Die Feststellung(1958)

Die Feststellung is a East German drama about a farmer who returns to his village in the GDR after fleeing to the West, only to find his house and farm claim becomes the subject of intense scrutiny. When he and his wife seek to reclaim their property, an unusual LPG collective meeting is convened to investigate why he abandoned the republic and whether his departure could have been prevented. The farmer blames the collective chairman for pressuring him to join the LPG over illegal fertilizer dealings, while the chairman offers a different account. To resolve the conflict and extract lessons for the community, the assembled villagers recreate the events leading to his escape, performing them with reversed roles. This unconventional approach to justice and truth-seeking reflects the ideological tensions of Cold War East Germany.