Berlin Syndrome is an Australian psychological thriller drama film
about an Australian photographer named Clare (Teresa Palmer) who hooks up with a local school
teacher named Andi (Max Riemelt) while vacationing in Berlin. After a night of passion, Clare wakes up to
discover that Andi has already left for work and she’s locked inside his
apartment. Upon his return, he tells her
that he has simply forgotten to leave her the key, and she stays for another
night. But when it happens again the
next day, she finally realizes, to her horror, that he actually has no
intention of ever letting her leave.
Somehow, as an abduction
psychological thriller, I found Berlin
Syndrome fresh. Yet it’s neither the
mindblower that Split is nor does it
have the disturbing absurdity of Tusk. And I don’t think it did something radically
different from other “pure” abduction psychological thrillers I’ve seen. Maybe because there’s a few of them out there
(or I’ve only watched a few) that its tropes aren’t tiring yet. I don’t know.
Anyway, at the very least, I found it more rewarding than Hounds of Love (another Aussie abduction
psychological thriller I’ve seen earlier this year, which is ironically more
well-liked by critics than Berlin
Syndrome).
Maybe in its nuances, there’s
something that makes it notable. The
film is constructed quite well. The
cinematography and sound design are well taut, working together to build an
effectual ambiance. And while the
narrative is a tad predictable, it does have legitimate tension and cleverness. Plus, the strong performances, especially
from Palmer, only make it more engrossing.
In the end, Berlin Syndrome doesn’t make a lasting emphatic
impression. But it’s entirely immersive and noticeably well-crafted nonetheless.
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