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10

alisasasAug 6, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Film incredibly sensual and emotionally seduce the viewer. Aside from the historical thread and the fact how destructive effect the war had on human nature, it is testing deepest feelings such as respect, desire to save a loved one or even love. the movie also shows how easy love can turn into hate, joy in the deepest disappointment, what an incredible force is revenge, and how powerful is the silence.… Expand

5 of 5 users found this helpful50

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9

DudleiJul 27, 2015

Refreshing story about the effects of World War II. More than any other movie, this is the one that perhaps best describes the short-term effects of the war in one's identity, personality and relationships.

4 of 4 users found this helpful40

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10

shermySep 1, 2015

This is one of the most memorable movies I have ever seen. Don't know if it's the right word, but to me part of its quality is compactness - no frills, just the story itself. I have literally no knowledge of the German language, but theThis is one of the most memorable movies I have ever seen. Don't know if it's the right word, but to me part of its quality is compactness - no frills, just the story itself. I have literally no knowledge of the German language, but the acting was so good you could almost anticipate the captions.

In my view the ending was spellbinding in its drama and beauty. Maybe one of the best endings of all times.

Really a shame that this movie will probably not be available to wider audiences. Thank you Sundance.… Expand

3 of 3 users found this helpful30

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10

GinaKSep 7, 2015

Phoenix is one of the finest films I have seen this year. Although basically a story of love and betrayal, the tension is increased dramatically by setting the story during the holocaust when a wife could be conveniently discarded andPhoenix is one of the finest films I have seen this year. Although basically a story of love and betrayal, the tension is increased dramatically by setting the story during the holocaust when a wife could be conveniently discarded and exploited if she were Jewish. Nina Hoss was astonishing and flawless, and the direction and story were riveting. I was reminded of Fassbinder, but Petzold creates characters that are less abstract and more believably human.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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10

AldisSep 3, 2015

PHOENIX is the only film I have ever seen based entirely on a single song - and very short song, at that. Kurt Weill left Germany for New York before WW II. His music was declared degenerate by Hitler. During the war he wrote 'Speak Low' forPHOENIX is the only film I have ever seen based entirely on a single song - and very short song, at that. Kurt Weill left Germany for New York before WW II. His music was declared degenerate by Hitler. During the war he wrote 'Speak Low' for a Broadway play (not a musical) called 'One Touch of Venus'. The lyric 'speak low ', written by Ogden Nash, is taken from the opening lines of Shakespeare's As You Like It. In a way, the play, too, became an inspiration for the film. The movie is a parable dealing with man's inhumanity to man, yet it is an extraordinary affirmation of life. It is absolutely brilliant, so brilliant that it won't be around for very long, so GO!… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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10

jasharkowalskiJul 26, 2015

A melodrama? Yes, but this one packs a huge **** to the society that embraced Adolf just a decade prior the time depicted in this film....the society where being a Jew was a ticket to a death camp....

5 of 6 users found this helpful51

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10

LetScarJul 26, 2015

Beautiful movie, I do not know if it's because I'm excited because recently watched... No, the movie really surprised me, great acting of Nina Ross, which I like a lot. And Petzold, I didn't know him, worked masterfully this unique andBeautiful movie, I do not know if it's because I'm excited because recently watched... No, the movie really surprised me, great acting of Nina Ross, which I like a lot. And Petzold, I didn't know him, worked masterfully this unique and touching story.… Expand

4 of 5 users found this helpful41

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7

TVJerryAug 22, 2015

After her liberation from the Nazi concentration camps, a disfigured woman (Nina Hoss) is given facial reconstruction. Her obsession to reunite with her former husband is complicated by her new look and his greed. This import by ChristianAfter her liberation from the Nazi concentration camps, a disfigured woman (Nina Hoss) is given facial reconstruction. Her obsession to reunite with her former husband is complicated by her new look and his greed. This import by Christian Petzold ("Barbara") has the deliberate pacing that's common with European films, plus the somewhat dispassionate solemnity that's stereotypically German. Still, the performances are absorbing (esp. Hoss), the story is compelling and the filmmaking is solid.… Expand

3 of 4 users found this helpful31

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2

ProteusSep 5, 2015

Absurd premise. ALERT: this movie asks the viewer to believe a man would not recognize his wife simply because her facial features have changed. Same voice. Same body. Same walk. Same laugh. Same handwriting. Same every single other thing. IAbsurd premise. ALERT: this movie asks the viewer to believe a man would not recognize his wife simply because her facial features have changed. Same voice. Same body. Same walk. Same laugh. Same handwriting. Same every single other thing. I contend that is patently ridiculous. But it is the whole premise of this movie.

