Barbara

Barbara

2012 · 105 min · ★ 7.1 · Drama

In 1980s East Germany, Berlin doctor Barbara is banished to a country medical clinic for applying for an exit visa. Deeply unhappy with her reassignment and fearful of her co-workers as possible Stasi informants, Barbara stays aloof, especially from the good-natured clinic head, Andre.

Directed by Christian Petzold · Written by Christian Petzold

Your Rating

Where to Watch

Streaming

MUBI

Cast

Trailers & Videos

Make it a double feature

3h 23m together

Barbara

Phoenix

Both from Christian Petzold.

More from Christian PetzoldSee all →

Die UFADie UFA · 1992
Die UFA
8.51992
MovieDocumentary
Die UFA, a film essay about the eponymous German studio.
Something to Remind MeSomething to Remind Me · 2002
Something to Remind Me
6.92002
MovieThrillerDrama
Middle-aged lawyer Thomas meets Leyla at the pool. After their paths keep crossing, he asks her out on a date. Somewhat to his surprise she agrees. The next morning Thomas awakes to find Leyla and his laptop, which contains vital case files, missing.
PhoenixPhoenix · 2014
Phoenix
6.82014
MovieDrama
In the aftermath of WWII, German-Jewish cabaret singer Nelly has to undergo facial reconstructive surgery following her survival from Auschwitz. Without recognising Nelly, her former husband Johnny asks her to help him claim his wife’s inheritance. To see if he's betrayed her, she agrees, becoming her own doppelgänger.
AfireAfire · 2023
Afire
6.82023
MovieDramaRomance
Self-important author Leon joins his best friend on a summer holiday near the Baltic Sea to complete his novel. When they arrive, they find their house is already occupied by a carefree woman who challenges Leon to open up. Meanwhile, forest wildfires rage around them and impending disaster looms.
The State I Am InThe State I Am In · 2001
The State I Am In
6.82001
MovieDrama
Clara and Hans are left-wing terrorists who have been sought by police for almost fifteen years. Their increasingly rebellious daughter Jeanne begins to pose a threat to their security when she falls in love with a boy she meets on the beach.
WolfsburgWolfsburg · 2003
Wolfsburg
6.72003
MovieDrama
Philipp Gerber is a smart, but self-satisfied car salesman. In an inattentive moment at the wheel of his car, he runs over a boy on a bike and, instead of helping him, he drives away. As he has feelings of guilt, he tries to find out more about the accident’s victim.
TransitTransit · 2018
Transit
6.72018
MovieDramaRomance
In an attempt to flee Nazi-occupied France, Georg assumes the identity of a dead author but soon finds himself stuck in Marseilles, where he falls in love with Maria, a young woman searching for her missing husband.
Mirrors No. 3Mirrors No. 3 · 2025
Mirrors No. 3
6.52025
MovieDramaMystery
After a car crash kills her boyfriend, piano student Laura is taken in by Betty, who witnessed the accident. Living with Betty's family brings comfort, but Laura starts questioning their intentions as time passes.
Barrage and BunkerBarrage and Bunker · 1991
Barrage and Bunker
6.51991
MovieDocumentary
Barrage and Bunker is an essay film about the (narrative) space imagined by fiction films. Reflections and associations about movement in space are the basis of every kind of story-telling. The film is sometimes referred to as part of Bitomsky's Cinema Trilogy. Sequences from over 20 movies are quoted and commented on by a team of three "researchers" (Bitomsky, Petzold, Tanner) in a sort of laboratory. TV-monitors, production stills and screenshots are used as well as quotations from books. A long night's work.
JerichowJerichow · 2008
Jerichow
6.52008
MovieDrama
In a small Northern German town, a dishonourably discharged Afghanistan veteran is offered a job as a deliveryman by an alcoholic Turkish entrepreneur, through which the former meets the latter's gorgeous wife.
UndineUndine · 2020
Undine
6.42020
MovieFantasyDrama
Undine is a historian and tour guide at the Berlin City Museum specializing in urban development, while Christoph is an industrial diver. Linked by a love of the water, the two form an intense bond, which can only do so much to help Undine overcome the considerable baggage of her former affair.
Cuba LibreCuba Libre · 1996
Cuba Libre
6.31996
MovieComedyDrama
Tom steals Tina's love and money, and five years later they meet again by chance. Both wanting to get back what was taken from them, they dream of traveling to Cuba. In the end, however, they only manage to get as far as the Belgian coast.
PilotsPilots · 1995
Pilots
6.31995
MovieDramaTV Movie
Drifters tells of Karin, a past-her-prime cosmetics saleswoman, with her increasing exasperation with her life and her dreams of leaving it all behind and living in Paris. An unlikely but entertaining plot develops, where anything can happen.
Polizeiruf 110Polizeiruf 110 · 1971
Polizeiruf 110
6.31971
SeriesCrime
Polizeiruf 110 is a long-running German language detective television series. The first episode was broadcast 27 June 1971 in the German Democratic Republic, and after the dissolution of Fernsehen der DDR the series was picked up by ARD. It was originally created as a counterpart to the West German series Tatort, and quickly became a public favorite.
Dreileben: Beats Being DeadDreileben: Beats Being Dead · 2011
Dreileben: Beats Being Dead
6.22011
MovieDrama
Johannes is a loner who wants a better job. And then he meets Ana. Ana is attractive and even though her job is even less prestigious than Johannes's, he falls for her. And then she quits her job to be with him (and be dependent on him) and suddenly things become much more serious. She has fallen for him. But does he still love her? Did he ever? Enter Sarah. Sarah is the daughter of Johannes's boss. He and she have a past. Will Sarah and what she represents be his future, and Ana just a memory, something he'd like to erase?
YellaYella · 2007
Yella
6.22007
MovieDramaThriller
A young East German woman leaves her controlling husband/business partner and relocates to a West German city to start anew as an accountant, but he soon catches up with her.

