Night Crossing (1982)

In the chilling grasp of 1978 East Germany, two families, the courageous Strelzyks and the wary Wetzels, hatch a daring plan to escape the iron clutches of Communist rule and seek freedom in the West. The audacious Peter Strelzyk conceives a breathtaking scheme to craft a homemade hot air balloon, large enough to ferry the families across the heavily fortified East-West boundary, a land crawling with watchtowers, snarling guard dogs, barbed wire, and relentless patrols, rumored to be peppered with land mines. Their only hope for liberation lies in the skies. Embarking on this perilous journey, the families procure swathes of taffeta fabric, secretly stitching it together in a hidden attic, while Peter, the mastermind, assembles an experimental hot air balloon burner. As 1979 dawns, the balloon is ready for its maiden voyage. Peter and his son take the plunge, testing the balloon, but the Wetzels falter at the brink of this audacious venture. Undeterred, the Strelzyks press on, their hopes soaring with the balloon. However, the unforgiving weather betrays them, causing the balloon to crash within the Communist territory. Stranded amidst a sea of incriminating evidence, the Strelzyks are left to wonder if they can outwit the looming police investigation and muster the courage to construct another balloon for a second attempt. They remain steadfast in their mission to convince the Wetzels to join them if they manage to elude the ruthless Stasi, the East German Communist secret police, who are ever on their heels.

Night Crossing is an action movie featuring John Hurt.

It is possible to buy Night Crossing on AMC on Demand, Amazon Video, Apple TV, DIRECTV, Google Play Movies, Vudu and YouTube.