THE LIGHTER SIDE
East Coast Premiere

Comandante Fritz

PAVEL GIROUD
Germany, 2025
109 minutes, Color

Although opening titles say it's a "mostly true story," Comandante Fritz is a rom-com for the Cold War era. Simultaneously stylish, serious, and darkly funny, the film opens in 1959 at a swank Cuban hotel nightclub where singer Lola Morales (Yany Prado) is about to go onstage, but Castro's revolutionaries interrupt the fun. The action jumps to 1972, as East German agents Fritz (Dennis Mojen) and Rita (Lena Kalisch) arrive to set up surveillance equipment before a political ceremony where Cuba will transfer an island to Germany. The Germans are also concerned about a plot against Castro, who will attend the event. While monitoring the cameras, Fritz overhears Lola, now a cook in the kitchen, singing. Gradually, he finds ways to be around her, ultimately dropping his red guard to reveal a sensitive comrade. The couple's relationship develops amid suspicion and protocol, leading to an unexpected and satisfying solution.—Dave Nuttycombe

In Spanish and German with English subtitles