UNDINE | FILM REVIEW
Dir: Christian Petzold (15, 91 mins)
A haunting German drama that utilises an ancient myth to examine modern relationships, retaining a dreamlike quality throughout. Paula Beer plays Undine, a Berlin historian able to give detailed analysis of the city’s architecture – what buildings have endured, or been rebuilt in the shape of their originals. Heartbroken after her boyfriend Johannes (Jacob Matschenz) coldly breaks up with her in the film’s opening, she tells him she has to kill him now and what seems like an idle threat gathers weight as the story continues.
Undine subsequently falls in love with deep-sea diver Christoph, played by a Joaquin Phoenix-esque Franz Rogowski. A trip diving in a lake results in an apparent near-drowning but hints at something more supernatural. In myth, an undine is a water nymph who can become mortal if she falls in love with a human – but if he breaks her heart, she must kill him and return to the water. Beer’s Undine is compromised when she falls heavily for Christoph: will she stay with him? Does she have to kill her former lover and become a mermaid once more? This mostly goes unstated throughout, eerie compulsion driving the very watchable Beer as she manages to be both real and otherworldly as the lovelorn Undine.
Sensually shot, this slow-burn drama immerses us with these characters – quite literally at certain points – as writer/director Petzold reteams with Beer and Rogowski, with whom he had worked on the excellent Transit. Their offbeat romance proves engaging and quirkily believable, whether it be Christoph doing CPR on Undine whilst singing Stayin’ Alive or watching her swim with a huge catfish. A spare, darker, arthouse version of The Little Mermaid, Undine is worthy of submersion.
Released via Curzon Home Cinema on Fri 2 Apr
words KEIRON SELF images CHRISTIAN SCHULZ (c) SCHRAMM FILM