Undine works as a historian, lecturing on Berlin’s urban development. But when the man she loves leaves her, the ancient myth catches up with her. Undine has to kill the man who betrays her and return to the water.
Werner Herzog aside, Christian Petzold is the most compelling contemporary German filmmaker. His films typically center on female-focused narratives, love steeped in mystery amidst political turmoil. With “Undine,” Petzold maintains those elements while he adds magical realism. The cinematography, done by regular collaborator Hans Fromm, is intimate; shot majestically down the streets of Berlin and into a reservoir. Their visual style comes together capturing classical imagery that resembles a cross between German Romanticism and French Impressionism.
Petzold regularly casts actor Nina Hoss but lately, he’s been working with Paula Beer. A disappointed Undine (Beer) is introduced to us, sitting in tears at a café on the banks of a river. It turns out Johannes (Jacob Matchenz) has fallen in love with another woman and is ending their relationship. Undine reminds Johannes he must die for betraying their promised love. Petzold’s unique storytelling intersects natural mythology and industrial structures. In a fascinating approach, the fact vs the myth of Berlin is dissected. Berlin was built on swampland without much care for the environment that was there before.
Undine is a National Historian in urban development at a museum and, over a city model of Berlin, describes the architecture’s history and differences of the East’s soviet buildings and the West’s classical architecture. The focus on water with rivers, the reservoir, and an aquarium displays that nature will always remain (Much like the love Undine expects to never end). All the while, the magnificent piano piece, Adagio by Bach, plays continuously adding the dream-like/surreal feeling but also marks the repetition of being caught in the oppressive cycles of patriarchy and labor.
Everything changes for Undine when she meets Christoph (Franz Rogowski), an industrial diver who’s soft-spoken and charming. After their meet-cute, they begin a relationship. Undine is battling her past looking to break free of the myth that she must kill her former lover and return to the water forever alone.
Petzold’s underwater sequences are splendid and Christoph’s dive suit is straight out of “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.” With very little effects and some keen storyboarding, these shots made “The Shape of Water” look basic.
In an interview, Petzold said, “Berlin imports its mythology” – a statement that stuck with me. Is it possible to create new mythologies or are we resigned to repeat everything?
In Theaters and on VOD Friday, June 4th
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