To understand the plot in "Two Lives", perhaps a bit of a history lesson is in order. Back during WWII, the Nazis wanted to greatly increase the number of Aryans and in order to do so they created the 'Lebensborn' program. It was a series of maternity centers for young mothers and German soldiers were encouraged to impregnate good Aryan girls--both Germans, Norwegians and other 'acceptable' ethnic groups. Marriage was not a major concern...they just wanted babies..healthy Nordic looking babies for the Third Reich. In essence, these were state sponsored baby mills and the children were taken from their mothers to be raised by the state.
The story picks up around the time of the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1990. A young Norwegian lawyer has just approached Katrine (Juliane Köhler) about a lawsuit. It seems that Katrine and her mother are unique in that although her mother, Ase (Liv Ullman), was part of the Lebensborn program since she had married a German soldier and had a baby by him, she was unique because well after the war she is one of the only mothers who eventually found her child after she'd been forcibly taken by the Nazis. It seems that Katrine escaped communist East Germany as a young adult and eventually was reunited with her mother in Norway. Yet, inexplicably, many years later, Katrine is angry and wants nothing to do with this quest for justice...even though her mother is more than willing to cooperate. Why does Katrine demand secrecy and why does she go to Germany to destroy some of the Lebensborn records? Could Katrine actually be someone other than Ase's daughter? And, if so, why did she assume this woman's identity?
The most amazing thing about this film is that it's based on actual cases...cases where duplicates were sent back into Norway...duplicates which claimed to be children from the Lebensborn who were returning to their mothers! Overall, a fascinating and well made film--one that is well worth seeing and profoundly interesting as well as sad.
The story picks up around the time of the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1990. A young Norwegian lawyer has just approached Katrine (Juliane Köhler) about a lawsuit. It seems that Katrine and her mother are unique in that although her mother, Ase (Liv Ullman), was part of the Lebensborn program since she had married a German soldier and had a baby by him, she was unique because well after the war she is one of the only mothers who eventually found her child after she'd been forcibly taken by the Nazis. It seems that Katrine escaped communist East Germany as a young adult and eventually was reunited with her mother in Norway. Yet, inexplicably, many years later, Katrine is angry and wants nothing to do with this quest for justice...even though her mother is more than willing to cooperate. Why does Katrine demand secrecy and why does she go to Germany to destroy some of the Lebensborn records? Could Katrine actually be someone other than Ase's daughter? And, if so, why did she assume this woman's identity?
The most amazing thing about this film is that it's based on actual cases...cases where duplicates were sent back into Norway...duplicates which claimed to be children from the Lebensborn who were returning to their mothers! Overall, a fascinating and well made film--one that is well worth seeing and profoundly interesting as well as sad.