Since 2014, a stumbling block at Teutonenstraße 23 in Berlin-Nikolassee has commemorated the tragic story of Jochen Klepper (1903-1942). The Christian author committed suicide here on December 11, 1942, together with his Jewish wife Johanna and stepdaughter Renate, almost 80 years ago.
Now the film “Shadow Hour” has been made about it, which is showing in cinemas today, on the International Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Holocaust. “A suitable date for me because Jochen Klepper stands for many others who left quietly,” explains director Benjamin Martins (36). “The names of people who were murdered in the concentration camp can be found on commemorative plaques. But those who chose suicide were long lost. They are only slowly becoming visible again through stumbling blocks.”
Martins lives in Speyer, he only heard about the fate of the Klepper family in 2009 during a church service. He read biographies and the diaries of Jochen Klepper, who had a number of successes as a writer in the 1930s (“The Father: A Roman of a King”). He was a thorn in the side of the Nazis because of his marriage to a Jewess.
Klepper was given a choice: He should separate, then his professional ban would be lifted. “He didn’t do it, stayed true to himself. That’s why ‘Schattenstunden’ is also a film about courage,” Martins continues.
Of course, Klepper also thought of escaping, but when his family was about to be deported, all three saw no other way out than suicide. A mortal sin in Christianity, which was a heavy burden for Klepper.
Martins, who lived in Prenzlauer Berg for two years from 2005, researched for several years, contacted his descendants and produced his film for just 100,000 euros – supported by foundations, church communities and initiatives.
He ended up shooting in an unusual format: “It’s square to show the audience the hopelessness Klepper felt as his life became more and more restricted and cramped.”
“Schattenstunden” is intended to touch people and encourage them to create a world together in which one no longer has to be afraid of one another. One who was touched by this is a pastor from Switzerland, who sent a startling letter to Martins. “He wrote to me that one of his predecessors, who was working for refugees from Germany at the time, was in contact with Jochen Klepper. He was able to arrange for them to receive an invitation to Switzerland. Unfortunately, this letter only arrived in Berlin after they had taken their own lives.”
This was not previously known and makes the story of the Klepper family even more tragic.