Berlin Syndrome 2017

     This film is based on the debut novel of Melanie Joosten.  She won the Kathleen Mitchell Award for Young Writers and she was named one of the Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Novelists of 2012.  Australian photojournalist Clare is in Berlin, Germany.  She wants shake herself out of her routine life and she’s put her items back home in storage.  She meets Andi and even though they are instantly attracted to each other, Andi says he has plans for the evening.  Clare looks for Andi the next day even though she told him she was leaving for Dresden.  Clare stays overnight at Andi’s apartment and she finds herself locked in the apartment in the morning.  When he gets home from work, she asks him why and he says he meant to leave the door key but it’s in his pocket.  The next morning, he leaves the key but she immediately finds out it doesn't fit the door?

     This film and the title are a take-off on Stockholm syndrome.  A with this syndrome person begins to side with the person they are with and become psychologically dependent as a survival strategy.  The phrase originated after a six-day bank siege.  Patricia Hearst used this as her trial defense when she robbed a bank in Berkeley California with the Smybionese Liberation Army or SLA.  She was kidnapped on February 4, 1974 and freed on September 18, 1975.  There are some very tense moments in this film!!  I didn't know what was going to happen and how this is was going to end??  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

116 min, Drama directed by Cate Shortland with Teresa Palmer, Max Riemelt, Matthias Habich, Emma Bading, Elmira Bahrami, Christoph Franken, Lucie Aron, Nassim Avat, Malin Steffen, Thuso Lekwape.

Imdb 6.3 out of 10, 74% critic 54% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 3*, Amazon 3.5* out of 5* with 30 reviews, The Guardian 4* out of 5*, Metacritic 70 out of 100 with 17 critics 6.6 out of 10 with 16 reviews.

Special Note:  Kreuzberg and Mitte, Berlin, Germany and Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.  Teresa Palmer was also in Hacksaw Ridge of 2016.  Andi’s apartment was recreated on a Docklands sound stage in Melbourne.  This apartment is based on a real one in the Prenzlauer Berg neighborhood of Berlin.  It’s a 50 or 60 apartment building with only about 8 units occupied.