Anatomy Of A Fall star Sandra Hüller is wowing critics at the Berlin Film Festival with her latest turn as a woman in the early 17th century who is disguised as a male soldier.
The Yellow Letters and Dao have already received some strong notices this festival but Rose is probably the first film of the Berlinale to really pop. From the outset it looked like being one of the most interesting movies in the Competition.
Markus Schleinzer, filmmaker of Michael and Angelo and former casting director to Michael Haneke, Jessica Hausner, and Ulrich Seidl, directs the black and white film about mysterious soldier Rose (Hüller), a woman disguised as a man, who appears in a secluded Protestant village. She declares herself the heir of a long-abandoned farmstead and produces a document to support her claim to the suspicious villagers. Seeking stability and a place to belong, Rose attempts to integrate into the wary community.
Film Verdict describes the movie as “a fascinating tale of gender politics in 17th century Germany [that] offers a gripping backdrop for Sandra Hüller’s prodigious acting talents.”
Variety says that Hüller “amazes, again, in Markus Schleinzer’s immaculately controlled tale of gender privilege…Eight years after premiering his superb but little-released Angelo, the Austrian auteur returns to European history for a deceptively simple folk tragedy with searing emotional impact.”
Screen trumpets Hüller as “phenomenal” in the “arresting character study”. Loud And Clear concurs, saying “Rose’s linear structure and unwavering focus on Sandra Hüller’s protagonist make for an extremely effective, if often simple, character study”.
German publication Spiegel calls the film a “triumph” for Hüller who is “brilliant”.
Global audiences will be seeing plenty more of Hüller in the next 12 months with starring roles to come in high-profile Hollywood movies Digger and Project Hail Mary.
The Match Factory is selling Rose at Berlin where it’s likely to be one of the more in-demand arthouse movies on sale. Below is a first trailer.