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Berlin Syndrome
2017 116 min Australia R 18+
★6.5
Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Director: Cate Shortland
Trailers
EN
EN
Description
A passionate holiday romance leads to an obsessive relationship when an Australian photojournalist wakes one morning in an abandoned Berlin apartment and is unable to leave.
US Gross:
$28,660
Worldwide:
$397,783
Starring
Teresa Palmer
Actor
Max Riemelt
Actor
Matthias Habich
Actor
Awards
Sundance Film Festival 2017
— Grand Jury Prize – Drama (World Cinema)
Key opinion
Berlin Syndrome is a polarizing psychological thriller that favors a slow-burn, atmospheric exploration of captivity over traditional genre thrills. While critics admire the film's aesthetic craft and nuanced lead performances, many viewers find the pacing frustratingly sluggish and the characters' motivations ambiguous or illogical.
| Cinematography | The film utilizes claustrophobic cinematography and atmospheric production design to effectively mirror the protagonist's sense of entrapment. | |
| Acting | Max Riemelt delivers a complex performance that avoids stereotypical villainy, grounding the captor with a tragic, humanized vulnerability. | |
| Pacing | The two-hour runtime is a point of major contention, with some finding the contemplative, slow-paced approach immersive and others finding it tedious and stagnant. | |
| Screenplay | The script draws criticism for leaving character motivations and the psychological shifts between captor and victim feeling underdeveloped or intentionally opaque. | |
| Screenplay | The protagonist's decisions are viewed by many as inconsistent, leading to frustration regarding the internal logic of her struggle for survival. |