A myth is twisted in Undine, the latest from writer/director Christian Petzold.
Undine, as the story goes, is a water creature who turns into a human when she falls in love with a man. But if that man betrays her she must kill him or die herself. It’s love with the highest stakes and it is from this dramatic conceit that Petzold unravels his next romance. Here it’s unclear how much the man knows about the situation he’s stumbled into, but for him and the woman with so much to lose, the rewards of love surely offset the potential cost.
Romances with extenuating circumstances is what Petzold does, from the constraints of time and lies in Transit to the burden of history and possible betrayal in Phoenix. People love him for the time he takes with these swooning, complicated stories, which have established him as one of the preeminent filmmakers of our time.
He is working again with stars Paula Beer and Franz Rogowski, who played the main couple in Transit. They’ve got proven chemistry and know the moodiness Petzold likes to portray, so it’s unsurprising that this drew strong reviews from its festival run. I see no reason why this modern spin on an old tale would go wrong.
Undine is directed by Christian Petzold and stars Paula Beer and Franz Rogowski. It will be released in the US on June 4th, 2021. For international release dates, click here.
Will you get swept away by this one? Let us know in the comments!
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