When network ARD broadcast the movie, the local Bavarian station BR refused to show it because of its plot about homosexual love.
When released in the U.S., the film failed to have an MPAA rating, which may have actually helped the film gain some cache in urban cities; however, it also prevented the film from gaining much of a wide release.
While based on the true story of Alexander Ziegler, the author of the novel the film is based on, the film, like the novel, changes character names.