. A very special pleasure indeed.

Mr. Vollmann, my office manager.

Good day.
- I'm Mr. Billinger.

And Mr. Bössenecker,
assigned to us from Munich

for matters of construction.

Pleased to meet you, Mr...

Bössenecker.

Time, it won't stop.

Right?

Fine.

It's been a pleasure,
Mr. Schuierer. Good-bye.

Good-bye.
- Good-bye.

See you soon.

See you soon.
- I'm looking forward to it.

Get a move on, guys,
we're almost over the hill.

Amazing how good he's feeling.

Our boss is riding toward new perspectives.

Do you know any details?

Just be patient.

Hans!

He's finally made another stop.

You're fit as a fiddle.

Can't complain.

Maybe things aren't so bleak after all.

What is it?

Spit it out.

Let the cat out of the bag.

Does anyone have objections

to my traditional speech
to the Red Party Cyclists?

If it isn't the same as last year.

You mean
someone remembers what I said last year?

Well today,
today I have really good news for you.

For all of us.

Welcome, County Commissioner.

It means a great honor to us
to welcome you here.

Thank you.

The Sulzberg miners' association
wishes you a heartfelt, "Good luck!"

Good luck, good luck...!

Dear friends, I welcome an
upright Upper Palatinate citizen

and a politician
who doesn't just make empty promises.

The word is that things are on the move
regarding new jobs for our region.

My warmest welcome
to our County Commissioner Hans Schuierer.

Dear friends, it is not just
my political duty and responsibility,

it is much more.

It is a very personal
matter close to my heart.

I want to see this homeland of ours
in full blossom again.

May I ask you something,
Mr. County Commissioner?

Naturally, Mrs...
- Luber, Hedwig.

Go ahead, Mrs. Luber.
- Concerning the atomic...

Nothing can go wrong?

There's nothing to fear, Mrs. Luber.

What if something explodes?

Nothing will explode.

Listen, people used to be afraid
of the first railroad. And today?

We all travel by train.

It's exactly the same with nuclear energy,
a completely new technology to us.

But in a few decades, you won't
be able to imagine it any differently.

Do you believe me?

So here we go!

Good morning, Commissioner.

Morning.

What's wrong?

NUCLEAR RECYCLING PLANT
IN UPPER PALATINATE "PREPOSTEROUS"

Unbelievable.

They make me look like a total buffoon.

Get Munich on the line.

And Mr. Billinger.

Hello, Schwandorf Commissioner's Office,
Ms. Knapp here.

The Commissioner would like to speak to the
Minister of the Environment... Yes, personally.

I see. Yes, well, thank you and goodbye.

They won't put me through, Commissioner.

Mr. Vollmann?

Yes?

Take me to the train station.

Huh? Now?

You best wait here.

I can't promise anything, though.

Showing up without an appointment...

He won't know what hit him.
I'll come down on him like a ton of bricks.

Mr. Schuierer!

I understand your anger, believe me.

I can only beg your pardon.

You have no idea
how I'm suffering under these guys here.

Shall we go for lunch?

Come on, I'll try to explain.

Here you go.

And here you go.

May I?
- No, I'll keep it.

Terrific. I'll get you the menu.

Cheers.

Cheers.

So what's the problem?
Did I do something wrong?

No!

No way.

The problem...

isn't really a problem.

It's more like political tactics

in an incredibly cumbersome apparatus.

It's... It should've long since been...

Just imagine:
My counterparts in the Maximilianeum palace

are almost all at retirement age.

How can one expect any understanding there?

Could you perhaps be a bit more specific?

Sure, sorry, you're
right. Let's cut out the...

I can reassure you:
Our deal is cut and dried.

Thank you, Jakob.

Terrine of lobster and leek. Terrific.

I'd recommend the small spoon.
Suit yourself, but...

Marvelous.

I couldn't eat it every day.
It's not very filling, either.

Munich.

It once was a proper village.

And now?

Goethe was once very pleased

when a critic attributed
him with a "panoramic ability."

A panoramatic talent.

Foresight.

What remains?

I ask myself that every day.

Buildings?

Crumble.

People?

Die.

I'll die.

You'll die.

Nature...

What actually remains?

Ideas remain.

Ideas.

But it takes courage
to turn these ideas into progress.

It takes courage to lead the way.

Alone, if necessary. Alone.

You're a totally different breed.

And yet, yet I feel like...

we're birds of a feather.

If you and I play the ball right,

we can achieve something.

Something big.

Karl-Heinz.

Hans.

So?

All-clear.

It was a strictly tactical maneuver
ordered by Strauß.

I don't get it.

They're stalling for time.

