Berlin Syndrome (film)

Berlin Syndrome
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Cate Shortland
Screenplay by	Shaun Grant
Based on	Berlin Syndrome by Melanie Joosten
Produced by	Polly Staniford
Starring	Teresa Palmer Max Riemelt
Cinematography	Germain McMicking
Edited by	Jack Hutchings
Music by	Bryony Marks
Production companies	Screen Australia Aquarius Films Film Victoria Memento Films International Entertainment One DDP Studios Fulcrum Media Finance Photoplay Films
Distributed by	Entertainment One (Australia) Netflix (France)
Release dates	January 20, 2017 (2017-01-20) (Sundance) April 20, 2017 (2017-04-20) (Australia) August 27, 2017 (2017-08-27) (France)
Running time	116 minutes
Countries	Australia France
Languages	English German
Box office	$788,191

Berlin Syndrome is a 2017 psychological horror thriller film directed by Cate Shortland from a screenplay by Shaun Grant, based on the 2012 novel of the same name by Melanie Joosten. The film follows a young Australian photographer (Teresa Palmer) who travels to Germany, where she meets an attractive young English teacher (Max Riemelt). Waking up after a stormy night of passion with him, the photographer is suddenly taken hostage by her would-be lover.

Berlin Syndrome had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on 20 January 2017 and was released in Australia on 20 April 2017 by Entertainment One. The film received very positive reviews from critics, with many praising the atmosphere, and the performances of Palmer and Riemelt.

Plot

While exploring Berlin, Australian backpacker and photographer Clare meets a local man named Andi who teaches English at a nearby school. They spend the day together and then go back to Andi's apartment where they have sex. The following morning while Andi is at work, Clare awakes and finds herself locked inside. Upon his return, he tells her he forgot to leave her a key, and she spends another night after they go out dancing.

The next day, Clare discovers he has written the word meine (German for 'mine') on her shoulder and has also stolen her SIM card from her phone. Realising Andi has no intention of letting her go, Clare attempts to escape by smashing one of the windows, but finds they are double paned and reinforced with plexiglass. She also realises all of the other apartments in the building are abandoned. When Andi returns home, Clare begs him to let her go but he refuses, and begins restraining her to the bed while he is at work, leaving Clare to soil herself.

Andi has dinner with his father, Erich, and tells him he is dating Clare. Erich asks what happened to his previous girlfriend Natalie, and Andi tells him she went back to Canada. That night when Andi lets Clare shower, she is horrified to find a clump of long blonde hair in the drain, indicating she is not his first victim. Meanwhile, Andi texts Clare's mother posing as her, informing her she is well.

Clare finds a screwdriver under the sofa and, when Andi comes home, she stabs him in the hand before fleeing the apartment. Andi manages to catch up with her in the courtyard downstairs, bringing Clare back inside after breaking her fingers. Later on, Franka, one of Andi's students, shows up at his apartment; she flirts with him as he has previously shown interest in her at school, but when Franka briefly spots Clare, Andi tells her she is his girlfriend and then threatens to report her behaviour to the school, causing her to leave.

As time goes on, Andi continues with his bizarre behaviour, which includes taking pictures of Clare in disturbing positions, cutting off pieces of her hair, and retreating to a locked room. Andi later discovers his father has passed away. Depressed, he spends a week at his father's house, leaving Clare alone in the apartment with the power turned off. When Andi returns, she comforts him and they have sex. As the holidays approach, Clare's mood seems to brighten; she learns to play the accordion and bakes treats for Andi. Andi gifts her his father's dog for company, but kills him days later when he becomes jealous of their bond.

Andi takes Clare outside for the first time in months, to a forest where he plans to kill her with an axe. Before he can, they are interrupted by two young boys, one who has injured his leg. Clare quietly begs the other to go for help but he doesn't understand English. On New Years Eve while Andi attends a work party, Clare eventually breaks into the locked room and finds photo albums filled with Polaroids of a blonde woman, presumably Natalie. Later that night, Clare sees a man outside shining a flashlight at the apartment windows; she screams for help and he attempts to rescue her, but Andi returns home and kills him with a crowbar. Andi forces Clare to help him wrap the body in plastic, telling her it's her fault he is dead. Andi then takes the body outside and burns it in a dumpster in the courtyard.

