"Barbara" is about a lady doctor who was sent away from Berlin to practice in a small town. She was very aloof and suspicious of everyone in her new hospital, including her friendly colleague, Dr. Andre. She kept to herself most of the time, riding a bike to and from work.
Unknown to her co-workers, she is visited by some seedy characters, one of them a lady with gloves. She also does some mysterious side trips, burying money under rocks, and meeting a boyfriend for some secret romantic liaisons.
Having no background as to what this film was all about, the first of the film felt like a spy thriller, with intense suspense being built up. I was really waiting for something explosive to happen by the second half.
However, this whole film turned out to be a dramatic endeavor set during the 1980s when there was still a wall between East and West Germany. It was about the moral dilemma tearing Barbara up. On one side, she wants to defect and be with her boyfriend in the West. On the other hand, she is already getting used to her quiet countryside practice, especially getting attached to young troubled patients like Stella and Mario.
So at the end, there is still suspense, albeit a quiet kind, which is still well worth staying around for. However the slow pace of the film, all talk with lack of action, may not sit well with impatient audiences.
Unknown to her co-workers, she is visited by some seedy characters, one of them a lady with gloves. She also does some mysterious side trips, burying money under rocks, and meeting a boyfriend for some secret romantic liaisons.
Having no background as to what this film was all about, the first of the film felt like a spy thriller, with intense suspense being built up. I was really waiting for something explosive to happen by the second half.
However, this whole film turned out to be a dramatic endeavor set during the 1980s when there was still a wall between East and West Germany. It was about the moral dilemma tearing Barbara up. On one side, she wants to defect and be with her boyfriend in the West. On the other hand, she is already getting used to her quiet countryside practice, especially getting attached to young troubled patients like Stella and Mario.
So at the end, there is still suspense, albeit a quiet kind, which is still well worth staying around for. However the slow pace of the film, all talk with lack of action, may not sit well with impatient audiences.