The movie is about Michael Armstrong, an American scientist who pretends to defect to East Germany in order to continue his project that the government shut down. Really, his objective is to talk to Professor Lindt, a scientist behind the iron curtain, and trick him into revealing information that Armstrong needs.
Armstrong first encounters Lindt in a lecture room with tiered seating. Lindt is sitting up in the back:
His position here indicates two qualities: his elevation above everyone else demonstrates his importance (especially for Armstrong), and his distance (at the opposite end of the room) shows that - for the moment - he's inaccessible for Armstrong. Initially, Armstrong isn't allowed to talk to Lindt because of questions of security resulting from Armstrong's unsanctioned visit to a farm (to meet with his contact in a secret organization).