The decision
isn't supposed to have been made yet.

But Karl-Heinz is fully in control.

Karl-Heinz?

Billinger?

From the GRN.

The black party throws its weight around
to profit politically,

but the industry has the real say.

They have the money.

From now on,
Karl-Heinz and I will communicate directly.

He gave me his word:

We're getting the WAA.

You know where?

No.

In your parish: Wackersdorf.

What do you say? Can you see anything?

Not yet.

They're taking soil samples.

I knew it.

Come down.

We've got a visitor.

Hello!

It figures that the administration
is in bed with the nuclear mafia, too.

Moni, please, it's no use.

Watch what you're saying.

That was constructed without permission.

It's on my property.

So are you.

I know well it's your property.

But you still can't build
without permission.

It's not bothering anyone.

Preach in church,
Reverend. I have the say here.

And it's not about bothering anyone but about
legal regulations that apply to all of us.

Including you.
- Don't make me laugh.

Of course our tower bothers you.

No one's supposed to know
what's going on in that forest, right?

We won't be poisoned by that atomic stuff!

Ms. Luber,
I assure you that all parties involved

have the population's well-being at heart,
which includes their employment.

You're just puppets of big capital.

Don't make me lose my temper, Mr. Vollmann.

Let's stick to the facts.

The administration already...
sent you a... pertinent...

decision.

Just tear down that nonsense
and this is over with.

Forget it.

See you in court.

That won't get you far.

We'll see about that.

That'll be the day.
Everybody would do whatever they want.

Crazy wretches.

I can't believe the reverend is with them.

WHAT HAPPENS IN A RECYCLING PLANT?
HOW IS ABUSE OF PLUTONIUM PREVENTED?

DOES A RECYCLING PLANT CAUSE
ELEVATED RADIATION LEVELS AROUND IT?

WHO IS GRN...?

Boss?

He appealed our decision two weeks ago.

Why wasn't I told?

It hasn't been filed yet. This is just
a memo from the administrative court.

It hasn't been formally delivered.

So what? What do we do now?

Formally, we don't know anything,
so we could rush to have it torn down.

You've got some nerve.

He's messing with us.

We needn't be more Catholic than the pope.
- You needn't be Catholic,

but respecting the rule of law
won't hurt you, either.

The law is the law.

Even if it's inconvenient,
we'll await the court's decision.

Respect.

Surely a wise decision.

A small illegal construction
won't stop progress.

And we have no qualms regarding
the safety of the nuclear project, correct?

Good. If you need me, I'm there.

Boss?

About this thing:
"Criteria for the Assessment of Locations

for Nuclear Waste Recycling Plants..."

I know the title. Have you finally read it?

It's 200 pages.

I'm not interested in the volume,
but the content.

I tried, really.

So?

You didn't get it.

Not 100 %.

Why couldn't Bössenecker work through that,
he's our lawyer.

I'm sure he did so meticulously.

Mr. Vollmann,

unlike me, Mr. Bössenecker
is a public official of the Bavarian state.

He answers to Munich.

I'm an elected official, obliged to the district
government, but even more so to my voters

and my consciousness.

We should know what's in here.

Can I help you?

No, I'll manage, thanks.

You're looking for something.

A certain book, a subject.

Come with me.

We upgraded our technology.
All titles on microfiche.

Give me a query and
I'll find any book for you.

Nuclear.

Nuclear?

Nuclear power.

"Nuclear energy?"
- Perfect.

Pro or contra?

Both.

THE PROBLEM OF NUCLEAR ENERGY

CRITERIA FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF LOCATIONS

FOR NUCLEAR WASTE RECYCLING PLANTS
IN BAVARIA

Hans?

You're here.

Supper's ready.

I'll be right there.

He's at Erich's repairing his scooter.
I called him already.

Hello.

I've stopped arguing about the haircut,
but be more considerate of our family life.

Oh, come on.
Just because you're here tonight for once.

We're eating now and that's that.

Mr. Eberwein said
the nuclear plant must be prevented.

Who?

The physics teacher.

Yeah, or we'll all be contaminated.

What nonsense, for God's sake.

What if the Russians drop bombs on it?

We'll get whacked by radioactivity.

The Russians?
Is that the baloney your teachers feed you?

Richie said that about the Russians.

They're all a charge of crackpots.

Dr. Eberwein is a smart man.
Maybe you should talk to him.

That'll be the day,
when teachers interfere in politics.

Even during normal operation

radioactive substances leak
into the environment, air and groundwater.

It's scientifically proven.

I understand.

The district administration.

I'll put you on speaker phone, Mr. President,
so Mr. Bössenecker can hear you, too...

