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Hannah discovers her mothers story when, during WW2, the Ayran women of Rosenstrasse demanded the release of their Jewish husbands. | score C |
moviereview rates films from A (unmissable) to E (unwatchable) |
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| Cast Maria Schrader, Jutta Lamp, Doris Schade Director Margarethe von Trotta Screenwriter Pamela Katz Country German (subtitles) Rating / Running Time M / 136 minutes Australian Release June 2005 Official Site (c) moviereview
2005
ABN 72 775 390 361 |
Following
the death of her husband, Ruth (Jutta Lampe) goes into a period of
unexpected and deeply religious mourning. Shocked but in the hope of
better understanding her mother’s grief, Hannah (Maria Schrader)
returns to Germany to dig up some family dirt. What she learns about
Ruth’s experience during World War II is even more shocking. In
1943, the Ayran wives of Jewish men gathered to protest an
‘illegal’ jailing of their husbands. Lena (Katja Riemann)
was one of the women of Rosenstrasse,
the street on which they were detained. During the protests, she takes
under her wing a young girl, Ruth, whose parents have gone missing: a
simple act that saved the young girl’s life. Directed by Margarethe von Trotta, Rosenstrasse is a remarkable tale of two cities – contemporary New York and war-torn Berlin. Curiously, it’s also two films with two distinct styles. The story opens within the claustrophobic confines of Ruth’s apartment and, as Lena relates the story to Hannah in flashback, opens out onto a splendid reconstruction of Berlin. But Rosenstrasse falters at the beginning. Ruth’s ponderings are staged in a deliberately ponderous and contrived fashion that resembles Dynasty for technical achievement. It’s a peculiar choice since the lavish production that distinguishes the historical account creates a Berlin that is as dynamic as it is exhilarating. This yo-yoing tears at the film’s heart, betraying the goodwill of its intentions. von Trotta also establishes too many threads that are left to dangle – notably Ruth’s silence about events that saved her life. These are crucial to understanding her character; a lack of insight that all but slays our interest in a story that deserved a better telling. // COLIN FRASER |