Westwards to Work
For five years now, Uwe has sat on trains between the cities of Wandlitz and Mannheim. Every Monday and every Friday – the journeys total over 150 hours of his life. Germany flies by the window for over 682 kilometres. Uwe is ‘away on a job.’
The same is true of René, who works everywhere but his hometown of Müritz. René stakes out large construction sites, ramming holes into the ground from dawn till dusk. René and Uwe live in Eastern Germany and work for companies in the West. For 25 years they have made a living as economic nomads, building wherever their company sends them. It’s a compromise they are willing to make for better pay and prospects.
Uwe and René are just two of the many thousands of workers who have sacrificed family life for their jobs. They are only home on the weekends; it’s then they can be loving fathers, husbands and friends to rely on. At home they are confronted with high expectations and duties they can never fulfil. A marriage on the rocks, a guilty conscience as companion: this is the life of a commuter, and it’s a fine balancing act.
Following the film 911 ADAMSHOPE, WESTWARDS TO WORK is director Jean Boué’s second documentary about life in economically underdeveloped regions of the former GDR.
A film by Jean Boué
Camera: Oliver Gurr, Knut Schmitz (bvk), Anne Misselwitz
Sound: Arndt Henning, Zora Butzke, Manja Ebert
Editor: Marcel Ozan Riedel
Music: Hans-Jörn Brandenburg
Producer: Mareike Müller
Commissioning Editor for NDR: Christoph Mestmacher
Executive Producer: Antje Boehmert
A production of DOCDAYS Productions for NDR
Length: 60 min
Release Date: 2015
For five years now, Uwe has sat on trains between the cities of Wandlitz and Mannheim. Every Monday and every Friday – the journeys total over 150 hours of his life. Germany flies by the window for over 682 kilometres. Uwe is ‘away on a job.’
The same is true of René, who works everywhere but his hometown of Müritz. René stakes out large construction sites, ramming holes into the ground from dawn till dusk. René and Uwe live in Eastern Germany and work for companies in the West. For 25 years they have made a living as economic nomads, building wherever their company sends them. It’s a compromise they are willing to make for better pay and prospects.
Uwe and René are just two of the many thousands of workers who have sacrificed family life for their jobs. They are only home on the weekends; it’s then they can be loving fathers, husbands and friends to rely on. At home they are confronted with high expectations and duties they can never fulfil. A marriage on the rocks, a guilty conscience as companion: this is the life of a commuter, and it’s a fine balancing act.
Following the film 911 ADAMSHOPE, WESTWARDS TO WORK is director Jean Boué’s second documentary about life in economically underdeveloped regions of the former GDR.
A Film by Jean Boué
Camera: Oliver Gurr, Knut Schmitz (bvk), Anne Misselwitz
Sound: Arndt Henning, Zora Butzke, Manja Ebert
Editor: Marcel Ozan Riedel
Music: Hans-Jörn Brandenburg
Producer: Mareike Müller
Commissioning Editor for NDR: Christoph Mestmacher
Executive Producer: Antje Boehmert
A production of DOCDAYS Productions for NDR
Length: 60 min
Release Date: 2015
After 911 ADAMSHOPE director Jean Boué finished his second documentary about life in economically underdeveloped regions in the former GDR. He follows people to their work far away from home. Commuters who stay lonely for four nights every week to enjoy family life just on the weekend.
A Film by Jean Boué
Camera: Oliver Gurr, Knut Schmitz (bvk), Anne Misselwitz
Sound: Arndt Henning, Zora Butzke, Manja Ebert
Editor: Marcel Ozan Riedel
Music: Hans-Jörn Brandenburg
Producer: Mareike Müller
Commissioning Editor for NDR: Christoph Mestmacher
Executive Producer: Antje Boehmert
A production of DOCDAYS Productions for NDR
Length: 60 min
Release Date: 2015