The German Lesson

1971

Siggi Jepsen, an inmate at the juvenile detention center, is assigned to write an essay in the 1950s. Topic: the joys of duty. He immediately thinks of his own father. As a police sergeant, his father took his official duties more than seriously during the Nazi regime. Siggi becomes increasingly pensive. He writes about his father, who even sacrifices his friendship with an old friend for the sake of his sense of duty. Siggi had protected this friend as a child, and now has to serve time for it…