I don't care who's listening.
Do it immediately.

So you're ordering us
to tear down the wooden construction

immediately?

Indeed.
And I wonder why you didn't do it long ago.

That's what I said.
- Because we have no legal basis to do so.

It's a pending court case.
- Did you not hear me? Tear it down.

Sorry, Mr. President,
but we'd be breaking the law.

I can't take responsibility for that.

He hung up.

He just hung up.

Why does he get so upset, for God's sake?

You'd ordered this, Commissioner.

THE NUCLEAR STATE

You read what the enemy reads.

Not a bad strategy.

Only worded quite academically.

I'll manage all right, Mr. Bössenecker.

Schuierer here.

What? - My brother-in-law
called from the police station.

I knew there'd be trouble.

In there.

Stop!

You can't come through here.

I think I can.

Sorry, Commissioner,
I didn't recognize you.

You turn around, at once.

Go home, Mr. Vollmann.
I'll get back somehow.

Seal off the perimeter, all of it.

Are you in charge of this?

I ordered loud and clear
that no one's allowed through here!

I'm Mr. Schuierer, the County Commissioner.

Yeah, so?

What's going on here?
- We're removing the illegal construction.

You have no legal basis.

Listen, I have orders from the top.
And I mean the very top.

Orders from the top?
- Yes.

We're governed by the rule of law, Mr...

My name is none of your business.
Get in our way and I'll have you removed.

Remove it!

Unbelievable.

There's no way!

What's this?

I don't get it.

What are you doing here?
- I have my informants.

What's that clown doing here?

Take off!

Bendix, "Der Neue Tag" newspaper.
Is there still freedom of the press?

I hope you know
you're blatantly breaking the law.

I'm just following orders.

We're ready.

Thank God. Go ahead. Chop, chop!

On the double!

It's like with the Nazis.
Like the Third Reich.

I shouldn't have sent Mr. Vollmann home.

We're in luck.
The next one arrives in ten minutes.

Rowan schnapps. My father makes it.

Public servants like me doing such things.

Well,

the nuclear state needs total control.

Our young democracy
soon won't matter anymore.

And you?

Are you some kind of mole?

I just exercise my constitutional rights.

Mr. Schuierer, this enterprise
is completely irresponsible.

An accident can happen at any time.
Just no one talks about it.

And there's always leftovers.

Nuclear waste.

No one knows what to do with it.
It'll still be radioactive in 10,000 years.

Yet everybody wants nuclear power. And why?

Money.

A lot of it.

Legally, they wouldn't stand a chance.

Especially with me
assessing environmental compatibility.

But?

They'll use any means necessary.
They just showed us that.

Oh, the hubris.

They feel so strong, so strong.

And they think
you Upper Palatines are stupid anyway.

May I ask you something personal?

You disliked me from the outset.

Did you think I was a spy for Strauß
or was it because I went to university?

Both.

OK,

maybe the demolition wasn't quite correct.

But then you likened it to the Nazis...

"Not quite correct?"

They were only following orders.

Exactly what I mean. Just like the Nazis.

Those were different times,
you can't compare them.

We shouldn't screw things up with the GRN,
we can profit from them!

They donated new goals,
even before the plant has been installed.

And jerseys for the entire team.

They promised.

Heeding social responsibility,
says your Karl-Heinz.

I'll get another beer.
- I'll go...

It's all right.

Want one?

Good day, Commissioner.
- Hi.

I figured I'd see you here.

Don't you think we should talk?

Your clairvoyance failed to tell you
I don't do politics in the streets.

It's funny when a red party commissioner
flirts with the black party.

Listen up, Miss...
- Gegenfurtner, Monika. Pleasure.

Oh, "Gegenfurtner, Monika." I flirt
with nobody and won't tolerate such talk.

On your husband's property...
- We're not married.

The police clearly broke the law.

I didn't order it and I don't accept it.

But you still believe the fairy tale
about the harmless nuclear plant?

Strauß doesn't give a shit
about the Upper Palatinates.

I'll tell you something:
The WAA is about so much more.

The plant is to be finished in 1995,

the same year
the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty ends.

Do you think that's coincidence?

Weapons-grade plutonium made in Germany,
that's the plan.

Just stop it. That's pure speculation.

Don't you have children?

I'm scared.

And I'm not the only one.

Can't you sleep?

Lilo?

How do you go about it with the mushrooms?
I mean...

If you find a really beautiful mushroom,

but you don't know if you can eat it?

I look it up in the mushroom book.

What if it's not in there?

Then I'd be very cautious.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the press
conference of the Bavarian State Government.

The Ministers of State.

