An interesting German cold war piece about a doctor called Barbara who works at a regional hospital. Life is unpleasant for Barbara as she has at one time been interned for some type of crime against the state, which means now her home is regularly searched by state officers. What makes this worse is they also insist at each visit upon a cavity search, seemingly to little end other than to break her spirit.

Barbara has however a plan to escape to the west with a Western businessman she has fallen in love with and she works towards this whilst showing concern for the patients she tends from the local internment camp. This ultimately brings about some cause for reflection on her part and a noble sacrifice.

Whilst not exactly a cold-war espionage thriller as it was pitched to me (more an exploration of the coldness and ugliness of state socialism in Germany in the fifties) a very worthwhile film with excellent performances by all.