Christian Petzold’s Miroirs No. 3 will arrive stateside via 1-2 Special nearly a year since its Cannes debut. Which might be the minimum length of time needed to unpack this film, perhaps the German master’s most perplexing and withholding yet. Ahead of a March 20 theatrical debut, the U.S. trailer has arrived.
As Luke Hicks said in his Cannes review, “Miroirs No. 3 is the kind of work best-served with as little information as possible. It’s not among Petzold’s greatest, but films like Barbara and Undine have made that a very high bar to clear. It’s textbook Petzold, which I mean as a major compliment. Don’t expect all of the mysteries to be uncovered. There is no big explainer moment or narratively satisfying closure, the likes of which Petzold rejects, but the enigmas that do reveal themselves yield rare treasures.”
Here’s the synopsis: “During a weekend trip to the countryside, Laura, a young piano student from Berlin, miraculously survives a shocking car crash. Awakening in a nearby house, Laura finds herself in the care of a local woman, who tends to her with motherly devotion . As she recuperates, Laura begins to integrate herself into the lives of the woman and her initially reluctant husband and son. By turns haunted and hopeful, Laura and her adopted family reawakens to the world and comes to find a strange harmony together. However, they cannot outrun the ghosts of the past, which begin to stir, as acclaimed director Christian Petzold (PHOENIX, TRANSIT) spins a modern gothic fairytale about the lies we tell ourselves and the strange ways that grief, connection, and humanity bind and sustain us.”
Watch below and check back in March for our interview with Petzold: