In 1980, Wolfgang E. Struck, artistic director of the Berlin Friedrichstadt-Palast, wistfully considers the imminent demolition of his house due to structural deficiencies. Employees rhapsodise about working at this historical stage, where international stars like Louis Armstrong and Juliette Gréco performed. Nearby, construction of the new Friedrichstadt-Palast is starting.

The writer, political activist, homoeopathic doctor, and critic of the criminalisation of abortions Friedrich Wolf (1888–1953) was an influential figure in the early GDR. His return from Soviet emigration in 1945 was followed by a number of productive years as a writer. He became the GDR ambassador to Poland and a founding member of the DEFA – until a heart attack abruptly ended his life. Two of his sons are even better-known today than Friedrich Wolf himself: Markus Wolf was head of the GDR foreign intelligence service and considered the “man without a face” by the West. Konrad Wolf became the most successful DEFA feature film director. “Forgive Me for Being Human” portrays Friedrich Wolf from his children’s perspective. In addition to Markus and Konrad, four half-siblings whose lives and relationships with their father were very different contribute statements. His oldest son Lukas, for example, lived in the USA, and his daughter Lena spent some time in a Soviet orphanage after her mother was interned in a gulag.
Director Lew Hohmann has created a remarkable family portrait set against the historical backdrop of the 20th century. Hohmann is considered the cinematic chronicler of the Wolf family, having made documentaries about Konrad, Markus, and Friedrich Wolf. “Forgive Me for Being Human” was created with the significant collaboration of Christiane Mückenberger.