4 Days in May

Written and directed by Achim von Borries, the 2011 war drama 4 Tage im Mai (4 Days in May) is a co-production between Germany, Russia, and Ukraine, premiering at the Locarno Film Festival on August 9, 2011. Featuring dialogue in German, Russian, and English, the film draws on a real-life incident and was promoted with the slogan 'Sometimes the border goes not between them and us, but between good and evil.'

The story unfolds on the Baltic coast of northern Germany in May 1945, four days before the end of World War II. A Red Army reconnaissance detachment occupies a property sheltering an orphanage, while a nearby German unit awaits evacuation by sea. Though both sides know the war is over and avoid fighting, the resistance of young Peter, who refuses to surrender, and an assault attempt by a drunken Soviet major on one of the girls on Victory Day shatter the fragile ceasefire. The German soldiers end up fighting alongside the Soviet detachment against their own troops to protect the women and children.