Wednesday August 10
10am, 2:30pm, 5pm, 7:30pm
Director Christian Petzold
Drama Romance
Germany (English subtitles)
90 minutes
“If you leave me, I’ll have to kill you,” Undine tells Johannes who has beckoned her to their usual café, across the street from the Berlin City Museum, where she works as a historian lecturing on Berlin’s urban development. To our eyes, Undine looks human. Alhough the film doesn’t explain it explicitly, Undine was a water sprite by origin, and as such, she was only able to achieve her present form by falling in love with a man — one who must remain faithful to her or else forfeit his life.
Christian Petzold boldly reimagines the ancient myth of Undine in this suspenseful tale of romance and betrayal in modern day Berlin.
Undine’s carefully orchestrated world crumbles when the man she loves leaves her. This sets Undine on a path to kill her betrayer and return to the water.
Undine is a diverting and handsomely crafted piece of fantasy. – Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
Undine’s hauntingly aching romance is enchanting. There’s a drowning sensation to Petzold’s myth-building that’s totally engrossing, once again proving he is one of the world’s most exquisite love story composers. – Jenny Nulf, Austin Chronicle