Freier Fall or Free Fall, is a German LGBTQ+ film. The 2013 drama film was directed by Stephan Lacant who wrote the script with Karsten Dahlem. The story follows German police officer Marc Borgmann who is training for the riot control unit. While training at the academy, he befriends male officer Kay Engel. Their friendship soon becomes more intimate while at the academy. Once they are enrolled on the same police force, Marc has an affairs with Kay while his girlfriend is pregnant. Torn between his family duties and his love for Kay, Marc is faced with the reality of his sexuality .

Freier Fall is one of the few LGBTQ+ films I have watched and the first German film I have ever watched. The story takes place in Germany and the characters only spoke German. One difference between German culture and my African American culture was the food the characters ate. Some foods that the police officers ate were Goulash (Hungarian soup or stew with meat and vegetables) and schnitzel and (thin breaded fried meat) with chips (fries). I was raised eating African American soul food which is very different cuisine than central European cuisine.  

Despite the film being German, there was a lot of similarities between German and the American culture I was raised in. Characters greeted each other with a hand shake and similar greeting routines that is performed in the United States. The characters traveled by car and to my surprise drove on the right side of the road like Americans do. Marc and his friends and family wore similar seasonal clothing that I would wear. In the summers, shorts and t-shirts were worn to handle the heat. When the weather was cooler, outfits included pants, hoodies, sweat wear, and jackets.

There are similarities in activities that the characters did compared to what my friends and family do. Marc and his family liked to go to the bowling alley and barbeque in the summer time. And since Germany is a western nation too, females are allowed to work outside of the home and hold positions of power like police officers.

Finally, the film showed a familiar but different societal attitude towards gay men compare to my culture. LGBTQ+ people and relationships are legal in Germany and are expected to be respected by and within the police force. Yet, Marc and Kay were physical assaulted by one of the coworkers over their sexuality with no consequences. I am unsure how updated and accurate this portrayal of being gay in German society is. However, isolating and assaulting LGBTQ+ people can happen within American society depending on the location. Reported assault without consequence would not be tolerant in my hometown or surrounding areas.

Overall, I enjoyed watching Freier Fall. It is very rare for me to watch a movie that is a LGBTQ+ love story. I liked seeing the differences and many similarities between my American culture and Marc’s German culture. The film gave me a peak into German culture and society.

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