In the opening moments of Christian Petzold’s masterfully murky ninth feature, we learn several things about the titular Undine . She lives in Berlin, she’s a historian who lectures on the city’s architectural landmarks and urban development, and she’s just been dumped. Undine’s now ex-partner Johannes delivers a breakup spiel with an unsympathetically frank attitude. In turn, she, with a matching matter-of-factness, informs him that she will have to kill him.
The reasoning here requires a point of reference not well known in North America. Undines, also spelled ondines, are water nymphs from European mythology. Legend goes that should an undine be betrayed by a lover, she has to exact revenge. Initially, it’s unclear whether the character has simply taken her namesake to heart or if there is a truly fantastical element lurking beneath the surface.
But it doesn’t take long for the fairy tale to return. In a meet-cute involving an exploding fish tank, Undine begins a courtship with Christoph . Beer and Rogowski also collaborated with Petzold for 2018′s, an astounding Second World War-era romantic drama. Once again, the two have magnetic chemistry, but there’s a palpable and aching sense that this is not happily ever after.
A few motifs – including a small statue of a diver with a broken leg – reappear enough that they might seem heavy handed to some, but the film is far from sloppy or sentimental. If anything, the recurring elements highlight a curiosity and an impulse to parse through connections in search of meaning. I’ve seen countless movies with crying characters, but only in this one did such an image prompt the contemplation that tears are also salt water.
Returning to the guided tour that she delivers shortly after the breakup with Johannes, Undine surveys large tables of miniature city models and notes the significant buildings. Elaborating on the intricacies of one such table, she states that it conveys a “loving attention to detail.” The descriptor here seems too deliberate to be brushed off. Undine intentionally characterizes the construction as something that came from a place of love, not just duty.