Barbara

AroView: A doctor who dreams of defecting from 1980’s East Germany is banished to a country medical clinic under the possible watch of Stasi informants in this superb moral drama from the dir. of YELLA.

While it recalls THE LIVES OF OTHERS (the best known ‘Iron Curtain’ drama) with its vivid recreation of Communist austerity, here the narrative of personal and political interdependence feels more organic, and the spare, complex emotions are powerfully sustained by lead actress, Nina Hoss. It’s a deeply romantic yet unsentimental experience, crafted with satisfying precision.