More time passes and Clare seemingly appears to enjoy life with Andi. One afternoon when she sees him grading his student's workbooks, she secretly hides a Polaroid in Franka's. Days later at school, Franka finds the picture, one of Clare bound and gagged. She flees the room in shock and the picture falls to the floor, which begins to get passed around by the other students. When it is discovered by Andi, he leaves the school in a panic. He arrives home to find the courtyard door open and the locked box of Clare's possessions open and empty. Clare lures Andi in, hiding on the floor above his apartment. When he goes into the apartment, she calls his name and, before he can react, she locks him inside. Clare then rescues Franka from upstairs.

The ending sees Clare enjoying her freedom as she rides in a cab through Berlin's busy streets.

Cast

• Teresa Palmer as Clare Havel
• Max Riemelt as Andi Werner
• Matthias Habich as Erich Werner, Andi's father
• Emma Bading as Franka Hummels
• Elmira Bahrami as Jana
• Christoph Franken as Peter
• Lara Marie Müller as Silke
• Viktor Baschmakov as Benni
• Mascha Wolf as Mascha
• Matthias Russel as Jakob
• Lucie Aron as Elodie Zadikan
• Morgane Ferru as Jesie Lamarque
• Thuso Lekwape as Billy Dharma
• Nassim Avat as Aron Hurwitz

Production

Producer Polly Staniford, actor Max Riemelt and director Cate Shortland at the Berlinale 2017

The film is based on the novel of the same name by Melanie Joosten, and the title is a reference to Stockholm syndrome. According to director Cate Shortland, the character of Andi had romanticised and idealised the East Germany of his childhood, and wanted to recreate a utopia in his own life.

In May 2015, Teresa Palmer and Max Riemelt joined the cast. Riemelt was chosen from a shortlist of 10 male actors.

Filming

Production began in September 2015 in Berlin. For two weeks prior to filming, Palmer and Riemelt stayed together in a small apartment similar to the one on the set.

In November 2015, filming moved to Docklands Studios Melbourne in Australia.

Release

The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on 20 January 2017. Prior to Entertainment One, Curzon Artificial Eye, Vertical Entertainment and Netflix acquired Australian, United Kingdom, and United States distribution rights, respectively. It was released in Australia on 20 April, in the United States on 5 May, and in the United Kingdom on 9 June 2017.

Reception

Box office

Berlin Syndrome has grossed $28,660 in the United States and Canada, and $759,531 in other territories, for a total worldwide gross of $788,191, sales of its DVD/Blu-ray releases have cashed $22,663.

Critical response

Berlin Syndrome was met with positive reviews. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 76% based on 90 reviews, and an average rating of 6.5/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Berlin Syndrome offers thriller fans an uncommonly well-written descent into dangerous obsession, enlivened by taut direction and a committed performance from Teresa Palmer." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 70 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Accolades

Award	Category	Subject	Result
AACTA Awards (7th)	Best Film	Polly Staniford	Nominated
	Best Direction	Cate Shortland	Nominated
	Best Adapted Screenplay	Shaun Grant	Nominated
	Best Actress	Teresa Palmer	Nominated
	Best Editing	Jack Hutchings	Nominated
	Best Original Music Score	Bryony Marks	Nominated
	Best Production Design	Melinda Doring	Nominated
	Best Costume Design	Maria Pattison	Nominated
AFCA Awards	Best Film	Berlin Syndrome	Nominated
	Best Director	Cate Shortland	Nominated
	Best Actress	Teresa Palmer	Nominated
	Best Screenplay	Shaun Grant	Nominated
	Best Cinematography	Germain McMicking	Nominated
ASSG Award	Best Achievement in Sound for Film Sound Recording	Dane Cody, Auryn Lacy, Steffen Graubaum, Felix Kaufmann & Tom Herdman	Nominated
	Best Achievement in Sound for Film Sound Mixing	Sam Gain-Emery, Phil Heywood (re-recording mixer) & Glenn Humphries	Nominated
AWGIE Award	Best Writing in a Feature Film - Adaptation	Shaun Grant	Nominated
Dallas International Film Festival	Grand Jury Prize - Narrative Feature Competition	Cate Shortland	Nominated
FCCA Awards	Best Film	Polly Staniford	Nominated
	Best Director	Cate Shortland	Nominated
	Best Actress	Teresa Palmer	Nominated
	Best Cinematography	Germain McMicking	Nominated
	Best Original Score	Bryony Marks	Won
	Best Editing	Jack Hutchings	Nominated
Sundance Film Festival	Grand Jury Prize - World Cinema — Dramatic	Cate Shortland	Nominated

External links

• Berlin Syndrome at IMDb
• ‹The template AllMovie title is being considered for deletion.› Berlin Syndrome at AllMovie