Character Relationship Map: Two Lives

Characters

• Katrine (played by Juliane Köhler) — protagonist

  The protagonist who escaped East Germany to Norway to reunite with her birth mother. Her past is tied to the Lebensborn program, where she was likely given a false identity by the Stasi before fleeing...

• Ase Evensen (played by Liv Ullmann) — protagonist

  Katrine's birth mother. Lived through the German occupation of Norway, a period when women who had relationships with German soldiers faced social stigma and potential incarceration.

• Bjarte (played by Sven Nordin) — supporting

  Bjarte is part of Katrine's family in Norway. When lawyer Sven Solbach raises inconsistencies in the account of Katrine's escape, Bjarte confronts the revelation alongside her; he struggles to believe...

• Sven Solbach (played by Ken Duken) — supporting

  Sven Solbach is a lawyer preparing a case for the Strasbourg Committee about injustices connected to the separation of mothers and children. He investigates Katrine's disputed history, uncovers confli...

• German man (played by Holger Handtke) — supporting
• Kathrin Lehnhaber (played by Vicky Krieps) — supporting

  Kathrin Lehnhaber is the name recorded for a young woman who escaped from East Germany in 1969. The record says she also claimed her real name was Katrine Evensen and asked to find her mother, Ase Eve...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Katrine → German man (Unresolved Family Identity)

  Katrine's family history and the identity of the woman she has called her mother are challenged by revelations about her past, while the provided plot...

• Ase Evensen → Sven Solbach (Professional Potential Witness And Lawyer) — Ase's possible testimony could support Solbach's legal effort to expose the separation of mothers and children.

  Solbach hopes mothers and children will testify about injustices connected to the Lebensborn program. Ase agrees to consider testifying after revealin...

• Katrine → Sven Solbach (Professional Legal Case Subject And Investigator) — Solbach's effort to establish what happened brings Katrine's private history into conflict with the legal case.

  Solbach prepares a case for the Strasbourg Committee and investigates the account of the East German escape. He raises its discrepancy with Katrine at...

• Katrine → Bjarte (Family Spouses) — The disputed account of Katrine's past strains trust between them and shakes their understanding of their family history.

  The plot describes Katrine and Bjarte facing painful questions together and says Solbach raises the discrepancy with both of them at a family gatherin...

• Katrine → Ase Evensen (Family Birth Mother And Daughter) — Their reunion and Ase's disclosure confront Katrine with the circumstances of her separation and the uncertainty surrounding her identity.

  Ase Evensen is identified as Katrine's birth mother. Ase reveals that she consented to Katrine's adoption under pressure from her own parents.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Katrine → Kathrin Lehnhaber (Narrative Disputed Identity) — The discrepancy between the escape file and Katrine's memories leaves the relationship between the recorded identity and her own past contested.

  The 1969 account says an East German escapee gave the name Kathrin Lehnhaber while claiming her real name was Katrine Evensen. The account conflicts w...

Story Analysis

A family and a legal investigation confront conflicting records, concealed identities, and the lasting consequences of separation.

Plot Progression

1. Searching for a Buried Past — As the GDR disappears, a woman searches for traces of the care she received as a child. The investigation points toward records in Leipzig and possible concealment.
2. A Mother's Difficult Choice — In Norway, Ase reveals that she consented to Katrine's adoption under pressure from her parents. She considers giving testimony for Solbach's case about mothers and children separated through the Lebe...
3. The Escape File's Contradiction — Solbach uncovers a 1969 file describing an escapee who used the name Kathrin Lehnhaber while claiming to be Katrine Evensen. The file and Katrine's recollections diverge over the questioning in Denmar...
4. A Family's Trust Fractures — At a family gathering, Solbach raises the discrepancy with Katrine and Bjarte, damaging their trust. A recording deepens Katrine's doubts about the identity of the woman she called her mother.
5. Names and Unresolved Truths — The woman admits to working for East German foreign intelligence as Vera Freund and denies spying on Bjarte. The family confronts the lies and contested identities that remain unresolved.