Kippenberg is a feature film from 1981, based on the novel of the same name by Dieter Noll from 1979. The title hero Joachim Kippenberg (Peter Aust), 36 years old, a successful doctor and chemist, is faced with serious decisions. At this point, 19-year-old Eva (Marijam Agischewa) enters his life. Kippenberg shakes up her ideas about life, and he feels compelled to rethink the relationship with his wife Charlotte (Renate Blume). This also leads to arguments with his colleagues. Will he burn out with Eva and give up his responsibility at the institute?
The film takes place in a working-class district of a German city in 1934. Here the children do not play robbers and gendarmes, but unemployed people and police officers. But for 6-year-old Peter (Dirk Schönberger), the game soon becomes bitterly serious when his father is arrested. The neighbors avoided Peter as a communist son. But Peter is not alone. At his side is his loyal dog, Klecks. The boy hopes that his father can escape and builds a hiding place in his apartment. The father does not come back for the time being, but one day a persecuted communist goes into hiding.
The film is based on Klaus Beuchler's youth book of the same name. Uwe (Thomas Winter) had set himself ambitious goals; he wanted to become world champion in diving. But then his father is killed in a traffic accident and his mother (Karin Ugowski) survives with severe injuries. This changed Thomas life. From now on, it's all about keeping his mother and the household going. One day Uwe met the girl Silke (Susanne Nagel). Their first encounter is anything but romantic. Uwe injures her when he jumps into the pool. But Silke sees it calmly and is interested in this guy.