But, inexplicably, her old life keeps catching up with her, menacing her new, better situation in venture-capital Hanover. Played with mesmerizing precision by icily beautiful Nina Hoss, she discovers a considerable appetite for the ruthless cut-throat tactics of modern business. Yet she cannot escape the voices of her past as she moves from one negotiating table to the next in what becomes a gripping and metaphysical allegory of lust, greed, loneliness, and desire amid the corporate bedrooms.

The film exudes an unsettling emotional undercurrent beneath the crisp, adept direction of Christian Petzold – painterly interludes in which the rural summertime scenery takes on a threatening edge.  Hoss (Best Actress, 2007, Berlin Fest) brings a laser-like focus to the role of Yella, while Petzold is clearly interested in the characters’ inner desires. 
 
(In German with English subtitles)

GERMANY • 2007 • 89 MINUTES • DIRECTOR: CHRISTIAN PAETZOLD