Flucht in den Norden

In 1932, Klaus Mann undertook an extended trip to Finland. He based "Journey into Freedom", his first novel written in exile, on the impressions from this journey. The Finnish-born director Ingemo Engström maintained the melancholy mood of the novel for her 1985 film adaptation, which tells the story of the young Johanna's escape from the Nazi regime. The work captures the agonizing atmosphere and despair of the exiles; the wide landscape shots contrast with the inner constriction of the protagonists. Rigorously composed, cool tableaux show how exile exposes a longing for home and the fragility of human existence.
On March 13, 1933, Klaus Mann left Germany for exile in Paris. His starting point was Anhalter Bahnhof, where the Exile Museum is to be built in the future. In 2023, the museum and the Deutsche Kinemathek set up a partnership to which the September issue of Filmspotting is dedicated. (Ricardo Brunn)