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Berlin Syndrome

Play trailer 2:06 Poster for Berlin Syndrome R Released May 26, 2017 1h 56m Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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74% Tomatometer 85 Reviews 53% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
A disturbed teacher holds a young photographer captive in his Berlin apartment after bringing her home for a night of romance.
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Berlin Syndrome

Berlin Syndrome

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Critics Consensus

Berlin Syndrome offers thriller fans an uncommonly well-written descent into dangerous obsession, enlivened by taut direction and a committed performance from Teresa Palmer.

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Critics Reviews

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Donald Clarke Irish Times It gets by on evil ambience. Just. Rated: 3/5 Jun 29, 2017 Full Review Ryan Gilbey New Statesman No one who sees Shortland's movie will be minded to inflict it on their friends, or much thanked if they do. Jun 15, 2017 Full Review Peter Bradshaw Guardian Slick, but disappointing. Rated: 2/5 Jun 9, 2017 Full Review Kip Mooney College Movie Review A sharp, entertaining, thought-provoking movie. Rated: B Aug 24, 2021 Full Review Emma Wolfe SpookyAstronauts It was such an emotional roller coaster of film and I think that Teresa Palmer played the main characters so well. Rated: 8/10 Apr 26, 2021 Full Review Glenn Dunks Glenn Dunks Berlin Syndrome posits actual answers for the terrible questions people ask of sexual-violence survivors. And, significantly, it addresses them through a riveting piece of art cinema made not-so-coincidentally with women in key production roles. Rated: B+ Jul 19, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Matt P Audiences claim this hits a lot of different notes compared with others, yet it’s the realism that brings the audience engaged here. That’s what movies lack nowadays because there’s too great a need for CGI and luxurious viewings. And so, viewers were drawn to this, intrigued. Happy because although the movie doesn’t deliver edge of the seat stuff, it successfully lured you in. Just like the German man did… only this female lead character didn’t seem to care that there wasn’t any worthy build up, seemed like she was just feeling like getting undressed with a random guy. Now then issues with this movie, well firstly, the acting is weak in the first act (first part to them that don’t know) and the dialogue isn’t good. Also, this is meant to be Berlin right. So use what Berlin has to offer which is a lot more beautiful than what we got shown. Then am I meant to be seeing onscreen chemistry between the two and be seeing a charming man here? Because I didn’t see that. I saw dodgy acting such as basic flirty facial expressions like lip biting from the lead, awkwardness and dodgy accents. She doesn’t know German you say? Well she seems to do well she knows a lot of words. Unusually so for someone who doesn’t know the German culture. And why’s she always on the move with her back pack… there also wasn’t much in the way of a build up between the two leads, nothing he or she said seemed charming or anything, it was as if it was a bit of a rush to show off the romantic scene and hurry to the lunatic apartment. These types of films have been done before. Room for instance and sorry to say were done better. And so Shortland's film sits somewhere in the middle of that type of spectrum. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 10/22/24 Full Review Marcus B Kept me glued to the screen. It can be slow at times but the acting is good and there are some tense scenes. Worth a watch 7/10 Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/16/24 Full Review Audience Member 88% very tense the dialogue not the greatest but very tense makes you on edge through out andi is not developed as much that he should of been the score is amazing and how it’s filmed is really good that’s what makes it so intense Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/18/24 Full Review Pasquale u Absolutely boring af and I love Teresa Palmer. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 04/29/24 Full Review Gareth v A claustropobic, abduction movie that could do with a slightly quicker tempo. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 06/22/23 Full Review Dave S While it doesn't really offer much that is new to the whole captor and captive narrative, Berlin Syndrome works primarily because of the borderline-artsy direction from Cate Shortland and another committed performance from the always reliable Teresa Palmer. In the movie, a young Australian woman (Palmer) travelling in Berlin finds herself engaged in a one-night stand with a seemingly charming school teacher (Max Riemelt), only to find herself trapped in the unit of an abandoned apartment block the following day. It does become a bit of a repetitive slog for a few scenes at the midway point, but the atmosphere is ominous throughout, raising Berlin Syndrome a notch above others in the genre. More than anything else, the movie begs the following question: why is Teresa Palmer not a bigger star than she is? Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 05/22/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Berlin Syndrome

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Movie Info

Synopsis A disturbed teacher holds a young photographer captive in his Berlin apartment after bringing her home for a night of romance.
Director
Cate Shortland
Producer
Polly Staniford
Screenwriter
Shaun Grant
Distributor
Vertical Entertainment
Production Co
DDP Studios, Aquarius Films, Memento Films, Film Victoria
Rating
R (Some Language|Nudity|Disturbing Violent Content|Strong Sexuality)
Genre
Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 26, 2017, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
May 26, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$28.6K
Runtime
1h 56m
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