Mirrors No. 3

A taut and compelling puzzle box featuring another magnetic performance from Christian Petzold’s regular collaborator, Paula Beer.

Laura (Paula Beer) is a woman in emotional freefall. A trip away with her boyfriend turns into tragedy when they are involved in a deadly car accident. Witnessing the accident is Betty, who takes Laura into her care but is also harbouring her own emotional turmoil. When Betty’s estranged husband and son turn up, the unlikely quartet form an unusual family unit – one destined to implode as Laura begins to unravel the secrets that tore this family apart.

Curator's note
Deceptively sparse in its storytelling but nonetheless emotionally rich and engrossing, director Christian Petzold’s unsettling drama explores the emotional anchors people form when in deep crisis. Working for a fourth time with Paula Beer, who is brilliant as the emotionally distant protagonist, the fantastic supporting cast rounds out this tense chamber piece – each character playing a role whose true purpose is subtly revealed as the film unfolds. It’s to Petzold’s credit as a filmmaker that he packs so much into the brief runtime, and as an audience we quickly invest in (and root for) the perverse family dynamic that develops over the course of the film.