Learning to Lie

18-year-old school boy Helmut falls in love with fellow pupil Britta. He starts working for a Peace movement to get to know Britta. Britta, however, suddenly moves to San Francisco to live with her father and whilst there, finds a new boyfriend. Helmut studies, literature and politics in his home town and have a relationship with another girl from his former school, now studying medicine at the same university but they break up after having an affair with her roommate. Helmut begins a lot of short affairs with different women but still searches for his first girl.

• first time
• berlin, germany
• lovesickness
• becoming an adult
• berlin wall
• cologne, germany
• roommates
• love letter
• one-sided love
• only child
• school trip
• teenage crush
• relationship
• extramarital affair