A Friendship in Vienna

Lise and Inge meet secretly in the large cathedral in Vienna, preserving their bond despite mounting pressure from their families. They share small acts of solidarity and quiet conversations about life under rising Nazism. This hidden friendship becomes the backbone of their eventual plan to endure the coming upheaval.

Lise's father forbids Inge to visit, and Inge's parents follow suit, cutting off the girls' exchanges. The two families become distant as political tension intensifies around them. Yet Lise and Inge continue to meet in secret when they can.

Inge's father Franz refuses to believe Hitler will annex Austria and dismisses warnings from Grandfather Oskar. He misses the chance to apply for immigration visas to get the family out. The tension foreshadows the coming danger for both girls.

In March 1938 the Anschluss occurs and Lise's father rises to a high rank within the Nazi SA. Lise is compelled to join a girls' Hitler Youth organization, wear the uniform, and participate in the welcome procession for Hitler in Vienna. She is required to salute and pledge allegiance as her family sinks deeper into Nazi life.

The regime begins implementing bigoted laws, removing Jewish teachers, censoring books, and publicly humiliating Jewish men. Jewish schoolbooks disappear and students face discriminatory seating, foreshadowing expulsions. The social fabric of the city tightens around fear and exclusion.

Lise sits next to Inge in class despite being told not to, and is subjected to a sadistic beating at home for her defiance. The punishment illustrates the brutal reach of Nazi policy into everyday life. Their friendship remains a fragile thread amid escalating surveillance.

Oskar secures a visa to Yugoslavia and departs Austria, seeking safety beyond Europe’s borders. His departure underscores the urgent choices families face to escape persecution. The family is left facing an increasingly precarious future.

Hannah, Lise's mother, is fired from her editing job via the Aryanization policy, symbolizing how Jews lose employment and social standing. The 'needed cutbacks' pretext hides a systemic purge meant to isolate Jews. The family clings to any means of survival while the societal walls close in.

Franz warns Inge that Lise's father could arrest their whole family to end the embarrassment of their friendship. The warning stirs fear that their ties could carry a dangerous price. The two families' bond becomes a quiet act of defiance against the regime.

Gustl threatens the Dourenvalds with false accusations of indecorous behavior and demands a 10,000 schillings bribe before his appointment with the block warden. The quote shows how corruption and fear are weaponized against Jews. The family cannot pay, highlighting their growing desperation.

The Yugoslav consul reveals that only baptized Christians since 1936 can enter Yugoslavia, forcing the family to seek baptism to survive. Inge brings them to Father Bernard at the cathedral, who hesitates but agrees to perform the rite. The ethical dilemma is resolved by faith as a means to escape.

After the baptism, the Dourenvalds obtain their visas and prepare to depart. They bid farewell to Mitzi, offering her any possessions she desires since they cannot take them with them. The sense of impending departure thickens as they hurry to the train.

Inge gives Lise a golden Jewish star as a final keepsake of their friendship. The symbol marks both a memory and a painful reminder of their divided identities. Their bond remains in memory even as they part.

The friends board a train leaving Austria, with Gustl and his accomplices in pursuit. The future beyond borders remains uncertain as their homeland slips away. The escape encapsulates the peril and urgency of wartime exile.

Inge writes to Lise after leaving Austria, but never receives a reply. The film closes with the uncertainty of their fates and the lasting ache of separation. The audience is left to wonder what happened to them beyond the frame.