Barbara (3 Stars)

Barbara Wolff was a highly accomplished doctor who lived in East Berlin in the 1980. She worked in Charité, the most prestigious university hospital in East Germany. She had no particular love for Communism, but she put up with it until she met and fell in love with a visiting doctor from West Germany. She naively thought she would be allowed to leave the country if she submitted an application. That's not the way it worked. East Germany never allowed its most skilled professionals to leave. She's sent to work in a small hospital on the coast close to the Polish border. This means lower wages, and she's given an unattractive apartment to live in.

Barbara doesn't give up. If her legal application to leave the country failed she has to resort to illegal means. She doesn't have much freedom. The East German secret service, the Stasi, is watching her every move and harassing her with random searches.

I heard about this film a few years ago, but I've only just decided to watch it. The film has been highly praised by critics. It was Germany's entry for the Academy Awards as Best Foreign Language Film in 2013. After watching it today I have to ask why. It's not a strong film. It drags on with painfully slow pacing. If you want to see a film about the life in East Germany watch "The Lives of Others" or "Wie Feuer und Flamme". "Barbara" isn't in the same league.

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