Despite earning a ton of international acclaim, Australian director Cate Shortland's first two films, Somersault (which introduced us to Abbie Cornish) and Lore (which gave us Saskia Rosendahl's breakout role) found it hard to make headway here in the States. Fortunately, it looks like things will be different for her third effort, Berlin Syndrome, which already has a solid release date and decent buzz after a positive debut at Sundance.
Starring fellow Aussie Teresa Palmer, the thriller follows a young journalist who lets her inhibitions down while in Berlin, and is quickly swept off her feet by a charming stranger. But after a night of erotic bliss, she finds that he wasn't who she thought he was, and getting out of his apartment proves impossible. Here's the synopsis:
Australian tourist Clare (Teresa Palmer) travels to Berlin to photograph East German architecture and meets Andi (Max Riemelt), a handsome but brooding schoolteacher. After a brief erotic fling, Clare tries to leave, but Andi isn’t ready to let go. She soon finds herself held prisoner in his locked apartment, cut off from the outside world. As her ordeal unfolds, Clare cycles between reasoning with her captor, surrendering to his obsessions, and plotting her escape.
The film will surely reap the benefits of Palmer, an underrated actress who is just starting to get the recognition she deserves after Hacksaw Ridge, Lights Out, Triple 9, and The Choice. She had a very busy 2016.
Berlin Syndrome opens May 26th.
