Movie No. 12 (2016): PHOENIX
Phoenix (2014)
Director: Christian Petzold
Cast: Nina Hoss, Ronald Zehrfeld
In German, with English subtitles
The Nazi has just fallen. Those who survived the concentration camps have just been freed. One of such survivors, Nelly, is on her way to Berlin to undergo a reconstructive surgery; her face got disfigured by a gun shot in the camp. She was a former singer of the entertainment club called Phoenix before she was arrested and sent to Auschwitz. But the surgeon, having failed to restore her real face, convinces Nelly that it's the closest thing he can do and that a new face is to her advantage. Indeed, it is. Her husband, Johnny, who may or may not have betrayed her, does not recognize her when they meet at the Phoenix. Johnny however, sees some resemblance between Nelly and his wife. Johhny convinces Nelly to pretend she is his wife who will return from the camp. Nelly's relatives are all dead and only she can claim the inheritance her dead relatives have left. When Nelly gets the inheritance, Johnny and she will split it, the former schemes. Tentative, Nelly agrees because in so doing she may find answers. Johnny is clueless that the woman he connives with is really his wife. The viewing audience knows about all these. So, the narrative flow centers on Nelly's finding answers to her questions about her husbands possible hand in her arrest. And it's splendid. The intrigue-driven script, enhanced by mystery-inspiring photography and inspired performances, gives a very different take on a movie inspired by the Holocaust.
Director: Christian Petzold
Cast: Nina Hoss, Ronald Zehrfeld
In German, with English subtitles
The Nazi has just fallen. Those who survived the concentration camps have just been freed. One of such survivors, Nelly, is on her way to Berlin to undergo a reconstructive surgery; her face got disfigured by a gun shot in the camp. She was a former singer of the entertainment club called Phoenix before she was arrested and sent to Auschwitz. But the surgeon, having failed to restore her real face, convinces Nelly that it's the closest thing he can do and that a new face is to her advantage. Indeed, it is. Her husband, Johnny, who may or may not have betrayed her, does not recognize her when they meet at the Phoenix. Johnny however, sees some resemblance between Nelly and his wife. Johhny convinces Nelly to pretend she is his wife who will return from the camp. Nelly's relatives are all dead and only she can claim the inheritance her dead relatives have left. When Nelly gets the inheritance, Johnny and she will split it, the former schemes. Tentative, Nelly agrees because in so doing she may find answers. Johnny is clueless that the woman he connives with is really his wife. The viewing audience knows about all these. So, the narrative flow centers on Nelly's finding answers to her questions about her husbands possible hand in her arrest. And it's splendid. The intrigue-driven script, enhanced by mystery-inspiring photography and inspired performances, gives a very different take on a movie inspired by the Holocaust.
Two thumbs up.
Rating: 4.0/4.0
Date seen: February 7, 2016
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