Wohin und zurück - Teil 3: Welcome in Vienna

The stunning conclusion to Georg Stefan Troller's 'Where To and Back' trilogy brings his cycle of European immigration to an open-ended conclusion, while at the same time showing just how cold the Cold War could be. The message (you can't go home again) may be familiar, but the maxim becomes more complex and ironic from the perspective of an Austrian Jew in the American army, returning to his ruined homeland wearing the uniform of a conquering nation.

Director Axel Corti employs a straightforward, undemonstrative style to evoke a shadowy moral wasteland of deceit and opportunity not far removed from the world of Harry Lime in 'The Third Man', where enemies become friends, friends become strangers, strangers become lovers, and lovers can suddenly become enemies. The complete trilogy, written from painful first-hand experience, presents an epic journey of flight and displacement, but the final chapter in particular carries a unique sense of urgency, expressed with dramatically quiet (but no less devastating) understatement. The haunting conclusion is ambiguous: is the disappointed young hero finally giving up, or giving in?