Das Boot (1981). Plot: This classic war film follows the crew of a German U-boat during World War II as they face life-and-death decisions in extreme conditions. The submarine’s captain and crew meticulously analyze every situation, weighing risks and gathering all available information before making critical decisions. Their survival depends on only committing to actions they are certain they can carry out.
“Get skeptical!“
Skepsis is a commonly used word in German. The media, for example, uses it often: “German skepticism about the future of the Euro is increasing.” German skepsis here. German skepsis there. The broad population is always skeptical about things new.
To be skeptical from the outset is a legitimate approach in the German culture. To be skeptical is to be critical-minded. It means to take an objective, distanced view of things. It is neutral. One doesn’t have to take sides.
Germans are critical especially when it comes to their health: gene manipulated food products, electronic smog, chemical fertilizers, technical products which may or may not function properly.
It can appear as if Germans were fearful of all things new. Not true. They are simply aware, perhaps over-aware, of what they don’t know or of which questions remain unanswered. Germans will often say “Let’s not badmouth everything. Let’s just remain skeptical.” So how do Germans view the future? With a healthy portion of skepsis.
Gundermann
Gundermann (2018). Plot: The biopic of East German singer-songwriter Gerhard Gundermann explores his double life as both a celebrated musician and a Stasi informant. The film delves into Gundermann’s internal struggle with the commitments he makes, showing how he seeks to understand the full context and consequences before giving his word.
hidden mental processes
German film scholarship, as noted by critics like Siegfried Kracauer and Walter Benjamin, often emphasizes how cinema can reveal the “hidden mental processes” and the importance of context in shaping individual and collective outcomes. Films that neglect or underestimate context frequently use this as a narrative device to explore the consequences—sometimes tragic—of such oversights.
Nibelung Loyalty
Nibelungentreue is a German compound noun, literally Nibelung loyalty, expressing the concept of absolute, unquestioning, excessive and potentially disastrous loyalty to a cause or person.
It is derived from the Medieval chivalric ideal of loyalty, Middle High German triuwe, as exemplified in the second part of the Nibelungenlied, where the Burgundian kings Gunther, Gernot and Giselher refuse to hand over to Kriemhild their loyal vassal Hagen of Tronje, who is guilty of murdering Kriemhild’s husband, Siegfried. The brothers place the loyalty to their friend above their obligations to their sister or to justice, leading to disaster and the complete destruction of the Nibelungs.
The modern term Nibelungentreue was coined by chancellor Bernhard von Bülow in his speech before the Reichstag on 29 March 1909. Addressing the Bosnian Crisis, von Bülow invoked the absolute loyalty between the German Empire and Austira-Hungary to their Alliance of 1879against the threat by the Entente Cordiale:
Meine Herren, ich habe irgendwo ein höhnisches Wort gelesen über eine Vasallenschaft gegenüber Österreich-Ungarn. Das Wort ist einfältig. […] aber die Nibelungentreue wollen wir aus unserem Verhältnis zu Österreich‐Ungarn nicht ausschalten. Die wollen wir vor aller Öffentlichkeit Österreich‐Ungarn gegenüber wahren.
“Gentlemen — I have somewhere read a scornful word regarding a [German] vassalage to Austria-Hungary. This is fatuous. […] but we will not eliminate the Nibelung loyalty from our relation to Austria-Hungary. This we want to preserve towards Austria-Hungary in full public view.”
The term is adopted by emperor Wilhelm II of Germany as the German Empire declared war alongside Austria-Hungary on 1 August 1914. After the defeat of the Central Powers in 1918, the notion of th Dolchstoß (“Stab in the back”) also invoked the Nibelungen legend, invoking the cowardly murder of Siegfried.
Nibelungentreue was later, in East Germany during denazification and by the 1980s also in West Germany, applied (derogatively) to Nazi ideology, especially in connection with the Schutzstaffel motto, Meine Ehre heißt Treue. Used in this sense by Marxist commentators, the term describes a fanatical Germanic military loyalty associated with fascism and militarism.
Franz Führmann in 1955 wrote a poem called Der Nibelunge Not (“the plight/distress of the Nibelungs”, the Middle High German title of the Nibelungenlied) in which he portrays the Nibelungs as a Germanic Töterdynastie (“dynasty of killers”) who brought a curse on their descendants. The term is also occasionally found in English-language literature about Nazi Germany; thus, Steinberg (1990) describes Goebbels’ suicide as “a paroxysm of Nibelungentreue“.
Source: Wikipedia
“Abgemacht ist abgemacht”
Agreed is agreed. Once an agreement has been reached, it is binding and does not require further confirmation.
Yasemin
Yasemin (1988). Director: Hark Bohm. Plot: A romance between a Turkish-German woman and a German man in Hamburg, set against the backdrop of cultural expectations and integration. The film explores how cultural context—tradition, family expectations, and integration—shapes both personal and professional relationships. Business and workplace interactions are influenced by cultural misunderstandings and the need for sensitivity to different backgrounds.
BER
The Berlin-Brandenburg Airport is a topic surrounded by discord. There is no end in sight for this odyssey. The costs just continue to rise into incalculable sums. This caused the association of taxpayers to heavily criticize the politicians responsible for it in 2012.
The airport was a manifest of poor planning, mismanagement, incomplete construction plans, and expenses beyond the budget. The association of taxpayers blacklisted the overseeing committee of high-ranking representatives from Berlin and Brandenburg and the federal government, accusing them of political failure and blind trust in the underqualified management” of the airport.
“Ein Mann, ein Wort.”
“One Man. One word.” A person’s word is their bond; if someone says they will do something, it will be done without the need for follow-up.
serious ramifications
German dramas, especially those set in finance or corporate worlds, often emphasize the risks of acting on incomplete information. They reflect a cultural lesson: in German business culture, overlooking context is not just a minor error—it can have serious professional and personal ramifications.
Series like Bad Banks and select episodes of Tatort and Bad Cop: Kriminell gut illustrate that underestimating context in business can result in failed ventures, loss of reputation, or even legal trouble. These dramas reinforce the German business value of thorough preparation and contextual awareness before making commitments or decisions.