FREE ON CINEGEEK.DE Christian Petzold - Undine 

Christian Petzold's films often looked out of this world - but Undine is his first excursion into the fantasy genre. Undine begins with a separation. The camera lingers on the face of Paula Beer. Thus we experience the separation just as she did. It is not a normal goodbye. Undine is also not a normal woman as the name suggests. This is not about a jilted lover. Undine, by definition, comes from the realm of mythological creatures. "If you leave me, I'll have to kill you"; she promises her lover Johannes (Jacob Matschenz), whom she has invited to a café near the Berlin Historical Museum. Undine works there as a historian. For us she looks as human and attractive as Paula Beer, but... Basically she belongs to the species of watermen and women. Her human form - we conclude from this - she received through the love of John. If John leaves her, he must die. Infidelity is death. Christian Petzold omits the romantic moments that we know from Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales. He concentrates on the question of fate: Does Undine really have to kill Johannes to fulfill her destiny? Or is there a way out? Anyone who has seen a few Christian Petzold films knows that his heroines always strive for a life of freedom, independence and self-determination. Just as little does Undine want to return to the lake from which she once came. Like a fish, she no longer seems to be standing in the middle of life. Undine has a respectable job, lives in a Berlin apartment that we would all like to have and is exploring the city. Then she is betrayed by Johannes. Exactly in this moment - a real turning point - Undine meets Christoph (Franz Rogowski). Very different from Johannes, Christoph is sweet and affectionate. The ideal partner for Undine! Christoph works as a diver near Wuppertal, where he catches a huge catfish in the lake. A good sign, how open-minded he seems to be to aquatic life! Somewhere on an ancient document he discovered Undine's name. One of the most important rules for Undine: The moment she has contact with the water again after her marriage, she has to return there. A rule she has already broken. But maybe Christoph serves as a loophole? Normally, Petzold never defines his heroines by their relationship to men. They are always strong and full of ingenuity. And Christoph adores Undine's intelligence! Johannes, on the other hand, is an unfaithful scoundrel and at some point he will of course reappear. Undine has to stand up against the whole burden of mythology. I strongly advise to read this mythology before the movie! because Christian Petzold's movie misses that. So you need an introduction: A) The fairy tale or B) Neil Jordan's Ondine (DVD1970).