Undine, Christian Petzold, Germany, France, 2020, 91’

Undine works as a historian, lecturing on the urban development of Berlin. But when the man she loves abandons her, the ancient myth catches up with her. Undine has to kill the man who betrays her and return to the water. The magic is gone... 

Christian Petzold reworks the myth of the mysterious water spirit as a modern fairy tale in a disenchanted world. His Undine defies her role as a powerless and despised woman and falls in love again, with Christoph, who plunges into the sunken world of the reservoir. Petzold's work reimagines this legend through his own cinematic vision, in which precise everyday gestures are combined with ghostly hyperrealism. The story of a life-and-death love, splendidly and effortlessly told.

Undine premiered at the 70th Berlinale 2020 and was nominated for the Golden Bear. The film and the director received numerous awards at international festivals, including Best Director at the Seville Film Festival.