THE BLOCK introduces us to four sad figures living in a run-down East German prefab building: Hans-Joachim dreams of his great love. Silvio shoots out the lamps in former Soviet barracks. Olga wants to return to bombed-out Grozny; being alone is worse than war. Natalya cleanses her body with nettles and snow. The camera captures them in their cramped one-room apartments in extreme close-up, showing the pores of their skin and dandruff. Even in delicate moments, it does not keep its distance. In this way, we closely experience their precarious situation on the margins of society.

The Block

What happens when two filming atheists get free access to a preacher's seminary? And this in a place like Wittenberg, the Lutherstadt, once the stronghold of the German Reformation, today located in one of the most unbelieving corners of Europe. For one year, Chris Wright & Stefan Kolbe accompany a group of young men and women in the final phase of their training to become pastors.
 
In the beginning, it's mostly about learning religious trades. But as time goes on, protagonists and filmmakers alike find themselves increasingly confronted with the most fundamental human questions. Boundaries become blurred - between belief and unbelief, comfort and despair, truth and madness. What emerges is an open, intimate dialogue about our fundamental needs for love, security and meaning.