Barbara
NYT Critic's Picks • 1h 45m
Christian Petzold • 2012 • Germany
Steeped in the life in former GDR, a woman is torn between two worlds.
Barbara Wolff arrives in a small town in East Germany, having been transferred from Berlin's prestigious Charité hospital following an unspecified transgression. Consigned to the provinces, and under the constant threat of invasive checks by the GDR's secret police, Barbara goes to work each day at a small pediatric hospital and takes clandestine measures to meet her boyfriend from the West.
Christian Petzold's fifth feature premiered at Berlin, where it won Best Director. Barbara was nominated in eight categories of the German Film Awards, winning Best Film, and is a New York Times Critics' Pick.
Up Next in NYT Critic's Picks
-
Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice...
Pamela B. Green • United States • 2018 • A fascinating profile of a lost pioneer of early cinema.
Alice Guy-Blaché entered the film business in 1894, at the age of 21. By 23 she was ...
-
Bikes vs Cars
Fredrik Gertten • Sweden • 2015 • An argument against the automobile.
A battle is being waged for the soul of the road. In cities across the globe, inefficient transportation reigns supreme—humans commute in car...
-
Bugs
Andreas Johnsen • Netherlands • 2016 • An entry point to that most desirable cuisine: insects.
With global food shortages on the horizon, forward-thinking chefs, environmentalists and food scientists are turning toward a...
