Barbara
by Christian Petzold
Summer, 1980. Barbara, a doctor, has applied for an exit visa from
the GDR (East Germany). Now, as punishment, she has been
transferred from Berlin to a small hospital out in the country, far
from everything. Jörg, her lover from the West, is already planning
her escape.
Barbara waits, keeping to herself. The new apartment, the
neighbors, summertime, the countryside – none of that means
anything to her. Working as a pediatric surgeon under her new
boss Andre, she is attentive when it comes to the patients, but
quite distanced toward her colleagues. Her future, she feels, will
begin later.
But Andre confuses her. His confidence in her professional abilities,
his caring attitude, his smile. Why does he cover for her when
she helps the young runaway Sarah? Does he have an assignment
to keep track of her? Is he in love? But as the day of
her planned escape quickly approaches, Barbara starts to lose
control. Over herself, her plans, over love.
Christian Petzold is one of the leading directors in New German cinema.
The German Film Critics Association has twice awarded him Best Film
awards, for the urban drama GHOSTS and THE STATE I AM IN. He was twice
named Best Director at the German Film Awards, for the psychological
drama WOLFSBURG and THE STATE I AM IN. His first fiction feature, 2000's
political drama THE STATE I AM IN, also won Best Screenplay at
Thessaloniki (Greece) and the Grand Prize at Valenciennes (France).
Petzold
has also received much acclaim for the made- for-TV features SOMETHING
TO REMIND ME (TOTER MANN, 2002), Die Beischlafdiebin (1998) and CUBA
LIBRE (1995).
Born in 1960, Petzold studied German and Theater
Studies at the Free University in Berlin, then graduated from the German
Film & Television Academy (DFFB) in 1994.
Selected Filmography
2012 BARBARA
2010 DREILEBEN - BEATS BEING DEAD
2008 JERICHOW
2007 YELLA
2005 GHOSTS (Gespenster)
2003 WOLFSBURG
2002 SOMETHING TO REMIND ME (Toter Mann)
2001 THE STATE I AM IN (Die innere Sicherheit)
1995 CUBA LIBRE
Nina Hoss - Barbara
Ronald Zehrfeld - Andre
Jasna Fritzi Bauer - Stella
Mark Waschke - Jörg
Rainer Bock - Schütz
Written and directed by: Christian Petzold
Director of Photography: Hans Fromm (BVK)
Editor: Bettina Böhler
Production Design: Kade Gruber
Costume Design: Anette Guther
Make Up: Barbara Kreuzer, Alexandra Lebedynski
Sound: Andreas Mücke-Niesytka
Sound Mix: Martin Steyer
Casting: Simone Bär
Producers: Florian Koerner von Gustorf, Michael Weber
Produced by: Schramm Film Koerner & Weber
In coproduction with:
ZDF/ARTE. Funded by Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, BKM -
Kulturelle Filmförderung des Bundes, FFA - Filmförderungsanstalt, DFFF - Deutscher
Filmförderfond
Format: 35 mm / 24 fps / color / 1:1.85 / Dolby Digital
Length: 105 min
Original Language: German