More Like This

Snow CakeSnow Cake · 2006
Snow Cake
7.12006
MovieRomanceDrama
A drama focused on the friendship between a high-functioning autistic woman and a man who is traumatized after a fatal car accident.
CasablancaCasablanca · 1943
Casablanca
8.11943
MovieDramaRomance
In Casablanca, Morocco in December 1941, a cynical American expatriate meets a former lover, with unforeseen complications.
ChocolatChocolat · 2000
Chocolat
7.02000
MovieComedyDrama
In the winter of 1959, a single mother and her young daughter arrive in a rural French town, where they open an unusual chocolate shop that disrupts the moral fiber of the strictly Catholic townsfolk and mayor.
MonsterMonster · 2003
Monster
7.22003
MovieCrimeDrama
In 1989, prostitute Aileen Wuornos befriends and enters a relationship with a young woman named Selby. Determined to straighten out her life, Aileen's limited education lands her back on the corner. She's raped by a trick, who she kills. A string of murder and robbery follows that ultimately leads Aileen to becoming America's first female serial killer.
CasinoCasino · 1995
Casino
8.01995
MovieCrimeDrama
In Las Vegas, two best friends--a casino executive and a Mafia enforcer--compete for a gambling empire and a fast-living, fast-loving socialite.
Meet Joe BlackMeet Joe Black · 1998
Meet Joe Black
7.41998
MovieFantasyDrama
Bill Parrish has it all - success, wealth and power. Days before his 65th birthday, he receives a visit from a mysterious stranger, Joe Black, who soon reveals himself as Death. In exchange for extra time, Bill agrees to serve as Joe's earthly guide. But will he regret his choice when Joe unexpectedly falls in love with Bill's beautiful daughter Susan?
SleepersSleepers · 1996
Sleepers
7.61996
MovieCrimeDrama
Two gangsters seek revenge on the state jail worker who during their stay at a youth prison sexually abused them. A sensational court hearing takes place to charge him for the crimes.
Brief EncounterBrief Encounter · 1945
Brief Encounter
7.71945
MovieDramaRomance
Returning home from a shopping trip to a nearby town, bored suburban housewife Laura Jesson is thrown by happenstance into an acquaintance with virtuous doctor Alec Harvey. Their casual friendship soon develops during their weekly visits into something more emotionally fulfilling than either expected, and they must wrestle with the potential havoc their deepening relationship would have on their lives and the lives of those they love.
Dangerous LiaisonsDangerous Liaisons · 1988
Dangerous Liaisons
7.21988
MovieDramaRomance
In 18th century France, Marquise de Merteuil asks her ex-lover Vicomte de Valmont to seduce the future wife of another ex-lover of hers in return for one last night with her. Yet things don’t go as planned.
The Magnificent AmbersonsThe Magnificent Ambersons · 1942
The Magnificent Ambersons
7.31942
MovieDramaRomance
The spoiled young heir to the decaying Amberson fortune comes between his widowed mother and the man she has always loved.
LolitaLolita · 1962
Lolita
7.31962
MovieDrama
Humbert Humbert is a middle-aged British novelist who is both appalled by and attracted to the vulgarity of American culture. When he comes to stay at the boarding house run by Charlotte Haze, he soon becomes obsessed with Lolita, the woman's teenaged daughter.
The BookshopThe Bookshop · 2017
The Bookshop
6.52017
MovieDrama
Set in a small English town in 1959, a woman decides, against polite but ruthless local opposition, to open a bookshop, a decision which becomes a political minefield.
RadRad · 1986
Rad
6.51986
MovieDramaFamily
A BMX racer, who lives in a small town with his mother and sister, is faced with a tough decision, qualify for Helltrack or take his SATs in order to attend college.
ElectromaElectroma · 2006
Electroma
6.72006
MovieScience FictionDrama
Two robots embark on a quest to become human.
The Man Who Loved YngveThe Man Who Loved Yngve · 2008
The Man Who Loved Yngve
6.52008
MovieDrama
It’s November 1989 and the world is changing. So is Jarle, who attends Kongsgård High School in Stavanger. He plays the guitar/lead singer in a local punk band, has a great girlfriend, and has the coolest best friend. But it's all about to change when Yngve enters the classroom.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter