Barbara

If you want to get past the stereotypes of East Germany, this, just like The Lives of Others, is a very good start. There were deep communities in the East in spite of Stasi iinfiltration. There are lessons about life, love and community to be found in this wonderful film. Nina Holm is stellar!

It's hard to put into words how good Barbara is. Just watch it; it'll have you from the very first shot. Then try Jerichow, then Phoenix.

For Barbara, that's the West. She longs to escape oppressive East Germany, where she is a known malcontent and the object of Stasi surveillance and oppression. A doctor from East Berlin, her punishment inlcudes banishment to the sticks, far away from even East German sophistication. She has a lover from the West who makes secret visits and helps plan her escape. Meanwhile, she becomes involved in the treatment, and lives, of her adolescent patients and slowly becomes drawn to her boss, a fellow doctor tasked with making reports on Barbara to the Stasi. His motives are ambiguous to start with -- he seems sensitive and intelligent, but we, as Barbara, don't know initially to what extent it's an act, or to what extent he supports the regime that Barbara so despises. I can't give away the end, but suffice it to say that it carries a major turn, and that turn makes perfect sense of all that has come before.The story unfolds at a gradual pace. Some may think it's too slow. To me, it felt natural, and it carried plenty of suspense. Its naturalism is unforced, unaffected, unlike films that convey realism with a nausea-inducing hand-held camera or tediously long shots of nothing much. Here, you disappear into the world of the movie without noticing how the trick is done.Nina Hoss's performance, like those of others in the film, is beautifully subtle -- so subtle that you become attuned to even the slightest adjustments in her outward attitude. The last shot -- of silent facial expressions -- effortlessly, perfectly conveys volumes, so masterful has been the acting and story-telling.What a beautiful film, among the best of this past year.

Overall this is a good movie with good acting and characters although it is a bit on the slow side. But the ending was abrupt and left things unanswered, which I always find frustrating.

Compellingly commentary on the oppression of the GDR surveillance state in the final decade before its demise. The two doctors are a testament to all doctors toiling in oppressive regimes for their patients. Quiet chemistry between 2 main characters is satisfying to watch as it unfolds. Loved the ending.

Although the film was misclassified as Audio - English rather than German with English subtitles, the storyline and acting made me watch the entire film.

I liked everything about this movie, and probably saw it three times prior to purchasing it. It's telling of a story that took place in East Germany during a period when we had so little knowledge of what was going on there is succinct and requires you to pay attention to keep track of the story, as I prefer movies to handle such things. Nina Hoss, in the title role, is excellent as a non-nonsense Berlin doctor exiled to a small-town hospital near the Baltic Sea for activities against the "Socialist State". The supporting cast is very strong, too, and I like the way things are not neatly wrapped up at the end, but still leave you with some inkling of where things might go from there.

A peek into East Germany. The story of a doctor who is sent to a small village, "banned" since she was discovered to attempt to flee to West Germany. She hasn't lost hope while she plans another attempt. But in the village she continues to work. An outstanding Nina Hoss, portraying this person. The rage and bitterness is barely concealed on her facial expression, while she is over and over humiliated by the communist regime.She has however not lost her sense of ethics or morality as a doctor, and does her duties as such. She meets a young woman from a what appears to be some kind of concentration camp, and feels for her and helps her ultimately to escape at the cost of her own possibility to escape.I am struck by how cruel people can be to their own.The communist state repression is very well illustrated. A great movie, but brooding.