Berlin Syndrome
(2017)Teresa Palmer plays an Aussie in Berlin whose holiday fling gets creepy when she finds herself locked in her lover's apartment. From director Cate Shortland (Lore).... More
While holidaying in Berlin, Australian photojournalist Clare (Palmer) meets charismatic local man Andi (Max Riemelt). There is an instant attraction between them, and a night of passion ensues. But what initially appears to be the start of a romance suddenly takes an unexpected and sinister turn when Clare wakes the following morning to discover Andi has left for work and locked her in his apartment. An easy mistake to make, of course, except Andi has no intention of letting her go again.Hide
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Directed by Cate Shortland ('Lore', 'Somersault')
Starring Teresa Palmer, Max Riemelt, Emma Bading, Matthias Habich, Lucie Aron, Thuso Lekwape
Written by Shaun Grant (based on the novel of the same name by Melanie Joosten)
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Berlin Syndrome
BY cinemusefilm superstar
The plotline is simple, linear and familiar. It opens with the wide-eyed wonder and excitement of young Aussie backpacker Clare (Teresa Palmer) arriving in the uber-cool city of Berlin. Like thousands of others, she is looking for adventure in a city famous for its architecture and nightspots and she is captivated by the beauty of the city. She meets German native Andi (Max Riemelt) and is immediately attracted to his Aryian good-looks and charming smile. He is a school teacher and thus trustworthy, so they hook up for a night of erotic passion and he leaves for school in the morning with her locked in his fortified, soundproofed, and isolated flat. Just an oversight, she thinks, but it happens again the next day. When she discovers her phone SIM card removed and finds an album of bondage photos the real terror begins.
The story itself is unremarkable, but the acting, filming, and directing make this a high-tension act from beginning to end. The key to this psycho-sexual thriller is establishing the ‘normality’ of the film’s perpetrator so that we feel he is just another lovely guy. Once we are taken in by his charms, the film paces out in tiny incremental steps how Clare’s discomfort changes to fear and then terror. The photographic style accentuates sharp close-ups on terrified eyes against out-of-focus backgrounds and an almost hand-held style of filming to emphasis the instability of the situation. Teresa Palmer is brilliant in showing the transitions from initial innocence and country-girl naivette to the palpable eroticism of domination and the stark realisation that she may not survive. Co-star Max Riemelt is her match in every way, evoking the charm and normality of an urbane teacher who is attentive to his students and respectful of his father. To the outside world, there are no warnings. Then slowly he reveals his distorted grasp on reality and deranged intentions to keep Clare as if she were a mere possession like a doll or a pet. His plans are not entirely sinister as he believes that love will blossom even in captivity. But in this fairy tale, the handsome prince morphs into a monster, a meta-reference to the millions of domestic abuse scenarios in which modern-day princesses still find themselves.
Many thrillers cannot sustain dramatic tension for a whole feature film but in Berline Syndrome it keeps rising until the climactic scenes when unexpected events overtake audience expectations. At times the pace slows down to create a sense of inertia in captivity but the ending is swift and satisfyingly conclusive. This is an engaging thriller that echoes parental warnings about strangers with nice smiles. Preying on such fears taps the right nerve to make any backpacker a little bit more careful.Hide
The Press Reviews
This is a case of expert filmmaking craft applied to a familiar story that becomes unrelentingly grim and drawn-out after its masterful setup. Full Review
Between more trickily opaque stretches of character development, Shortland nails a handful of straight-up, nerve-shredding tension sequences, teasing a version of the film that might have tilted into full-bore horror. Full Review
Shortland takes a horror movie premise and imbues it with the knotty emotional complexity of a dysfunctional relationship psychodrama. Full Review
Palmer and Shortland keep audiences on the edge of their seat for a bit too long (there's a tighter version within this nearly two-hour one) but this is still a confident, interesting thriller. Full Review
It’s as if, in her desire not to be too florid or declamatory, Shortland has held a little too much back. This leaves the audience puzzling over some tantalising loose threads. Full Review
A remarkably tense and extremely confronting Australian film. Full Review
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