User Reviews

'Glück im Hinterhaus' (happiness in the backside-house) is a beautifully crafted film by Herrmann Zschoche.

A very credible drama in human relations, about a middle-aged man who cannot choose between his wife and his mistress. All human characters, including those of the children, are performed very well - in particular that of the wife, by Jutta Wachnowiak.

This film's plot always follows a path one can relate to. Thus providing a very human picture, with a clear & common next-door character.

From a wider point of view, 'Glück im Hinterhaus' was shot between 'Sieben Sommersprossen' and 'Und nächstes Jahr am Balaton'. At a time when Herrmann Zschoche was at his peak.

'Sieben Sommersprossen' is Zschoche's best-known film, and 'Und nächstes Jahr am Balaton' is a very nice road-movie. Both films clearly display female nudity.

'Glück im Hinterhaus' is much more modest in this respect, and probably therefore less known. But it stands out between its neighbors for its excellently acted plot.

The template for this movie by the GDR film studios DEFA was provided by the very underestimated author, Günter de Bruyn. There is actually relatively little action and plot in the story of a man who cannot decide between his wife and his lover. Its strength is the detailed description of everyday life in the GDR. Between the lines you can find as much criticism of the conditions in the GDR, as it was possible to show in a film at the time. The shabby building, with its rough and vulgar inhabitants, shouldn't even exist according to official propaganda. In any case, a recommendation.