Ladies and gentlemen,

after concluding the
regional planning procedure

and considering all
further legal regulations,

in particular...

after the initialization
of a regular authorization procedure

for the construction of a nuclear recycling
plant by the GRN in the county of Schwandorf,

a decision has been made.

Namely...

If I may assist my colleague...

In due consideration of all further regulations,
the WAA will be built in Taxöldener Forst,

Wackersdorf parish.

Wackersdorf will thus represent technological
progress and economic upswing in Bavaria.

Minister, can you expand on that?

We were on our way to Munich,
when I thought I'd drop by

to show you the first sketches.
I wouldn't forgo the privilege.

Construction plans:
heavy stuff for a layman, right?

I've seen some before,
in my former occupation.

I'm a trained mason and road-man.

Fabulous. I didn't know that.

Please.

Well, we'll be building
on around 130 hectares.

130 hectares?

Good gracious!

This would be the western access,
the main portal.

Security doors,
building for logistics and plant security.

Another access is on the east side,

exclusively for heavy cargo
of contaminated material.

This is the centerpiece of the installation,
the manipulator carrier system.

And that's a chimney?

Correct.

650 feet high?

It warrants the transportation
of radioactive waste to higher air layers,

thus reducing the steady exposure
of the immediate environment.

Steady exposure?
- Well,

it's more like a bureaucratically motivated
precautionary measure. Nothing more.

This theoretical reading is so infinitesimal,
it poses no hazard for nature or humans.

And what most people don't know:

In many areas in Germany, the natural
radioactivity is vastly higher than here.

Much higher,

and no one notices that.

Many people here are scared.

And maybe their fear
isn't entirely unfounded.

Since law and order
apparently mean nothing anymore.

I completely agree.

Those unnecessarily excessive police
operations are a total failure of politics.

That makes it all the more important for us to
operate even more carefully and sensitively.

You and me.

Together.

People have elected me County Commissioner.

I have the responsibility
for the people's well-being.

I take this responsibility

very seriously.

Sure, I mean, you mainly do that

by creating jobs and wealth.

Jobs and wealth in the middle of nothing.

But not at any cost.

I must reconsider it all.

I need to...

to think.

Do that. Think.

However,

Hans,

we're not dependent on that.

All essential decisions are made at the sole
discretion of the Bavarian State Government.

Keep that in mind, Hans.

Don't keep me waiting too long, OK?

And what do I do now?

Tell my people
it was all a joke about the jobs?

Hans, please.

Be reasonable.

I am being reasonable.
And I expect the same of you.

Run into the knife?
- I was just as stupid.

I should've seen that the black party
wouldn't just give us a nice present.

What's really your problem now?

Because of the environment, or what?

You want to become
one of those tree-huggers?

I didn't think
you'd ever say such a thing to me.

My problem is,
they never told us the whole truth.

They tossed us a fat piece of bait
and we took it.

And they'll go on lying,
bribing and coercing.

3,000 jobs are hardly bait.

What do you gain if the jobs
put you and your children's health at risk.

Goddammit, that's unproven.

Neither is the opposite.

There's a risk with any industry.

He's right, isn't he?

With the only difference that nuclear risks will
have an impact for many generations to come.

Nothing is decided yet,
but I have severe doubts.

Hans?

If you keep up that attitude, then...

the party won't support it.

That also casts doubt

on whether we'll campaign
with you for the next elections.

Boss.

Hello.

I hear you're not overly popular
in your party at the moment.

But there's still hope.

With that environment brochure,
they scored a real own goal.

The project

doesn't satisfy any
of the required criteria.

Either way, it's legally objectionable.

The cabbage rolls aren't bad.
Is that what you had?

Gratinated cauliflower.

There are other ways.

I'm acting County Commissioner.

They need my signature.

As long I have doubts,
I won't sign anything.

A power struggle with Strauß?

Are you sure?

Don't kid yourself.

Many people won't understand your stance.

And the other side does great lobbying.

Exactly what we'll
do: take it to the public.

We'll talk to the press.

I'm a civil servant.
- No worries, I'll keep you out of it.

Propaganda? Don't make me laugh.

Even advocates admit
it's a hazardous technology.

The local paper.

It's a decision of massive consequence
not only for Upper Palatinate,

but for all of Bavaria and beyond.

I assure you I certainly
won't back anything

that'll hurt our homeland
for generations to come.

Yes, you can quote me on that.

Thank you, too. Good-bye.

Just a minute.

I don't need to come in.
I just want to tell you something.

I'm proud of you.

And if it weren't for the lather,
I'd even give you a peck on the cheek.

COUNTY COMMISSIONER
TANGLES WITH STATE GOVERNMENT

Seems like your negotiating skills
weren't too fruitful, Dr. Billinger.