Buyer beware - absurd premise. Glacial pacing. Depressing story. You have been warned.… Expand

4 of 7 users found this helpful43

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3

RatedRexJan 7, 2016

If my wife chopped off her head, I would still recognize every other inch of her remaining body. No way in hell can a man not recognize his wife mannerisms, body language and aura. The face is inconsequential. You will have to totally suspendIf my wife chopped off her head, I would still recognize every other inch of her remaining body. No way in hell can a man not recognize his wife mannerisms, body language and aura. The face is inconsequential. You will have to totally suspend your disbelief in order to enjoy this movie. I couldn't do it, hence the 3 out of 10 review.… Expand

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

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8

whitewindAug 29, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. "Phoenix" is very well done, but could have been better. The plot mostly makes sense, and characterizations are very good. It is somewhat "talky" in the middle, but this passes. There are two areas, however, in wrapping up the story which could have been easily improved and would have made the picture somewhat more convincing and whole movie going experience more fulfilling. One concerns the departure of Lene, Nelly's relative, from the story. The other is the way the ending is handled. Suffice it to say that the ending could have have been portrayed in a more conclusive manner.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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5

netflicAug 10, 2015

It's a movie about a Holocaust survivor looking for her husband who betrayed her.
The movie has a very nice sound track, cinematography is decent, performance is adequate.
But can a realistic movie be good if it's script does not make muchIt's a movie about a Holocaust survivor looking for her husband who betrayed her.
The movie has a very nice sound track, cinematography is decent, performance is adequate.
But can a realistic movie be good if it's script does not make much sense? Even taken into account the possibility and probability of emotional distress leading to illogical actions, still it is difficult to understand main characters' behavior.
Times and times again I said to myself "what?" in disbelief.
Maybe the main idea was interesting but it was not well thought through and as a result looks and feels artificial. Overall I find the movie at best mediocre.… Expand

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

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6

GreatMartinAug 11, 2015

“They don’t make them like the did in the old days, “ is the cry of many senior film buffs, including me. In “Phoenix” the director, and co-writer with Harun Farocki, Christian Petzold certainly tries. With bits of Alfred Hitchcock’s“They don’t make them like the did in the old days, “ is the cry of many senior film buffs, including me. In “Phoenix” the director, and co-writer with Harun Farocki, Christian Petzold certainly tries. With bits of Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo” here, Kander and Ebb’s, with Fosse’s, “Cabaret” there, this movie, as film noir, cries out for a Barbara Stanwyck or Lana Turner and to have been filmed in black and white.

The story of a woman, Nelly, who had her face damaged by a gunshot wound in a German concentration camp has her face reconstructed after the war and goes looking for her husband Johnny. Upon finding him he doesn’t recognize her and tries to get her involved with a get rich scheme by having her impersonate his late wife so he can get her inheritance that was left by her relatives who died in the war.

“As Time Goes By” is an important part of “Casablanca” as are “Again” in “Road House” and “Que Sera, Sera” in “The Man Who Knew Too Much” and this movie too has a song that becomes an important part of the story, by Kurt Weill and Ogden Nash, called “Speak Low” which is heard throughout the film and impacts the ending.

Nina Hoss, as Nelly, may not have the sexuality of a Lana Turner, and is a beauty in her own right, but she is the equal of Barbara Stanwyck in the acting department. She can and does say a lot with a look, her eyes through bad or good and the way she holds herself. You watch her progression from a scared, downtrodden woman to the beautiful, confident woman she was before the war. Ronald Zehrfeld, as her husband Johnny, who thinks that she can pass for his wife that could help him put his scam over has doubts about who she really may be but not enough to stop him. Zehrfeld has a romantic innocence that makes him seem less the villain than he is.

Another major, but undeveloped, role is Nina Kunzendorf as Lene, who does a lot for Nelly but their relationship isn’t quite defined and is unceremoniously out of the film before the halfway mark.

I was told by Allen that the film was an analogy of Germany after the war but I will admit it went right over my head! It might account for why I didn’t like the film as much as I expected to but it did introduce me to Hoss, Zehrfeld and Petzold enough for me to want to see the previous films they have made together.

“Phoenix” is a German film with (some poor such as ‘sit up‘ instead of ‘sit down‘) subtitles running 98 minutes.… Expand

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

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0

wisewoodJun 19, 2016

do not waste your time on this miserable movie..cannot understand why the movie critics liked it.
unbelievable at best..a husband does not recognize his wife? her voice /mannerisms / walk or handwriting
the story could have been over in 5do not waste your time on this miserable movie..cannot understand why the movie critics liked it.
unbelievable at best..a husband does not recognize his wife? her voice /mannerisms / walk or handwriting
the story could have been over in 5 mins..
the only reason we kept watching was for some sort of answers/explanations dont hold your breath there arent any… Expand

1 of 5 users found this helpful14

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6

LowbrowCinemaAug 3, 2015

Director Christian Petzold and actress Nina Hoss have now brought us a string of accomplished films exploring Germany's past and present, culminating with the extraordinary BARBARA. What a disappoint it is to report on PHOENIX. A metaphoricalDirector Christian Petzold and actress Nina Hoss have now brought us a string of accomplished films exploring Germany's past and present, culminating with the extraordinary BARBARA. What a disappoint it is to report on PHOENIX. A metaphorical conception of a concentration camp survivor given a new face (literally) only to come back to Berlin to follow her husband, the man that betrayed her. PHOENIX is worthy of Sirk or Fassbinder. Petzold's direction is without merit and he gives one of our best actresses nothing to do. A total misfire that I found downright dull.… Expand

