August 28, 1988 - Europe's largest annual airshow - American Air Base in Germany. Three Italian aircraft collided in mid-air and rolled in flames into the crowd. 70 people died and more than 500 injured. I can never forget.

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 two fighter planes on the Open Day at the US base, RAMSTEIN -THE PIERCED HEART (WT) tells the story of five families and their fates: three visitors to the Air Show who lost their loved ones in the massive inferno, the emergency doctor and the male nurse, 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.

The accident during an air show in Ramstein in the summer of 1988 is one of the greatest tragedies in German post-war history. Against the backdrop of the momentous collision of two aerobatic planes on "Open Day" at the American air base, this film tells the story of four families in fictionalized form - they are visitors to the air show who lost their loved ones in the horrific inferno, and an emergency doctor who cannot forget the sight of the dead and injured. They all suffer from post-traumatic stress syndrome. Years after the disaster, they finally have the opportunity to share their experiences and come to terms with the trauma in a specially founded aftercare group. Meanwhile, a duo of investigators commissioned by the German Federal Ministry investigates the background to the air accident and uncovers massive failures in safety precautions and rescue measures. Beyond political responsibility on both the German and American sides, both come up against a wall of silence.—themoviedb