Did My Husband Love Me, or Betray Me?

Director Christian Petzold, who won the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 2012 Berlin International Film Festival for 'Barbara,' reunites with stars Nina Hoss and Ronald Zehrfeld for this gripping tale. The film explores the fate of a marriage between a wife who returns from a concentration camp with a facial injury and a husband who fails to recognize her altered appearance.

This masterpiece, set in the 'aftermath of the camps,' vividly depicts the psychological toll on couples, families, and friends torn apart by war, even featuring ordinary Germans who merely stood by as Jewish people were sent to concentration camps.

Nina Hoss delivers a powerful performance as a Jewish woman who survived the concentration camps. Her every subtle expression, conveyed through restrained acting, vividly tells of Nelly's harrowing experiences. Ronald Zehrfeld masterfully portrays her husband, a man burdened by a deep inner darkness.



Director Christian Petzold states, 'This film is essentially a film noir.' By shooting on film and emphasizing stark contrasts between light and shadow, he visually conveys that even within this dark world, light also exists.

A Wife Returns from the Camps, Unrecognized by Her Husband

Nelly survives a concentration camp despite a severe facial injury. She returns to Germany with her close friend Lene and undergoes reconstructive surgery. Lene plans for them to emigrate together to the nascent Jewish state in Palestine, but Nelly's sole desire is to find her husband, Johnny, and reclaim her past.

As her facial scars heal, Nelly finally reunites with Johnny. However, Johnny, believing his wife died in the camps, fails to recognize her altered face. He then proposes they collude to claim her inheritance, pretending she is his deceased wife.




Phoenix
Nationwide release begins August 15 (Saturday) at Bunkamura Le Cinema and other theaters.
Director & Screenplay | Christian Petzold
Co-Screenplay | Harun Farocki
Based on | 'The Body of the Returned' by Hubert Monteilhet
Starring | Nina Hoss, Ronald Zehrfeld, Nina Kunzendorf
Distribution | ALBATROS FILM
2014 | Germany | 98 min | Original Title: 'Phoenix' | PG-12
http://www.anohi-movie.com


Ⓒ SCHRAMM FILM / BR / WDR / ARTE 2014