The war was accompanied by a frenzy of sexual violence. Soviet soldiers carried out mass rapes in Berlin. Some people say that between April 24 and May 5, 1945, nearly 500,000 women were raped by Soviet troops in the city (source unknown) A British historian estimated in a book based on war archives and personal accounts of the parties that in the three years from 1945 to 1948, a total of 130,000 Berlin women were raped by the Soviet army, 10,000 of them committed suicide, and all of Germany was raped by the Soviet army. It is estimated that as many as 2 million women have been raped.
Such widespread and crazy atrocities were once impossible to expose, due to the heroic aura of the Soviet army and the shame of the victims. In the 1950s, the female journalist Marta Hillers anonymously published her Berlin diary from April to June 1945, revealing the true story of women living in a trapped city from violence, fear and hunger, until the reprint in 2003 , This book attracted attention in Germany. In 2008, the book was adapted into the movie "The Woman in Berlin".
"Berlin Woman" barely and vividly restores many details of the truth about war sexual violence. In terms of only this, it is a shocking accusation at first, but in addition to accusations, it also delves into the violence in violence. Politics and human context: Soviet soldiers used rape as a means of revenge. Their brutality index may not be as high as what the German army would do to Soviet civilians. The victimized Berlin women had to hear the complaints of the Soviets and their questioning: " Are you a fascist?" Between being abused and seeking survival, women have to use various strategies, including exchanging sexual services for the protection of high-ranking officers, or acting as hostesses, these strategies will tear their minds and bodies. But it is also possible to open up communication with the abuser unconsciously, and even a degree of warmth can be generated from this. Behind the violence, the gender relationship entangled with hatred and desire may have a very complicated performance. In this regard, the "Berlin Woman" has shown considerable courage: it even shows how intimately women are, It even seems to share the privacy of the violent experience happily.
Why can women endure or even accept all this? Because they want to live, this is the theme repeatedly emphasized in "Berlin Women". Some were tortured to death, some committed suicide, but the heroine encouraged herself with "I want to be obedient on the surface and strong on the inside" and worked hard to protect others. The power of despair is perhaps what this movie wants to show the most. In contrast, the "shameful" male condemnation that appears at the end of the film appears to be powerless.
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