’Undine’

Based on the story of the mythological water nymph who becomes human through the love of a man, Christian Petzold’s Undine is an uncomfortable mix of folklore and contemporary love story.

Undine (Paula Beer) works at the Department of Urban Development in Berlin. Having been dumped by lover Johannes (Jacob Matschenz), she unexpectedly meets Christoph (Franz Rogowski), an industrial diver who introduces her to his underwater world. Love develops between the two but when Christoph catches up with former colleague Monika (Maryam Zaree), Undine is convinced he is being unfaithful to her.

Legend has it that Undine is doomed to die and return to the water if her lover is unfaithful. Having avoided her destiny once, can she circumvent it once more? The result is disquieting – a mix of magical realism, romance and Petzold’s trademark of characters with their dark obsessions. The German director always produces work worth watching – but Undine is not one of his best.

Rating: 63%

Director: Christian Petzold (Transit, Phoenix)

Writer: Christian Petzold (Transit, Phoenix)

Main cast: Paula Beer (Transit, Never Look Away), Franz Rogowski (Transit, A Hidden Life), Maryam Zaree (Transit, Faith)

’Transit’

As a modern-day Paris is invaded by foreign troops, German refugee Georg desperately searches for a way to flee south to the port of Marseille.

With Paris occupied and ‘undesirables’ rounded up, as a member of the resitance Georg (Franz Rogowski) must head south, helping an injured colleague reach his wife and child in Marseille. By chance able to assume the identity of a deceased writer and with it a visa for Mexico, Georg finds himself on arrival at the port city conflicted. Crammed with people desperate to leave, Marseille is increasingly on the edge – with the invading troops closing in as they too head south. Whilst waiting for the departure date, so Georg comes into contact with the writer’s enigmatic wife, Marie (Paula Beer).

There’s a haunting timelessness to Christian Petzold’s beguiling labyrinth of a movie – the evocation of a World War II narrative transposed to the not-too-distant future that is as much a commentary about the now as it is about the past. Engrossing.

Rating: 81%

Director: Christian Petzold (Yella, Phoenix)

Writer: Christian Petzold (Yella, Phoenix) – based on th enovel by Anna Seghers

Main cast: Franz Rogowski (Victoria, A Hidden Life), Paula Beer (Undine, Frantz), Godehard Giese (A Cure For Wellness, TV’s Babylon Berlin)

‘Happy End’

A French haute-bourgeois family, Calais-based, live their lives, a microcosm of the minutiae of everyday events.

Octogenarian Georges Laurent (Jean-Louis Trintignant) heads the family but he has passed the trucking business onto his daughter – Isabelle Huppert. Into the family of Laurent adults living in the large rambling house enters 12 year-old Eve, daughter of Huppert’s brother (Mathieu Kassovitz) from his first marriage.

Detached and icily controlled, director Michael Haneke’s latest is a bourgeois, insidious soap opera as each quietly look for their own ‘happy end’.

Rating: 59%

Director: Michael Haneke (Amour, The White Ribbon)

Writer: Michael Haneke (Amour, The White Ribbon)

Main cast: Isabelle Huppert (Elle, The Piano Teacher), Jean-Louis Trintignant (Amour, My Night With Maud), Mathieu Kassovitz (Amélie, La haine)

‘Victoria’

A single shot conceit – no cuts, no editing – filmed at night and early dawn light puts this German film out there, technically. It may be a stunt but other than an overly-long ‘first half’, it’s a captivating experience.

An impressive Laia Costa finds herself in bad company in Berlin, the result of some idle flirtation. The chemistry between Costa and Frederick Lau is palpable, the first half of the film focusing on their evolving ‘relationship’. The pace changes noticeably as the night draws on and business needs to be seen to.

Energy and interest may pall before the end, but through its differences, it’s not surprising it won a swag of awards at the 2015 German Film Awards, including best film, best director (Sebastian Schipper) and best actress/actor.

Rating: 66%

Director: Sebastian Schipper (Roads, A Friend of Mine)

Writer: Sebastian Schipper (Sometime in August, A Friend of Mine), Olivia Neergaard-Holm, Eike Frederik Schulz

Main cast: Laia Costa (Palm Trees in the Snow), Frederick Lau (The King’s Surrender, The Wave), Franz Rogowski (Frontalwatte, Love Steaks)