Die Wäscherei

A small family laundry in East Berlin, founded in 1946 as a private business, was then nationalized, and finally bought out by the sons of the original owners after the German reunification. Since the changeover, Griselidis, the owner’s young wife, has followed Western style management training courses and, as a result, decisions are now always made by her husband and herself. They have to deal with competition, making investments and changing the machines… They are eventually forced to reduce personnel, the work rate speeds up, relationships between managers and employees deteriorate as the need to make profit becomes more pressing. Through the microcosm of this small company, we catch a glimpse of the economic problems and social challenges which will weigh on the future.