Friendship 2025

Berlin 1989: After the fall of the Berlin wall, Veit (Mücke) and his friend Tom (Schweighöfer) decide to fly to San Francisco. Veit claims that he wants to travel to San Francisco because of the Golden Gate Bridge which is “The westernmost point in the world.” Tom is also fascinated by the idea and goes there with his friend.

Because the money they have saved is not quite enough they both book a flight to New York. Arriving there with only 55 dollars, a few clothes and some self-made films, Tom learns the real reason for Veit’s desire to travel to San Francisco: Veit’s goal above all else is to see his father again, who 12 years ago fled from the GDR and whose only sign of life is an annual birthday postcard. Veit wants to wait in front of the post office in San Francisco on his birthday - to meet his father when he sends the annual birthday card to him. They decide to travel further by hitch-hiking, because the remaining money would only buy them a train ticket to New Jersey.

A comic book graphic artist named Daryll takes them both in his AMC Pacer in the direction of San Francisco. Daryll brings them both to a bar where they can show their film in the hopes of earning a little money. They meet two young girls who invite them to their house. Because the parents come back earlier than expected, Tom and Veit have to leave the house in a hurry and spend the night in the wilderness.

The next morning they get a free breakfast in a diner. Then Veit brings one of the customers - a biker - the wallet which he had forgotten on the table. The gang of bikers takes the two to the West. However, during a rest a fight starts between Veit and a drunk biker. Tom is injured in the teeth as he tries to get between them. Another biker Hope loans Veit and Tom his brother’s car, under the condition that they deliver it to Hope’s brother near San Francisco. The biker also tells them that he has no key for the trunk. Despite the suspicions of the two that they could be carrying drugs or weapons, they accept the offer. Actually, there are pieces of Star Wars merchandise in the trunk. The boys only discover this when they were stopped by the police who forcibly open the trunk.

In Silver City, New Mexico, they got to know Zoey, who speaks German thanks to her German mother and at whose place they spend two nights. In the local cinema, they show a documentary about the DDR and are subsequently invited to meet the Mayor. In the town they sell painted pieces of concrete as supposedly authentic pieces of the Berlin Wall so that they can pay for necessary repairs to the car. At last the trio drives in the direction of San Francisco. At a stopover in Las Vegas, Veit and Tom go to a gay club in Russian army clothes to strip in order to earn money for Tom’s necessary dental treatment. While Veit waits in the hotel room for the other two, Tom spends the night with Zoey. This angers Veit, since he is in love with her too, and he drives off alone. Tom has a bad conscience and finally leaves Zoey, and it is unclear if the two will see each other again.

Tom and Veit meet again in front of the San Francisco post office and reconcile. While Veit has gone to get them a pizza, Tom believes he recognizes Veit’s father, who is walking to the post office with a postcard in his hand. As a result, Tom speaks to him. After an initial hesitation, the stranger explains that he is not Veit’s father, who was shot on the wall as he tried to escape. This man had at that time put his own application for a departure, which was granted by the Stasi on the condition that in the place of the dead victim (Veit’s father) on the Berlin Wall, he should send letters and cards to the victim’s relatives in order to make them believe that the escape attempt did not end in death.

Before Veit returns with the pizza, the stranger has gone, leaving Tom with the postcard. Tom tells Veit that his father is dead and Veit runs off aimlessly through San Francisco. Tom follows him to the Golden Gate Bridge where they embrace each other. The film ends with them delivering the car to Hope’s brother.