Sanctuary

Wolfgang, a 14-year-old from Osnabrück, is sent to Freistatt and meets the housefather Brockmann in the garden. The staff notes his aggression and disobedience, while his mother promises a Christmas return. The first impression is tense, as the home is introduced as a harsh, regimented place.

The Youth Office documents Wolfgang as aggressive, renitent, and disobedient. He defends himself, insisting he has learned to protect himself rather than become violent. His mother still promises a return at Christmas, and he even brings a photo of her to Freistatt.

The home is run like a barracks, with leaders addressed as brothers. Brockmann has controlled the place for decades, presenting a strict, missionary Christian order. The atmosphere underscores the routine of surveillance, punishment, and obedience.

Wolfgang participates in the punishments meted out by Bernd when Mattis is singled out by the group. The so-called 'ranks' of the group enforce discipline, reinforcing the harsh social order. Wolfgang clashes with the system as it tightens its grip on the pupils.

The boys toil in the peat mire under grueling conditions, and Wolfgang is beaten with a spade when he complains about not receiving boots for months. A first escape attempt in the confusing mire ends in failure, illustrating the futility of rebellion.

Wolfgang acobbles a letter to Angelika asking his mother to pull him out of the home. The group is punished with food deprivation after the letter is found, demonstrating how personal communications are controlled. The atmosphere tightens as the attempt to escape is thwarted.

Wolfgang tries to steal tomatoes from the housefather’s garden and is submerged briefly in a water barrel as punishment. He is beaten with a baton for his stubbornness, yet his resilience earns a quiet, grim respect from his peers. The incident intensifies his defiance in small but meaningful ways.

Wolfgang receives a Hedgehog slice from his mother for his birthday, a rare token of home. The housefather keeps it for himself and consumes what Wolfgang finds. Bernd also burns the photo of Wolfgang’s mother, deepening the emotional strain.

During recreation, the pupils revolt when the trunk radio is threatened. Anton leads with a Gospel song, 'Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child,' and the group responds with a collective shout for 'Freedom.' The moment crystallizes a spark of solidarity among the youths.

On Christmas Eve, a scandal erupts involving Brother Krapp and abuse; Mattis resists, and the service scene culminates with Angelika receiving a house key. She opens a bell bag and the key scene unfolds, but her father blocks entry, underscoring the tension between authority and rebellion.

In the basement, Wolfgang is seen chained and nearly unconscious, with visions of the past. The opening credits reveal a beach moment with his mother, hinting at an incestuous subtext that haunts him. The scene marks a disturbing emotional low point.

A moor conflict erupts as Wolfgang injures Brother Wilde’s eye with a spade, and the two flee with Anton. They head toward Osnabrück, a perilous journey across unforgiving terrain. The escape exposes the fragility of their ties and their longing for freedom.

The journey reveals Anton is not from Osnabrück and has no real family there. Wolfgang’s mother and his stepfather have already started another child, complicating his sense of belonging. Brockmann arrives to take Wolfgang back to Freistatt, while Anton has already been placed elsewhere.

Anton hangs himself, triggering a violent response as the pupils attack Brother Wilde, who tries to return to the old agenda. Wolfgang remains with Anton, seemingly resigning to the chaos around him. The dynamics of control and resistance reach a brutal peak.

Wolfgang is released because his stepfather has been fatally injured, freeing him from the immediate hold of the institution. He returns home briefly, only to confront the new child on the terrace and walk away again. He borrows money from a former friend and, after slapping him when he tries to take his cake, he boards a train with an uncertain destination, watching Freistatt recede and the mire-drawn draisines drift by.