It'd be more constructive not to get
personal and be reasonable instead.

Indeed. The blame game isn't helpful.

Good day.
- Who's that?

Some overachiever.
Wants to become State Secretary.

The Prime Minister asked me personally
to take part in this conference.

Why?

May I?

Hello.

All right.

I'm sure you already have ideas about how
to deal with this catastrophic situation.

We were just about to discuss the affair.

If he's getting unhinged,

we'll take him out.

State security is in place.

We could employ some measure
to ascertain he won't be elected again.

I'm afraid we don't have time
to wait for the next elections.

By then, even the socialists
will have woken up, seized the moment,

and changed their nuclear stance
to capitalize on it in the elections.

We must act now.

Good. Perhaps we
should analyze the problem.

How exactly
is this Commissioner getting in our way?

He's resisting.

We need his signature.

And why do we need his signature?

It's the law.

Quite right. Because it's the law.

So what would be a simple,

very clean solution?

Very good.

Congratulations.

Thank you.

If that's possible...

MOTHERS AGAINST NUCLEAR POWER

What's your stance now, are you
for or against the WAA, Mr. Vollmann?

It's a very...

complex affair.

I mean, there are different arguments.

Primarily, I'm loyal
to the boss, of course.

Here he comes.

COUNTY COMMISSIONER

Flier?
- No, thanks.

SCHWANDORF ACTION GROUP.
AGAINST WAA WACKERSDORF.

Hello, Commissioner.
Do we need permission again?

I hereby grant it to you.
- Excuse me, my name is Mr. Eberwein.

So it's you.

My daughter's teacher.

Quite right. Math and physics.

We're preparing an informational event.

Maybe you could participate.

He doesn't do politics
in the streets, right?

Quite right.

But if you dare,

then come to my office.

If he says so.

Morning.

Please. Take a seat.

Hello.

Go ahead.

Make coffee for our guests.

Mr. Bössenecker needed you urgently.

There he is.
- Please.

There's a mean rumor in Munich.
They're doctoring a law.

I've heard that, too. I
have my own contacts.

It's someone new, a hard-liner.

Mr. Bössenecker, as hard-line as he may be,
they can't make a law only for me, can they?

Of course not, but...
- Exactly!

If they make a law that interferes
with a county commissioner's rights,

it'll apply to all commissioners.
- Naturally.

Unfortunately for them, almost all
commissioners are in the black party.

Correct.

The Bavarian State
won't cross its own folks.

They'll never get that passed.
Not in this lifetime.

I know his likes from Berlin.
Bla, bla, and then...

Now...

Here I am.

As you'll have read in the papers,
my stance toward the planned WAA

has become very critical.

As County Commissioner, I have the power
to prevent further construction activities.

It's extraordinarily important
that we inform the public.

Hence, I'd be pleased to
participate in your event.

Under one condition.

No rioting, all right?

Well...
- Sure.

We'll decide on the topics together
and I'll head the event.

Who is it?

Hans.

We were just drinking a coffee.

You know the party now backs my stance?

You're making them all nutty
with your fear-mongering.

You're probably even proud of it.

But let me tell you:

I don't need the party.

I quit.

And not just me.

The entire Wackersdorf council.

You think I don't know

why you're acting up like this?

You're out-of-date.
Politically, you were already dead.

And now?

You're making your mark
on the backs of working people.

You only think of yourself.

What else do you want to
become? Prime Minister?

You don't understand
anything. Nothing at all.

If there's someone who understands nothing,
then it's you.

The WAA will be built, even if you all
do headstands and wiggle your toes.

You're the mayor of Wackersdorf,
you're responsible for your people.

Right.

And they want jobs.

Sure, I know: Money isn't everything.

But without money, everything is nothing!

I'm building a kindergarten for my parish,
and the detour has also been financed.

Paid with future
six-figure corporate taxes.

You're kidding me. Are you insane?

Don't wet your pants.

I talked to the financial
supervisory office.

It's legal.

Completely.

What happened?

UNFORTUNATELY, THERE ARE NO
CONCENTRATION CAMPS ANYMORE.

THEY'D BE THE RIGHT PLACE
FOR HOMELAND TRAITORS LIKE YOU.

Our resistance will only be successful

if we can win over
the political institutions

across all partisan divides.

And so I'm particularly pleased

that our County Commissioner

has taken the time for a statement.

Mr. Schuierer, please.

He's holding a speech?
What is this, an election campaign?

Dear fellow citizens,

I first want to thank you
for your interest and commitment.

In a constitutional democracy,

however, elected representatives make the
essential decisions, which is a good thing.

