Playing the martyr has its good sides, you know.
After collaborating with husband Volker Schlöndorff on The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum (which they co-wrote and directed) and Coup de Grâce (which she co-wrote and starred in), Margarethe von Trotta struck out on her own with 1978's The Second Awakening of Christa Klages, which is about a kindergarten teacher (Tina Engel) who helps rob a bank to get the money to keep her day-care center open. One of her accomplices is caught right away, but the other, ex-sailor Marius Müller-Westernhagen, escapes with her and they evade the law by hiding out with a procession of friends and acquaintances, starting with pastor Peter Schneider, who tries to get them to turn themselves in when he finds out what they've done. Engel's schoolfriend Silvia Reize is more sympathetic, but when Westernhagen is gunned down in the street, Engel has to go on the run yet again. Meanwhile, the bank teller she took hostage (Katharina Thalbach) decides to conduct her own investigation since the police aren't having much success with theirs.
The film isn't entirely told from Engel's point of view, but von Trotta and her co-writer Luisa Francia have her narrate it anyway, presumably after she's been caught. This helps us keep track of who all the characters are and allows Engel to be philosophical about her situation. Regardless of how noble her intentions may seem, she has to know on some level that what she's done is pure folly. It doesn't matter what kind of problem you're trying to solve by robbing a bank, you'll only end up making more trouble for yourself.