The GDR defector and the Bulgarian border guard

Decades after their fateful first encounter, Jürgen Cyrulik and the Bulgarian border guard, whose duty was to stop him from crossing the Iron Curtain in 1988, meet again. More than a meeting, it’s a time capsule into a historic and taboo relationship between Germany and Bulgaria that’s not-so-well-known.

Through an Arts 21 exclusive documentary, journey with Jürgen Cyrulik and the Bulgarian border guard, whose reunion after over 30 years prompts them to revisit their motives then and contemplate how their experiences impacted their lives overall. Discover the harrowing struggles of a young man from the GDR who dreamed of moving beyond the barriers of the Cold War, and the duty-bound Bulgarian border soldier who was torn between his job and doing what was just.