paul2001sw-1 In Christian Petzold's film 'Yella', a young woman stalked by her husband after leaving him slowly rebuilds her life, and self-respect, through starting a relationship with a criminal businessman. But it's not clear how much of the story is real, and how much is the product of her traumatised mind. In its conclusion, the film resolves this question, and the answer is almost inevitably disappointing; the kick in the tail insufficiently surprising or satisfying. What is good, however, is most of what precedes the ending, as the viewer is drawn into a world intriguingly on the balance of normalcy and the sinister, as seen by a woman herself on the edge. It's nicely underplayed and there's scarcely a wasted scene; it's just a shame that the final resolution has little new to add.

finnn I thoroughly enjoyed this film with its easy pace and moments of emptiness - but it really reminded me a lot of the 1962 version of "Carnival of Souls". You have the car driven off the bridge, the recurring musical theme, the constant drawing to the water, her acceptance of a job after travelling there after the crash, the way her life gradually corrupts despite her being given a second chance and the final moments where she's discovered to have died in the original crash after all. The two films aren't so similar that I was certain it was a remake, in many ways guessing if it was a supernatural story or not made it more interesting to watch.

btibbetts I saw this as part of a European Film Festival at the AFI Silver Spring, MD theater. The festival supposedly gathers some of the best European films, including over ten foreign film entries and the 2007 Palm d'or 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 days. That combined with Nina Hoss winning best actress at Berlin Film Festival, I thought I would see an interesting film. Much to my dismay, I ended up watching a predictable movie that has been done at least a dozen times before. Within the first five minutes of the film, I was able to predict the editing. Part of me spent the next 85 minutes hoping I was wrong about my prediction, sadly I was not. Beyond the predictability of the film, it's also directionless. Overall I found the film to be a waste of time and would not recommend this film.

richard_sleboe It seems Yella (Nina Hoss) has next to nothing left to lose as she takes an accounting job in a nondescript business park two hours away from her hometown in present day Eastern Germany. But what little hope she still has - make a living, get away from her stalking ex-boyfriend - crumbles as the job opportunity dematerializes before she has even started. She is back to square one of the playing field, and she doesn't know the rules of the game. But Yella is a quick learner. On the spur of a moment, she attaches herself to a slightly shady private equity guy (Devid Striesow, don't miss him in "Eden"). As soon as they take their makeshift investment show to the road, Yella understands that there are fortunes to be won and lost on every deal. There is nothing obviously appealing about this movie: barren sets, uneventful plot, unassuming acting. But as you keep watching and wait for something to happen, Yella's quiet desperation gets to you. In many ways, the movie's gloomy surface is a metaphor of her desolate state of mind. Watch out for Barbara Auer's trophy wife guest appearance, and for a surprise ending reminiscent of William Golding's "Pincher Martin".