East-West Divide: New Doc 'Anger. Now We're Driving to the West' Challenges Perceptions
Matthias Schmidt, a documentary filmmaker, delves into the evolving relationship between East and West Germany in his latest work, 'Anger. Now we're driving to the West'. Unlike traditional Western approaches, Schmidt focuses on shared experiences and understanding, challenging decades of East German perceptions.
Schmidt, who first visited North Rhine-Westphalia in 1989, returns to explore the growing discontent in the West. He speaks to locals, East German transplants, and those with migrant backgrounds, revealing a sense of anger stemming from government failures and the widening gap between people's aspirations and political decisions.
The documentary challenges the notion that the East is a homogeneous entity. It shows that the East is still viewed as a separate entity, with phrases like 'drive over' used to describe visiting it. Schmidt's approach differs from Western journalists' traditional methods, aiming to find commonalities rather than differences.
Set in North Rhine-Westphalia, the documentary explores a region familiar with industrial decline and often perceived as the 'shabby cousin' in the German family portrait. Here, Schmidt finds a microcosm of the broader East-West divide, with East Germans expressing frustration at Western journalists claiming to understand their experiences.
Matthias Schmidt's documentary 'Anger. Now we're driving to the West' offers a fresh perspective on the East-West divide in Germany. By focusing on shared experiences and understanding, it challenges decades of Western perceptions and provides a platform for East German voices. The documentary serves as a reminder that unity, 31 years after reunification, remains a work in progress.