As your elected Commissioner,
I stand for the people's well-being.

Hear, hear...

But today, I'm not just speaking to you
as County Commissioner,

but also as a private citizen
with his own personal opinion,

which I hope I can still
voice in this country.

Right, one moment.

Bössenecker... speaking.

I understand.

I was afraid of that. Thanks.

But we now know

that the nuclear recycling installation
the state government has planned,

this nuclear plant,

comes with considerable risk
for our health and well-being.

Right, that's it.

But I can put your minds at rest:

I will continue to scrutinize all plans.
And as your County Commissioner,

I promise you today: As long as I
doubt the project's compatibility...

What's wrong?
- They changed the law.

I'll refuse my consent.

And without my consent, they cannot
build the WAA as currently planned.

At least not in my county.

One thing is clear, fellow citizens...

Can we talk?

They've changed the law.
They don't need your signature anymore.

We just got word: A new law has been passed

that means nothing less than
the Commissioner's disempowerment!

Come on, let's go.

Unbelievable, I knew it.

The nuclear mafia and corrupt black party in
Munich are unscrupulously pushing their plans...

This law was made because of you,
a "Lex Schuierer" as it were.

How does that feel?

Let the Commissioner pass. Enough!

The time for debates is over!

We must act now!

We must occupy the construction site.

Rise up and riot,
we country folk will not keep quiet!

Rise up and riot,
we country folk will not keep quiet!

THIS SITE IS OCCUPIED

WAA: NO

Che Guevara is still alive!

DESTROYERS OF THE FUTURE

Justice is on our side,
the law is on theirs!

People who have never before
taken part in a demonstration

now visit the site almost every other day
and cannot grasp what's happening here.

The allegation that there were only
anarchists on-site in Wackersdorf

seems totally absurd to locals.

Why aren't you at practice?

The Wackersdorfers don't want me anymore.

I pledge allegiance to the constitution of the
Free State of Bavaria and obedience to the law.

I vow to conscientiously fulfill
my official duties, so help me God.

Dr. Billinger,

hello.
- Congratulations, Secretary of State.

Thanks. I very much look
forward to working with you.

I need to inform you, though,
about some current developments.

My colleagues have doubts
about the location of Wackersdorf.

Is that right?

Because of this Schuierer?

Him, too.

But in general, it's a difficult
situation right now, isn't it?

It's a crying shame I hadn't been
entrusted with it from the outset.

Dr. Billinger, I assure you

there will be no more friction.

We'll take uncompromising action.

You can count on me
100 %. You have my word.

We can do it.

Together, we can do it.

We're ready to go in.

Give me a second.

Damn it.

Moni, come back home.

Do it at least for Mom.

You're hanging around with anarchists.
Think of your children!

That's what I'm doing.
I want them to be better off and free.

Monika!

The pigs are everywhere.

I can walk alone.

Goddamn.

What are they doing?

Where is he?

I need him, too. He
hasn't been here all week.

I don't even know what to do.
It can't go on like this.

Maybe it wasn't so smart
to mess with the top dogs.

We should thank our creator that some
people still have a spine, Mr. Vollmann.

Goodness gracious.

Look who's here.

The door was open.

Where's Anni?

She's been contaminated
by your insane nuclear hysteria.

She moved out. As did her fine son.

I'm... very sorry.

I don't need your sympathy.

You started this war.

I had no choice.

Believe me.

I can't act against my consciousness.

And now?

Now you have no say at all.

You needn't come here again.

Even if the door is open.

Hans, Mr. Bössenecker is here.

It'll work, I'm sure.

Would you like a coffee, too?

Because I didn't find you in the office,
the mountain comes to the prophet.

They're planning a construction fence
that'll be the envy of any penitentiary.

A 16-foot steel grid
around the entire site.

That alone will cost millions.

And they've filed a
second construction permit.

They want to make our district court
terrorist-proof.

And if I don't sign,
the "Lex Schuierer" will be applied again.

The action group continues to be active.

Their resolve is unbroken,
and every day there are more of them.

Outside the county borders, too.

Buses from Austria will be coming
for the forest walk on Sunday.

The resistance is growing.

It won't help Munich to slander us
as outside anarchists and terrorists.

Soon all of Upper Palatinate will stand up.

Ordinary citizens like you and me.

That's not the Hans I married.

That Hans always fought.

They castrated you, sure, but this
isn't about you. You're acting like...

a kid who's been kicked out of a game.

Even as an ordinary citizen,
one can fight the WAA, you said that.

You have no right
to look down on the action group.

I'm leaving. Are you coming, Ms. Schuierer?

