Ramstein – The pierced heart

The Ramstein Air Show disaster in the summer of 1988 is one of the biggest tragedies in German post-war history. Against the background of the devastating collision between three fighter planes on the Open Day at the US base, RAMSTEIN –THE PIERCED HEART tells the story of four families and their fates: three visitors to the Air Show who lost their loved ones in the massive inferno, and the emergency doctor who can never forget the sight of the dead and injured. They all suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome.

Only years after the catastrophe did they finally have the opportunity to discuss their experiences and process the trauma in a specially-created survivors’ group. Meanwhile, a team of investigators commissioned by the German Ministry to investigate the background to the air crash uncovers massive failings in the safety provisions and rescue operation. In terms of the political responsibility borne by the German and American authorities, the investigators come up against a wall of silence and attempts to hush up everything that happened…