0 of 3 users found this helpful03

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8

SpangleMar 30, 2016

This is the first film I have seen by Christian Petzold and what an introduction. Nina Hoss is revolutionary in Petzold's post-WWII drama thriller Phoenix. The film is a borderline haunting experience that thrives on subtlety, exemplified byThis is the first film I have seen by Christian Petzold and what an introduction. Nina Hoss is revolutionary in Petzold's post-WWII drama thriller Phoenix. The film is a borderline haunting experience that thrives on subtlety, exemplified by Hoss' performance. The film has been described by others as being a bit of a noir film and this is most certainly true, but more than the mystery element here, for me is the drama. Phoenix is a film that rips your heart out as you watch this woman realize what has happened in the aftermath of her being sent to a concentration camp. Though Holocaust films are almost overdone at this point, Phoenix manages to breathe a breath of fresh air into this subset of films. Phoenix is deeply affecting and really rips your heart out repeatedly as you watch this woman grapple with the fact that her life is changed forever.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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10

jeffrey3146Sep 1, 2015

great film?walked out of theatre,wondering what did I just see, a WWII thriller,sort of stunned....calling this a psychological thriller taking place in post-war Berlin(1946, one yr.after the war makes it 'post-war'?),is like calling agreat film?walked out of theatre,wondering what did I just see, a WWII thriller,sort of stunned....calling this a psychological thriller taking place in post-war Berlin(1946, one yr.after the war makes it 'post-war'?),is like calling a Ferrari a car. I suppose you could observe after seeing this film that everyone who managed to survive the war & live to tell about it,never mind actually fighting in a battle, deserves some sort of military medal, considering the psychological wreakage Hitler wreaked on the world[6 million germans killed in battle, 34 million fought & died fighting the Nazi onslaught in god knows how many countries, literally a 'world war'.>>Although I'm sure there are many asian romance movies w/ equally complicated story lines,I rate this a 10,despite trouble following the plot line.Didn't see this as a love story either,since the protagonist,Nina Hoss, who plays a Jewish cabaret singer who has seen better days has never had her unrequited love reciprocated by her former husband,Johnny(before,during,& after the war in Berlin)>>anyway, the analogy I was trying to make w/ the movie,KING RAT,(incredible performance by george segal,as Corporal King),was that the'hate' that Corporal King gave to the british provost Marshall(TIm COurtenay) kept him alive,much like the 'supposed love' Johnny gave to his ex-wife,Nelly,kept her alive as well,even at auschwitz....… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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9

EpicLadySpongeMar 10, 2016

Oh come on, Phoenix is one heck of a ride you'll ever experience. Just pretend this is like a ride... except that you're going to make it better just by sitting on the seat of the ride and enjoying it on one full blast.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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8

zNeverSleepingApr 15, 2020

Phoenix é uma obra emocionante.

A atuação de Nina Hoss é o maior marco do filme. Ela casa muito bem com a atmosfera e diz muito apenas com suas expressões faciais, que são quase hipnotizantes. É impossível não simpatizar com ela, visto o quePhoenix é uma obra emocionante.

A atuação de Nina Hoss é o maior marco do filme. Ela casa muito bem com a atmosfera e diz muito apenas com suas expressões faciais, que são quase hipnotizantes. É impossível não simpatizar com ela, visto o que ela passou e o que a aguardava. Cada sorriso ou olhar sucinto foi muito bem estudado e isso é magnifico. Os personagens foram muito bem desenvolvidos. Nina Kunzendorf entrega uma melancolia profunda, que com alguns sinais, já eram o suficiente para imaginar o que havia de vir. Ronald Zehrfeld é consistente e passa mesmo uma imagem de que está desesperado para sair daquela vida, mas de forma sucinta.

O roteiro, junto a direção, trabalha muito bem com o psicológico da Nelly, e de acordo com o que vamos descobrindo junto a ela, ficamos cada vez mais aflitos quanto ao momento que ela se revelará. E que final, meus amigos...

A condução de todo o plano foi maestral, e é de emocional qualquer um. O fato dela se soltar aos poucos toca na alma, e a reação do seu ex-marido demonstra muito bem a reação do publico ao ver esta cena. E um dos pontos a se mencionar: O filme acaba quando deve, sem mais nem menos, assim como a vida é, da forma mais nua e crua.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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10

LucasTSSep 23, 2019

Summary: Nelly (Nina Hoss), a German-Jewish nightclub singer, has survived a concentration camp, but with her face disfigured by a bullet wound. After reconstructive surgery, Nelly emerges with a new face, one similar but different enoughSummary: Nelly (Nina Hoss), a German-Jewish nightclub singer, has survived a concentration camp, but with her face disfigured by a bullet wound. After reconstructive surgery, Nelly emerges with a new face, one similar but different enough that her former husband, Johnny (Ronald Zehrfeld), doesn’t recognize her. Rather than reveal herself, Nelly… Expand… Expand

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