Nelly (Nina Hoss) returns from a concentration camp disfigured, with notions of returning to her old life. Facial reconstructive surgery repairs Nelly’s injuries but leaves her unrecognisable, even to herself. She returns to a ravaged postwar Berlin determined to track down her husband Johnny (Ronald Zehrfeld), a pianist at the cabaret club where Nelly used to sing. However, Nelly’s friend Lene warns her against searching for Johnny, believing he may have betrayed Nelly to the Nazis to save his own skin. The second film in director Christian Petzold’s “Love in the Times of Oppressive Systems” trilogy which includes Barbara and Transit (also on Movie Night), Phoenix is a virtuosic, scorching tale of mistaken identity and impossible love.
“Remarkable and indelible. A perfectly conceived and structured film.” — Cinema Scope
German
English
Germany