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It is believed that modern plastic surgery started in the early 20th Century. The two "World Wars" provided enough patients for aspiring plastic surgeons to innovate and, well, "practice" in the reconstructive part of it, to fix or improve the functions of parts of the body that had suffered the consequences of war, while the cosmetic side of it could provide improved or discreet appearance to those that needed it. But these surgeries are only skin-deep and can't fix the emotional and psychological issues that come with war.
Phoenix follows Nelly (Nina Hoss), a former singer trying to pick up the pieces of her life after the end of World War II. A survivor of a concentration camp, Nelly was left for dead after being shot in the face, but undergoes reconstructive surgery in an attempt to regain her normal life. "How do you want to look?", asks the doctor, trying to give her the option to start life anew, but Nelly wants to look "exactly like I used to". But sometimes, the wounds are too deep, too severe, "it's never quite the same".
But Nelly is not ready yet to abandon her past life, and is determined to look for her estranged husband, Johnny (Ronald Zehrfeld), much to the dismay of her friend Lene (Nina Kunzendorf), who assures her that Johnny is the one who betrayed her. The film follows Nelly's attempts to find and reconnect with her husband, perhaps with the hope that Lene's suspicions are false, or maybe to face the hard truth herself in order to move on, and rise from the ashes of her past life.
Phoenix a slow burner, as director and co-writer Christian Petzold takes his time to set the story, and build the characters. The fire you can feel from the three main performances also doesn't let the story feel stuck, but rather keeps it moving, wondering what will happen next. The film is not a thriller, but a more introspective character study as we see them each pondering their next steps, and what to do. How can we reconstruct, or recreate after... this?
As good as all the cast is, the strength of the film is Hoss' performance. She effectively enacts the development of Nelly, from the frail, bandaged human being we meet at the start, to the strong, confident woman we see walk out in the last act, in an ending that packs quite an emotional wallop.
Grade:
PHOENIX
(2014, Petzold)
A film with a title that starts with the letters O or P
-- recommended by Sylvie --
(2014, Petzold)
A film with a title that starts with the letters O or P
-- recommended by Sylvie --
"The clinic needed pictures for the reconstruction. Sorry. That's the wrong word. Dr Bongartz used it and I simply... Re-creation is better, right?"
It is believed that modern plastic surgery started in the early 20th Century. The two "World Wars" provided enough patients for aspiring plastic surgeons to innovate and, well, "practice" in the reconstructive part of it, to fix or improve the functions of parts of the body that had suffered the consequences of war, while the cosmetic side of it could provide improved or discreet appearance to those that needed it. But these surgeries are only skin-deep and can't fix the emotional and psychological issues that come with war.
Phoenix follows Nelly (Nina Hoss), a former singer trying to pick up the pieces of her life after the end of World War II. A survivor of a concentration camp, Nelly was left for dead after being shot in the face, but undergoes reconstructive surgery in an attempt to regain her normal life. "How do you want to look?", asks the doctor, trying to give her the option to start life anew, but Nelly wants to look "exactly like I used to". But sometimes, the wounds are too deep, too severe, "it's never quite the same".
But Nelly is not ready yet to abandon her past life, and is determined to look for her estranged husband, Johnny (Ronald Zehrfeld), much to the dismay of her friend Lene (Nina Kunzendorf), who assures her that Johnny is the one who betrayed her. The film follows Nelly's attempts to find and reconnect with her husband, perhaps with the hope that Lene's suspicions are false, or maybe to face the hard truth herself in order to move on, and rise from the ashes of her past life.
Phoenix a slow burner, as director and co-writer Christian Petzold takes his time to set the story, and build the characters. The fire you can feel from the three main performances also doesn't let the story feel stuck, but rather keeps it moving, wondering what will happen next. The film is not a thriller, but a more introspective character study as we see them each pondering their next steps, and what to do. How can we reconstruct, or recreate after... this?
As good as all the cast is, the strength of the film is Hoss' performance. She effectively enacts the development of Nelly, from the frail, bandaged human being we meet at the start, to the strong, confident woman we see walk out in the last act, in an ending that packs quite an emotional wallop.
Grade: