Wackersdorf

This powerful political drama recounts the true story of resistance against plans to build a nuclear reprocessing plant in the Upper Palatinate region of Bavaria. At the center is SPD district administrator Hans Schuierer (Johannes Zeiler), who is initially convinced by the Bavarian state government’s (CSU) economic promises—3,000 new jobs for a structurally weak region sound tempting. But the more Schuierer learns about the risks of the facility and witnesses the state’s repression of peaceful citizen protests advocating for the protection of their homeland’s nature, the more he transforms from a supporter into a determined opponent. Director Oliver Haffner stages this story, set in the 1980s, with analytical precision and a deep sensitivity to its human and political dimensions. His film shows how democratic principles come under pressure when economic interests and political power games take precedence. Particularly noteworthy is the portrayal of Schuierer as a “reluctant hero” who changes his mind out of conviction—a rare image in political cinema. Wackersdorf impresses with its calm yet clear narrative style, strong dialogue, and dense atmosphere. The historical parallels to the present—especially in the handling of protest movements—make the film strikingly relevant today. “Dozens of officers voluntarily left the police force after the Pentecost clashes because they no longer wanted to participate in the brutal crackdown on WAA critics. Around 100,000 people attended the ‘Anti-WAAhnsinns Festival,’ one of the largest rock concerts in German history. […] The dispute over the WAA divided families in the Upper Palatinate, including mine. There were three deaths during the clashes in the Wackersdorf forest. One death has occurred so far in the Hambach Forest. All of this comes back to me when I see the current images from Hambach—images of police evictions, images of resistance. Resistance then, resistance now. […] It is a magnificent film, a homeland film in the best sense of the word, a film about small resistance that sometimes becomes great.” (Heribert Prantl, Süddeutsche Zeitung)