When I explained the plot to my friend, he said it was too easy. All the characters had to do, was drive through the border. What could possibly go wrong ? Her brother was driving, like he had done exactly twice before, the only times he had been allowed to visit her. He just needed to show his papers, explain, maybe, why he came in German Democratic Republic and then he would be out, on the west side of this wall. And for the first time since its construction, she would be with him, reunited with her family. They just had to hope... no soldiers would find her at the border.

              She really should have thought longer about it. When her brother came this morning, so proud of his plan, she agreed too easily. It was crazy ! Now, squeezed in a tiny, hidden compartment beneath the seat, her nose tickling her because of the dusty smell, she wasn't as confident as before. If they were found... Maybe her brother would be sent back to west Germany... But he would never be able to come back, that was certain. As for her... It was better if she didn't know I thought. She tried hard not to sneeze, while my heartbeat quickened. A single sound could make the difference between freedom and imprisonment. 

              Every second was bringing them closer, closer to another life or a disaster. Leaving, it meant never coming back. She had to leave her friend, her job, her home, everything she had ever built. She would be seen as a traitor by her own country. And why? For having, as a German, left Germany by crossing a German-German border, to join her German family, who lived in Germany and all that without getting shot by a German. This part lost the man next to me, who was discreetly checking a map of Germany in the late 1970s on his phone. 

              She started feeling pain in her right shoulder spreading to her fingertips. Her nose was still tickling her. And her left foot had been numb for at least ten minutes, maybe longer. But it was difficult to tell in there. Her watch was on her left wrist, out of her sight and she couldn't move, not even a finger. Too bad there was a painkiller shortage, or she would have taken one before hiding. 

              A painful silence settled in, only broken by the motor of the car. Her brother coughed loudly. The man next to me jumped at the sound. That's the signal they had agreed upon, when she was still at home, which now felt like another lifetime ago. They were at the border now. It was now or never. A single sound could betray them. I stopped moving. She would either leave and be free, reunited with her family or be taken back as a prisoner. All in... or nothing. The car slowed down, waiting its turn. I've seen it before. I held my breath. 

              There were 2 cars before them. The soldiers were checking the first one, their boots echoing on the asphalt, their rifles in hand. Seconds started feeling like hours. The air went still. They didn't move for what seemed like an eternity. Then, out of nowhere, the first car drove off, into the west. Just one more car. And they'll be next. 

              Silence again... Then shouting, sharp, metallic, final ! She froze. She couldn't see. What was happening ? Had they been seen ? Her heartbeat increased dramatically. I saw the colors leave her face. The soldiers forced 2 people to come out of the car in front of them. They had found a third passenger hidden in the trunk. The group had also tried to help someone cross the border. But the soldiers found out. Or maybe someone from the Stasi had told them ? Spies were everywhere nowadays... You couldn't trust anyone anymore. The soldiers arrested them on the spot.

              It was the siblings' turn. A soldier exchanged a few words with her brother. She could hear them speak. Had they found her ? Their words were too blurry. She stopped breathing. I stopped too. I think we all did. She could hear her heartbeat... or was it mine ? Why was it so loud ? Like a drum, drawing attention to her. Why was it betraying her ? They would hear her. They would find her. They would...

She stopped thinking. The car moved again. They made it. They were in west Germany. She sneezed loudly. We all breathed a sigh of relief.

              The screen cut black. The silence in the room was total. I looked back at the jury. I couldn't breathe. One film. Four years. Every cent I had. All in. My fate lay in their hands. I needed that Palm d'Or. I needed my movie to be recognized this year's Cannes Film Festival. Their verdict would either make me... or completely destroy me. All in... or nothing.