Barbara is about as close as a viewer can get to a perfect movie. Barbara is set in 1980s East Germany, which was Communist and oppressive at the height of the Cold War. Barbara is about the titular character, an accomplished doctor banished to the countryside for wanting to leave East Germany. Do not let subtitles deter you from seeing this must see movie!
Barbara’s atmosphere is thick with suspicion and furtive actions. Barbara feels realistic. There is no soundtrack. Life is a prison for everyone in the bucolic town. Joy is contraband fraught with the fear of punishment for trusting someone. People are actors in their own personal spy drama, but there is no higher meaning or reward for this unofficial duty. Every character is in a personal hell, but they are very much alive in their isolation.
Barbara finds meaning and purpose in her duties as a doctor. She does not permit her personal despair to affect the care that she gives her patients. She finds either a soul mate or future Judas in her colleague, Andre. She still wants to escape, but not at the price of entirely losing her identity as a professional. She is a complex, relatable female character. Even though the state constantly assaults her spirit and body, her identity is as solid as rock.
Barbara is a masterpiece of intersectionality. It subtly explores issues related to gender, age and class. While Barbara’s suffering is palpable, the film finds room to elucidate the audience to others’ suffering without engaging in oppression Olympics. Yes, some suffering is worst than others, but when Barbara makes a crucial choice about her future, the viewer knows that happiness is not guaranteed and may not be possible.
Barbara is as close as films get to literature. There are subtle allusions and foreboding that become more obvious as the events unfold. Barbara rewards viewers that watch each moment with undivided attention. I’m sure that Barbara would only improve if viewed repeatedly.
Nina Hoss plays Barbara, and if you don’t know Hoss, then you have been missing out. Hoss is always terrific in such films as Jerichow, A Woman in Berlin and We Are the Night. I am not familiar with Ronald Zehrfeld, but I may become a fan. He reminded me of the gentle masculinity of Irrfan Khan, which is uncommon among actors. Plus he is not my usual physical type, but I thought he was very attractive.
I highly recommend watching Barbara, but insist that you give it your full attention. Barbara is a beautiful film about well-developed characters in an oppressive time and place opposed to individuality or camaraderie. The only disappointment is not being able to find out how these people fared after the fall of the Berlin Wall because they are not real though they feel that way.