Undine

2020 1h 29m DE

😐

6.5

MID

★6.5TMDB · 296

FantasyDramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Undine is a historian and tour guide at the Berlin City Museum specializing in urban development, while Christoph is an industrial diver. Linked by a love of the water, the two form an intense bond, which can only do so much to help Undine overcome the considerable baggage of her former affair.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Paula Beer
Undine
Franz Rogowski
Christoph
Maryam Zaree
Monika
Jacob Matschenz
Johannes
Anne Ratte-Polle
Anna
Rafael Stachowiak
Jochen
Julia Franz Richter
Nora
Gloria de Oliveira
Antonia

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Christian Petzold
Writers: Christian Petzold
Languages: English, German, Spanish
Countries: France, Germany

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

89 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 6 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, German, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: France, Germany.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Directed by Christian Petzold, shot by Hans Fromm. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Bettina Böhler shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Paula Beer and Franz Rogowski and Maryam Zaree carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt11617052 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Christian Petzold directs. Hans Fromm behind the camera. Bettina Böhler cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France, Germany. Dialogue in English, German, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

189 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Released 6 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, German, Spanish.
4International production across 2 countries: France, Germany.
5Directed by Christian Petzold, shot by Hans Fromm. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Editor Bettina Böhler shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Paula Beer and Franz Rogowski and Maryam Zaree carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt11617052 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Hans Fromm
Editing: Bettina Böhler
Production design: Merlin Ortner
Costume design: Katharina Ost
Makeup / hair: Scharka Cechova
VFX supervisor: Gilberto Arpioni
Sound: Martin Steyer
Runtime: 89 min · 1h 29m
Status: Released
Box office: $1,170,267
Original language: DE
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Undine (2020)

Awards

European Film Award for Best Actress

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Christian Petzold

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-04-04
★ 7/10
Paula Beer is "Undine", holding down a rather mundane job lecturing on the historical urban development of Berlin. She is also suffering the final throes of her relationship with "Johannes" (Jacob Matschenz) whom she still loves. As with the original Paracelcus myth (upon which this is based), she must avenge herself on anyone who betrays her - and we gradually begin to understand that there is much more to her than meets the eye. An heavy rain shower is instrumental in introducing her to "Christoph" (Franz Rogowski) and she finds another love but when she disappears into a lake, he must search... It really does help if you have some familiarity with the story of the eponymous water nymph - otherwise much of this will seem disjointed. The use of the sunken boat in the lake, and strong efforts from Beer and Rogowski give this a depth to it; the characterisations develop slowly but definitely. True, Christian Petzold does take his time, and what is effectively quite a short story can seem a little overly padded now and again, but the imagery under the water and the subtly of the story are well carried by all. It made better sense to me second time round, and is well worth 90 minutes. If you do enjoy it, try the 1916 version - that is shorter and just as beautiful to watch.

Production companies