Roses for the Prosecutor

In the final days of World War II, German soldier Rudi Kleinschmidt, Walter Giller, is arrested during a court-martial on charges of Wehrkraftzersetzung and aiding the enemy after being accused of stealing “air force chocolate”—a crime rooted more in his purchase on the black market than in any real theft. The presiding judge, Wilhelm Schramm, Martin Held, sentences him to death, but an Allied air raid interrupts the execution and Kleinschmidt narrowly escapes, managing to seize the execution warrant that had been signed by Schramm.

Fifteen years later, Kleinschmidt ekes out a meagre living as a street peddler. When he visits his friend Lissy Flemming, Ingrid van Bergen, Kleinschmidt again crosses paths with Schramm, who has since become a successful prosecutor while keeping his Nazi past hidden and presenting himself as someone who resisted the regime. Schramm does not immediately recognize Kleinschmidt, but a sense of unease lingers about the man who might threaten his carefully curated present.

As the past casts a longer shadow, Schramm tries to pressure Kleinschmidt out of town by employing police harassment and even a temporary arrest, hoping to recover the old warrant from Kleinschmidt’s belongings. Faced with pressure and danger, Kleinschmidt initially contemplates leaving, but then resolves to reopen his case and expose Schramm’s concealed history, choosing to confront the truth rather than run.

To provoke a fresh confrontation, Kleinschmidt smashes a shop window and steals two boxes of the very same chocolate that sparked his original downfall, leading to his arrest once more. Schramm returns to the role of prosecutor, but this time he unexpectedly defends Kleinschmidt, a twist that raises suspicions about his motives and the integrity of the system. In a tense sequence, Schramm’s seemingly principled stance falters, and he inadvertently calls for Kleinschmidt’s death, revealing a buried self and the fragility of postwar justice.

The trial is halted, and Schramm makes a desperate bid to escape. With the chance to escape his fate—and to finally lay bare the truth—Kleinschmidt faces a decision: pursue unresolved ghosts or seek a new life. In the end, he chooses a hopeful path, deciding to start anew with Lissy Flemming, leaving the past behind and embracing the possibility of a quieter future.

Last Updated: October 05, 2025 at 12:41