Critic Rating
(read reviews)User Rating
Director
Christian Petzold
Cast
Nina Hoss,
Ronald Zehrfeld,
Jasna Fritzi Bauer,
Mark Waschke,
Rainer Bock,
Alicia von Rittberg
Genre
Drama
After filing a request to leave East Germany, Barbara, a physician, is sent to work in a small town and be monitored by the Stasi. She begins work with department head Andre Reiser who is responsible for reporting on suspected people. Working and planning her escape simultaneously, Barbara must make a choice between leaving and staying as she grows attached to her patients and coworkers.
The A.V. Club by Sam Adams
Petzold handles personal, formal, and political concerns in such perfect balance, it's difficult, and not especially desirable, to separate one from the next. The movie is dense but never feels it, assembled with easy mastery and engrossing throughout.
Village Voice by Melissa Anderson
A transfixing Cold War thriller set in the East Germany of 1980, Christian Petzold's superb Barbara is made even more vivid by its subtle overlay of the golden-era "woman's picture," the woman in question being Dr. Barbara Wolff, brilliantly played by Nina Hoss in her fifth film with the writer-director.
Total Film
Not only has director Christian Petzold assembled a fascinating hill of beans, but there's a moonlit scene that almost alone justifies his Silver Bear win at Berlin.
The Hollywood Reporter
A slow-burning Cold War drama that will reward patient viewers with its ultimate emotional payoff.
Empire
Tough and tender, it's the best Iron Curtain drama since "The Lives Of Others."
Time Out by Eric Hynes
Despite being the subject of nearly every shot in the film, Hoss maintains an air of mystery, simultaneously projecting severity, sensitivity and sensuousness throughout.
The Guardian by Peter Bradshaw
The weird oppression and seediness of the times is elegantly captured, and Hoss coolly conveys Barbara's highly strung desperation.
Slant Magazine
Most compelling in Christian Petzold's latest is the way the filmmaker adeptly conducts his tides of Cold War paranoia.
Variety by Justin Chang
A story of love and subterfuge in 1980 East Germany that never quite accelerates into an outright thriller, Barbara reps another assured collaboration between director Christian Petzold and his main muse, actress Nina Hoss.
The Playlist by Christopher Bell
Though maybe a bit too stiff and straight-laced, Barbara is a frequently subtle, moderately interesting character study set in a grievous East Germany during the 1980s.
Loading recommendations...
Loading recommendations...