Cast: Teresa Palmer and Max Riemelt
Director: Cate Shortland
Running Time: 116 minutes
Synopsis: Clare, a twenty–something Australian photojournalist, arrives in Germany on a sabbatical from work. She intends to photograph Soviet–designed architecture in the hope of publishing a book. However on her first morning in Berlin she meets Andi, a charismatic German man who teaches English at a local High School. The instant connection and chemistry between Andi and Clare leads to a night of unbridled passion. But when Clare goes to leave the next morning she discovers that the door is locked. Not only that, but she is the only inhabitant of an otherwise abandoned apartment complex.
Clare desperately attempts to free herself from the apartment but is unable to. The windows are reinforced with Perspex and the door is bolted shut. Clare tries to reason with Andi, believing it must be some kind of misunderstanding, but he won't let her go.
Clare becomes distraught, lashing out at Andi and he has no choice but to tie her to the bed while he goes to work. One morning however he agrees to leave her untied – she convinces him there is nowhere for her to go. Upon arriving home that afternoon Andi is pleased to find Clare busying herself with a jigsaw puzzle. She gestures for Andi to help her and as he lets his guard down, she stabs him in the hand with a screw driver, grabs the keys and attempts to escape. Andi soon catches up with her and smashes her hand in the external courtyard door, breaking her fingers.
The days, weeks and months pass by as Clare becomes accustomed to her life of captivity. Meanwhile outside the apartment walls, Andi is forced to deal with what he believes to be the infatuation of a female student, Franka, and the persistence of his father, Erich, who suggests Andi meet with his estranged mother.
As autumn turns to winter, what began as his obsession has now become theirs as Clare becomes reliant on Andi to be both her provider and her only companion. When Franka comes to the apartment wanting to see Andi, he threatens Clare that he will kill Franka if she says anything. Franka gets a glimpse of Clare in the hallway of the apartment and is upset to hear Andi has a girlfriend – she thought he was interested in her.
After a violent outburst, Andi abandons Clare and goes to stay with his father. Clare starts to wonder if Andi will ever come back. Meanwhile, Andi wakes to find his father has passed away and spends several lonely days alone with his father's lifeless body.
When Andi finally returns to the apartment, he and Clare reunite – emotionally and physically. For a moment, life seems to return to normal. Christmas comes and Andi surprises Clare with an outing to a beautiful forest. When they come across two young boys, Clare takes her chance to cry for help but the language barrier prevents this from being a success.
On New Years Eve, while Andi is at a colleague's party, Clare breaks into his locked spare room and discovers a strange massage chair and albums full of photos that he has taken of her. She also discovers photos of another girl, trapped like her in the apartment and realises her fate is sealed unless she can find a way out.
Andi's obsession leads to the murder of a homeless man attempting to free Clare, and she realises time is running out. Meanwhile, Andi becomes increasingly unhinged and when he discovers Clare's photo in a newspaper article about a missing person, he announces that he is getting the apartment fumigated. Clare now once again fears for her life and knows that she must flee before it is too late. Clare puts together her final desperate plan for freedom. While preparing dinner for Andi, Clare purposely burns her hand on the stove. This forces Andi to search for ointment in the bathroom. While he is gone, Clare searches through his student's book. The following morning when Franka opens her school book, she discovers a terrifying photo of Clare, clearly a cry for help.
Franka, remembering meeting Clare at Andi's front door one evening, immediately flees the school grounds and upon arriving at Andi's apartment, she frees Clare, but only just in time for Andi's return. The two of them hide in an upstairs apartment as Andi searches for Clare. Just as he thinks he has got her, she locks him in the apartment and escapes.
We go out on Clare leaving Berlin in a taxi, taking in the world for the first time since captivity, putting her past behind her, hopeful of the future.
Berlin Syndrome
Question: What is this story about for you?
Teresa Palmer: It's an exploration into the dynamic between two individuals. It delves into themes of love, lust, control, sexuality, loneliness, personal suffering and growth.
Question: What was it about this story that you were drawn to?
Teresa Palmer: I loved the character of Clare and getting to explore her imperfections, her darkness and then her ultimate discovery of self. I hadn't played such an introverted and internal character before so it was a tremendous challenge for me. Above all, Cate Shortland was the biggest draw card. I've been a long-time fan of hers ever since I saw Somersault. I've been dying to work with her for years.
Question: How did you prepare for the role of Clare?
Teresa Palmer: I prepped mostly with Cate and Max in the rehearsal room. We really took apart the scenes and injected our own interpretations and discoveries of these characters and rewrote the scenes together. We found some really daring and intense parts of these characters and once we felt as though we had journeyed through all facets of them we knew we were ready to get to work and play.
Question: How was it working with Cate Shortland?
Teresa Palmer: She has been my favourite director to work with thus far. She really knows how to highlight authenticity, it's what she is interested in and celebrates. I loved how excited she would be by actions that we would take which would generally be subconscious, like the picking of our nails, the tucking of our hair, how we moved our feet etc. She wanted to capture these moments as important character pieces. I've never worked with a director who still seems to see the world through the lens of someone discovering it for the first time.
Question: What is this story about for you?
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