I was already with them
when you still believed in nuclear energy.

Let us pray as the Lord taught us.

"Our Father who art in heaven..."

"Hallowed be thy name..."

Dear friends,

according to supreme court decisions,

a religious memorial of this size

does not require a building permit.

And a Christian party shouldn't be expected
to tear down a wayward shrine.

So we can...

Commissioner, welcome!

I'm not here as Commissioner,
but as a private citizen like all of you.

As of today, at this location...

Everyone who wishes to resist this
attack on creation with us, is welcome.

Praying alone won't be enough.

Then share your assessment with us,
Comm... Mr. Schuierer.

Don't get me wrong.

It's all quite honorable.

But these little protests and
demonstrations won't impress those people.

They'll let you pray here
while building their fence and plant there.

If this protest is to be a success,
it has to be big.

Tremendously big.
Thousands must take to the streets.

Thousands of ordinary citizens.

Well then, help us, Mr. Schuierer.

Let's organize that
great resistance together.

So we can dance to his pipe again?

Don't think we don't have our own ideas.

I won't impose.

Moni, don't be so bone-headed.
- Kiss-ass.

It'd be beneficial if he were with us.

You don't do politics
in the streets, right?

So what now?

Get in.

Now let's talk straight.

You've never liked me, because
I'm a woman interfering in politics.

Just admit it, it's almost normal
for men of your generation.

But times change.

I respect you for your grit,
but I'm sick of your macho attitude.

We're all equal:
women and men, if we're from here or not.

So what'll it be?

Is that a basis for cooperation?

Let us defend and resist

The WAA shall cease and desist

We'll stick together, hand in hand...

This is about much more
than just a typical power plant.

The Bavarian Minister of the Interior
judges it quite differently.

The majority of people taking part

in these so-called "folk festivals"
are there to entertain their children, etc.

That can't be interpreted as resistance.

Turn off your motor, please.

We'd like to look in your trunk.

Why?
- Please step out of the car.

Step back, please.

I don't know what you...
You won't find anything, but...

Just let me do my job.

Excuse me.

Nice jacket.

Hans, I'm here because...

Between us, in absolute confidentiality,

there are now serious doubts
regarding the location of Wackersdorf.

In plain words, the thing probably
won't be built. So just do nothing, OK?

It might be

tactically smarter

just to wait, keep quiet,

and do nothing at all.

Things sort themselves out sometimes.

I don't think
we're birds of a feather after all.

This is about rights, Dr. Billinger.

And rights are either
respected or violated.

It's not about tactics,

and there's nothing to clear up.

Oh, well, Hans.
- We're confiscating this!

Excuse me?
- We're confiscating your jack. We're keeping it.

Why?
- It can be used as a weapon.

Close the trunk,
get in the car and clear the road.

TAKE OFF, GRN!

ATTENTION! YOU ARE NOW ENTERING
WEST GERMANY'S UNDEMOCRATIC SECTOR

MOTHERS AGAINST NUCLEAR POWER

NO!
SCHWANDORF ACTION GROUP

Dear friends,

dear fellow citizens

in uniforms...
- Pigs!

This is the outcry of an entire region

that stands united in peaceful opposition

to the Bavarian State Government
trampling on our rights and opinions...

That's right!
- and suppressing us with police force.

What is the police
supposedly protecting from whom?

Where is their respect
for the people's will?

We want nothing more
than to protect our homeland,

which has been betrayed and sold
by the Bavarian State Government,

and to protect it
from radioactive contamination.

Now we know what Prime Minister Strauß
learned on his many trips

to South Africa, Chile and other military
dictatorships and communist states.

There, as well as here,

people's basic rights are disregarded,

critics are silenced, intimidated,

frightened, threatened and harassed.

Nature and life are our
most valuable assets.

We must not sacrifice them
to the greed for profit and power.

We have an obligation,

a civic obligation,

for us, our children
and future generations.

Together, let us defend

our most valuable goods,

freedom and justice,

here at this place.

Here, the future
of a democratic Bavaria is being decided.

We here in Upper Palatinate

won't tolerate a democratorship
à la Franz-Josef Strauß!

Out with Strauß, out with Strauß...!

Fantastic speech.

Strauß demands a personal apology,

or there will be disciplinary proceedings.

So what'll you do?

I sent him the manuscript of the speech

so he can read it word for word.

If he hasn't already, with all his spies...

They'll do their best to oust you.

I only spoke the truth.

I can't apologize for that.

My collected works.

All the administrative law proceedings
I'm working on.

Tomorrow I'll be gone.

They discovered I'm a WAA opponent.

It took a while.

Apparently, their spy
organization isn't very effective.

