The Baltic states, 1919. The land is torn by civil war. Sophie lives in the Baltic castle of Kratovice. Together with a band of volunteers of different nationalities, who invade like an occupying army, Sophie's brother Konrad and his friend, Prussian officer Erich von Lhomond, arrive in Kratovice.Sophie falls in love with Erich, who has resolved to “defend Western civilisation against the Bolsheviks” as a mercenary. She doesn't hesitate to confess her feelings to him. Erich backs away from such an explicit declaration of love. With her self-esteem humiliated and her honesty betrayed, Sophie now indiscriminately takes lovers amongst the officers – a spectacle watched in horror by Erich who throws himself into the final, futile military actions. Eventually, Sophie leaves the castle and defects to the insurgents. When Erich's squad captures these insurgents with Sophie amongst them, she demands that Erich carries out her execution.

In his directorial debut DESPERADO CITY, Vadim Glowna paints an oppressive portrait of a German city in the 1980s. He follows lonely desperados as they wander through Hamburg’s St. Pauli district. The story recounts a few days in the life of the taxi driver Skoda, the hairdresser Liane and ex-prostitute Hilke. They are united in their desire to leave everything behind. As their paths cross, there is a glimmer of hope, yet the dream of a different life is shattered by a remorseless reality.

Eight-year-old Marcel has a rabbit that is as lonely as he is. He decides to obtain a female companion for his little friend. And so he sets out, alone, without a penny to his name, a pint-sized Odysseus in search of a pet who ends up discovering the world. Marcel is remarkably fearless as the day progresses and he leaves behind the backyards, shops and streets of Munich, puts his courage to the test in a gloomy forest and spends the night in a hippie commune where he is at last promised a female rabbit. The narrative thread that binds this film becomes a kind of mandala of little occurrences presented in carefully composed group scenes that are rich in detail. Thanks to the performances of the children, this film exudes a magical lustre; happiness, we learn, cannot be conquered, rather it is up to us make sure we are in the right place when it is bestowed upon us.

Theo Angelopolous has taken on a particularly wide-ranging historical panorama as the subject of his latest trilogy. It is, however, this panorama that allows him to recount a number of highly personal stories: “This is the story of two people and their relationship to each other, beginning in Odessa in 1919 and ending in modern-day New York. It is a story of exile, separation and wandering, chronicling the collapse of ideologies and the trials of history.”The story begins just after the invasion of the Red Army in Odessa when Greek refugees are returning to their homeland. This is where the love story between Alexis and Eleni begins. Although the pair have grown up together, their love goes against the wishes of Alexis’ father, who sees in Eleni a suitable wife for himself. But historical change and socio-economic forces are what really put Alexis and Eleni’s love to the test. Forced to leave their village in disgrace, the couple roam about Greece. However, all of their efforts to keep their love intact are in vain. Finally, Alexis emigrates to the USA; Eleni, however, is imprisoned for supporting opponents to the regime.The Second World War breaks out, Greece is occupied by the Germans; after the war, the country plunges into civil war. The couple’s sons fight on opposing sides and both lose their lives. Alexis is killed fighting in Okinawa with the American army. For her part, Eleni follows the example set by her country’s ancient heroes – the struggle of the Seven against Thebes …