Der Stoff zum Leben

"A portrait of a 26 year-old foreman of the synthetic fibre factory Premnitz, which is accompanied by a poem of Volker Braun, is an example for later DEFA films, to radiate new thinking with the help of a pleasant guy. Exactly 30 years after developing the chemical programme of the GDR, there are shown mainly dirt and noises, instead of optimism and belief in progress. It is spoken about broken bones and lungs, the ‚damned industry’, missing flats and playgrounds. The insight: ‚If we go on like this, we will not be moving far.’ And soon after the shooting, this should come true. A sight in the twilight of the GDR." (Grit Lemke)