Barbara

Genre: personal and political drama  

With: Nina Hoss (Barbara Wolff), Ronald Zehrfeld (André Reiser, the hospital director), Rainer Bock (Klaus Schütz, the Stasi operative), Christina Hecke (Schulze), Claudia Geisler (Schlösser), Jasna Fritzi Bauer (Stella), Jannik Schümann (Mario)

Director: Christian Petzold

Screenplay: Christian Petzold (with Harun Farocki)

Release: 2012

Studio: Schramm Film Koerner & Weber, Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF), ARTE

Rating: for all

MBiS score: 8.3/10

Sometimes a Bike is All the Freedom You Can Settle For

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Story-line: East Germany, circa 1980. When Doctor Barbara Wolff filed a request to travel abroad, it didn’t occur to her that her career at a renowned Berlin medical center would be jeopardized by it. Now, she finds herself in a small-town hospital, with people she doesn’t trust and under Stasi surveillance.

Pluses: fine acting by Nina Hoss, Ronald Zehrfeld and Rainer Bock as the unsympathetic Schütz, a methodical screenplay that develops intriguing character interactions, a strong sense of dread and a fabulous final act, faultless helming, appropriate production values and that glorious closing song by Chic (Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards).

Minuses: none whatsoever.

Comments: BARBARA, a taut little thriller reminiscent of the PRISONER TV series with Patrick McGoohan, feels like a penitentiary movie where cells and guards have been replaced by long work shifts, political harassment, lack of privacy and incessant pressure. Yes, life is full of unpleasant surprises… but some people can rise above adversity and show heartwarming humanity. A fine time for movie buffs!

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