Mirrors No. 3
Christian Petzold’s latest film is a minimalist, Hitchcockian chamber drama in which the presence of a recovering stranger forces a family to face the ghosts of their past.
German arthouse film maestro Christian Petzold (Afire, R&A 2024) brings another cinematic gem to the big screen. Mirrors No. 3 is an understated chamber drama built around mystery, drawing on Petzold’s Hitchcockian mise-en-scène and visual storytelling.
Laura (the dazzling Paula Beer, a familiar face in Petzold’s films) is a piano student who miraculously survives a car accident almost unscathed. She is taken in by Betty, an elderly woman who was the first to arrive at the scene, and recovers in her ramshackle country house. Betty is ready to take the stranger immediately into her tender, motherly care. However, Betty’s husband and son are more reserved in their hospitality towards Laura. Laura’s arrival brings the alienated family together to repair both neglected relationships and their estate. Beneath the polished surface of their renewed family life, the painful ghosts of the past emerge.
Petzold skilfully creates a veil of family secrets with meaningful silences, glances, and emotional outbursts. Music—especially the beautiful piano piece by Maurice Ravel that gives the film its title—plays a subtle role as the interpreter of repressed emotions.
Pöly Julkunen (translated by Pauliina Jännes)
Trailer
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