Glucedee It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

Ava-Grace Willis Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Fatma Suarez The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Isbel A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Paul Allaer "The State I Am In" (2000 release from Germany; 106 min.; original title "Die innere Sicherheit", or "The Inner Certainty") brings the story of a couple and Jeanne, their 15 yr. old daughter. As the movie opens, we get to know them in Portugal, where as it turns out they are hiding, on the run from the law back in Germany. Jeanne makes the acquaintance of a boy she likes, much to the worry of her parents. Then one day, their apartment is robbed, and in the aftermath, the family goes on the run again, this time back to Germany as they are almost out of money and have nowhere else to go. To tell you more would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.Couple of comments: first, this movie is written and directed by Christian Petzold, one of the premier movie directors from Europe in the last 15 years. Just a few years ago, he brought us that other excellent political and psychological drama "Barbara". Second, the tension in the movie is palpable from the get-go and it stays that way throughout the movie. Third, while the name is never mentioned in the movie, the director and others comment (n the DVD bonus materials) that the couple's past, never explained in the movie, relates to the Rote Armee Fraction (RAF), the terrorist group which violently fought again the (then West) German state in the 70s and early 80s. Fourth, the main character in the movie is the 15 yr. old girl, who has been tagging along with her parents her entire life, and now she is at the awkward stage where she is interested in boys and in leading a normal, both of which as seemingly impossible to attain. Julia Hummer as Jeanne is a true revelation, just outstanding.Bottom line, "The State I Am In" is a top-notch psychological and family drama with some serious political undercurrents as well. I was glued to the screen from start to finish. If only Hollywood took a clue from this that you don't need to blow up the world in smithereens every five minutes to make a compelling, riveting movie. "The State I Am IN' is HIGHLY, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

hasosch Formally, "Die Innere Sicherheit" is a road-movie, it shows in a kind of natural suspense the life of a young family, of Hans and Carla and their 15years old daughter Jeanne (who is supposed to have a French name but mispronounces it). The family has never rest, the flight is how they are living. When they sleep, one of them has always to stay awake in order to pay attention if nobody shows up. Although the movie does not give any hints in which time the story plays, it is to assume that it is contemporaneous with the time when the movie was shot, thus in 2000. Hans and Carla are terrorists and work in the "underground". From the commentary of the director, Christian Petzold, we learn that they belong to the RAF (Red Army Fraction) who was responsible for many assassinations and other terrorist acts in the 70ies and 80ies. The RAF itself was convinced that Germany is ruled by the successors of the Nazis and therefore the government is illegal. However, Hans and Carla seem to be decades too late, they appear in their present like lost from their past, more precisely: lost in transition before their enemies who would treat them like normal criminals in order not to glorify the Baader-Meinhof clan. When Hans and Carla need help and contact their former collaborators, it turns out that they are either since long time not in business anymore or turned in their hopelessness into drinkers. (I am convinced that in the character of Klaus a once very famous German publisher is accurately portrayed: He ended on a park bench in the "Tiergarten" with bottles of red wine around him.) For the daughter, however, the life of her parents becomes more and more intolerable. She cannot make any friends, and when she does, she does not see them anymore, because the steady flight is moving them from nowhere to nowhere. She cannot go regularly to school and is taught basically by her mother. Although the parents are supposed to be adherents of the once famous "laissez-faire"-education, they use police-interrogation methods when they want to find out whom Jeanne contacted and with whom she slept. Both parents smoke, but the daughter is not supposed to. Some of the former RAF-adherents have turned into Neo-Nazis.I recommend this movie highly. The story develops out of itself, there are no commentaries, no artificially built-in suspense, no pretentiousness. It is true, the movie is dark and depressive, but also soothingly anti-Hollywood. Christian Petzold has already given us such excellent movies like "Cuba Libre", "Wolfsburg", "Toter Mann", the marvelous "Yella" and, most lately, "Jerichow" which is to appear on DVD. So I am looking forward to the upcoming works of this highly promising director.

film_riot With „Die innere Sicherheit" Christian Petzold, German director, brings us an interesting piece of cinema. It's the study of the 15-year-old girl Jeanne (Julia Hummer), whose parents are both living underground, and what this means for her life, mainly in terms of first love or personality development. Petzold is able to create a kind of tense atmosphere. The viewer feels sorry for Jeanne, but at the same time you can understand why she is so loyal to her parents. They are simply the only persons that really know her. Through their constant moving she has no one else, so she has to protect the only relationship she has. For a period of time, she thinks she has found another person to trust in Heinrich, but he can't handle this difficult situation. Julia Hummer delivers an outstanding performance, while there are some flaws throughout the movie in the storyline of the parents (played by Richi Müller and Barbara Auer).

tomg-8 And finally there is a movie which does not need to explain in all details. Read the summary and see this movie ... you still will have your own explanations and opinions about this movie. Not as we know it from the 'American' or 'Hollywood' productions where it is so obvious what the intention of the story is. Not as we know it from the 'American' or 'Hollywood' productions with big fire-explosion climaxes. A good description for this story is maybe 'Sober'. But .. I have to admit, the life of a family-on-the-run-for-the-bad-guys is maybe displayed as a bit romantic, and maybe a bit unrealistic. Still I would recommend this movie, for a late Saturday night.