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Barbara

Turkish title: Barbara
2012 · 1 h 45 min
Directed by Christian Petzold · Germany · Contemporary European Art Cinema
Drama

Cast

Nina Hoss

Credits

Written by: Christian Petzold

Plot

In 1980 East Germany, Barbara, a doctor, is punished for applying for an exit visa and exiled to a small hospital in the countryside. She is watched by the Stasi and by the head doctor, André, and while she plans to escape to the West with her lover, she grows close to her patients and to André. Christian Petzold's 2012 film, with Nina Hoss, won the Silver Bear for best director in Berlin.

Sinekatalog’s take

Christian Petzold's East German drama of a doctor planning escape is quiet, tense and controlled. Nina Hoss is superb, and the film's paranoia and moral choices are beautifully understated.Sinekatalog’s own editorial review – not a user or critic quote.

Ratings

IMDb: 7.2 / 10 (17,412 votes)
IMDb rating and vote count from the IMDb ratings dataset (October 2026). Scores change over time.

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