Margarethe von Trotta's solo directorial debut and the film that marked her out as one of the key women writer-directors of the New German Cinema movement, 'The Second Awakening of Christa Klages' is an acutely observed reflection of her favourite theme: the powerful and often mysterious psychic bond among women. The film tells the story of a young woman who robs a bank to pay for her daughter's day-care with the help of her lover. On the run, she is pursued by the police and more ambiguously, also by the young woman who was her hostage in the raid. Shot on a shoestring budget, this compelling and convincing drama explores female relationships, sisterhood and the troubling uses and effects of violence.