December 6, 2015 -- I usually don't overlook logical contradictions in a film, but the story in this film is so strong, it pulled me along for the ride, and a fascinating ride it is. The logical problem is that this story would have you believe that a man would not recognize his own wife, even with ample evidence indicating who she really is.

The man, Johnny Lenz (Ronald Zehrfeld) is working in a bar called Phoenix when he sees a woman who looks a lot like his wife, who he believes is dead. The woman, Nelly Lenz (Nina Hoss) is, in fact, Johnny's wife. She survived near-fatal gunshot wounds in a concentration camp during World War II, requiring facial reconstruction surgery which altered her appearance. The story takes place in Berlin, just after the end of the war.

Johnny hits upon an idea to get rich quick. If this woman can be passed off as his wife, she can get a sizable inheritance, and they can split the money. Of course, it is pretty easy for Nelly to pass herself off as herself, and Johnny doesn't seem to notice how effortlessly Nelly is able to duplicate her own handwriting, for instance.

So why doesn't Nelly just tell Johnny who she really is? She has been told by her best friend that Johnny betrayed her and turned her over to the Nazis in order to free himself. She wants to find out for herself if that is true, and if her husband still loves her. If she continues the story that Nelly is dead, she might be able to get the truth out of Johnny. She is like a ghost who is trying to find out how people actually felt about her when she was alive.

Johnny's plan is to train Nelly to act like his supposedly dead wife, and dress her to look the part. He will then tell Nelly's friends that she is alive and is arriving on a certain train. They rehearse how she will act upon arrival in Berlin.

When the big day comes and Nelly arrives on the train, Johnny is in for a major shock. By that time, Nelly has gotten some more information about Johnny, which convinces her of what she must do. There is a lot more to this story, which is told in quite a different way than the way I have told it here.

It is a powerful, compelling story of coming back from the dead and looking at life from a different perspective. The movie has an interesting look to it, including a good depiction of postwar Berlin, with bombed out buildings and U.S. soldiers everywhere. There is also quite a bit of talk about the treatment of Jews in Germany at this time, and the desire to get to Palestine. The acting is very convincing by Hoss and Zehrfeld. Writer-Director Christian Petzold (“Barbara”) has crafted a compelling ghost story. This film rates an A.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in digital formats, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

Copyright © 2015 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
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