My transfer is effective immediately.
To Fürth, near Nuremberg.

Back home?

At least there's that.

I'd just gotten used to you.

I'll continue supporting the resistance
in word and deed. You can count on it.

The schnapps...

from your father.
- Oh, the rowan schnapps.

I could use one now.

Boo!
- Boo!

They're political criminals.

Only the worst would put on a manhunt!
- Terrible!

Piss off!

You'll do anything for
money! Anything for money!

You know no shame!

You can't scare us!

We can't do without nuclear energy
for the foreseeable future,

because there's no substitute.
Anyone who says anything else is lying,

or doesn't have a clue!
Of course, you can forgo anything.

You can live in a tent and say,
"We don't need houses anymore!"

You can ride your bike and say,
"We don't need cars anymore!"

You can build a sailboat and say,
"We don't need airplanes anymore!"

But that's not engineering the future,
it's marching into the past.

If you had a spark of democratic
discipline, a spark of human decency,

a spark of normal behavior,

then you would shut your mouth
instead of constantly trying to interfere!

This woman with her two babies, who
are maybe three months and two years old,

were sitting at the edge of the forest,
where I was standing.

Then the helicopter came and
severely attacked these peaceful people!

The children almost suffocated!

They're her children?
- Yes!

And you witnessed it, too?
- I sure did...

It's nice here.

I've heard about
the Upper Palatinians being tight-lipped.

We talk when there's something to say.

Mr. Schuierer,

be reasonable.
Do you really want to ruin yourself?

And what for?

The WAA will come. There's no
way around it, I tell you quite frankly.

Just between us.
- Between us?

I'll make you a proposal.

Whistle back that mob
and apologize to the Prime Minister,

and we can forget the disciplinary
proceedings and all the other bull.

By the way, I've brought you something,

because you missed the last reception.

Otherwise, you would've gotten it
like every other county commissioner.

You could avoid a lot
of misery, Mr. Schuierer.

Not to speak of costs.

And...

what if the GRN didn't
want to build anymore?

If they had other plans?

Even so, Mr. Schuierer,

I'll win this war.

People like you...

I never thought they could amount
to anything in a democracy.

This is First German Television news.

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.
The Soviet Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant

has apparently suffered the dreaded MCA,
Maximum Credible Accident.

Even three days after the incident, the
nuclear burn is still not under control.

The Soviet news agency TAS
has reported two causalities.

The area around the
plant is being evacuated.

A 30-km safety zone around Chernobyl
has been created.

It seems certain that the reactor's core
is molten partly or even entirely.

Minister, can all hazards
for the German population be ruled out?

Yes. They can be completely ruled out,

30 to 50 km from the reactor.
Because hazards exist only

MINISTER OF THE INTERIOR ZIMMERMANN

Levels are high there,
but we're 2000 km away.

We're measuring
continuously at our stations.

We've read no elevated radioactivity levels
at all until now.

OFFENBACH METEOROLOGICAL SERVICE

as the wind direction has turned.
The weather conditions have changed

In south Germany,
we're getting a weak eastern wind now,

so air from the Black Sea
will come directly at us in a few days.

the situation in Germany is as follows:
Eight days after the reactor disaster,

a hazard of elevated levels in the ground,
mostly receding radiation levels in the air,

preventive measures must still be taken.

Due to rainfall the past 24 hours,

in particular in southern Germany. land
contamination has increased significantly,

Mr. Secretary, did the rainfall
of the last two or three days

cause additional surface contamination
in Germany?

SECRETARY OF THE ENVIRONMENT

the ground and notably landed on plants.
Yes, some radioactive dust has reached

We need to focus on
the milk and vegetables.

What to do with the salad
that's withering en masse in these boxes.

To be honest: As of now, no one knows.

In some German cities, like Wiesbaden,
the playgrounds were closed.

showed high levels of radioactivity.
Sandboxes, among other things,

CHANCELLERY CHIEF OF STAFF

We have found once again,

of all areas of responsibility involved,
according to the assessment

and based on the counsel
of expert commissions,

that at no point
was there any hazard for our population,

and that such a hazard does not exist.

Two years after the Chernobyl nuclear
disaster, having costed ten billion DM,

construction of the WAA
in Wackersdorf was terminated.

For more than seven years,
hundreds of thousands of people

provided resistance in the form of
initiatives, demonstrations and concerts.

Numerous people were injured
and three lost their lives at the fence.

Hans Schuierer remained
County Commissioner until 1996.

All disciplinary proceedings
against him were terminated.

The "Lex Schuierer" law
remains in effect to this day.

Subtitles Copyright: Way Film Translation,
Matthew Way