A tribute to Käthe Reichel in the form of a long-term documentary about the politically committed Brecht actress, who started out at the Berliner Ensemble before acting for 40 years at the Deutsches Theatre from 1960 onwards. She also appeared in numerous DEFA films, usually in memorable supporting roles such as in "Wie heiratet man einen König" or "Die Legende von Paul und Paula". In AUS DEN TRÄUMEN EINES KÜCHENMÄDCHENS – ANNÄHERUNG AN KÄTHE REICHEL (Germany 1999–2012), Richard Engel and Petra Kelling accompanied her with a camera for 13 years until her death in 2012. The film is a document of how the two filmmakers get progressively closer to the woman they’re creating a portrait of, who is at times very open and talks of her childhood in Berlin’s working class distracts, before becoming distant again and remaining silent about other experiences. The three-hour portrait does without any archive material, letting instead Käthe Reichel’s colleagues and those who accompanied her on her way to have their say, including Rainer Simon, Adolf Dresen, and Dagmar Manzel. (jr) (4.7.)
