Germany, Pale Mother

Helma Sanders-Brahms' 1980 drama follows the cruel fate of a young German couple, Hans (Ernst Jacobi) and Lene (Eva Mattes), who marry on the eve of World War II. Hans, who is not a Nazi Party member, is sent off to fight on the frontlines and eventually winds up in a POW camp, but he's the luckier of the pair. Over the course of the story, Lene gives birth in his absence and attempts to raise her daughter in the midst of wartime's chaos and destruction, but by the end of the conflict, she has been raped by American soldiers, become an alcoholic, and suffers severe facial paralysis. When the couple are finally reunited in peacetime, they barely know each other and face a painful life together, unable to reconcile their respective experiences. Reportedly inspired by the lives of the director's parents—which may explain the sense of genuine heartache and sorrow that permeates the production—Germany, Pale Mother is often dreary, but the sheer force of emotion (particularly in Mattes' stunning physical performance) coupled with the harrowing recreation of the violent world of wartime Germany constantly keep the viewer engaged. Recommended. (P. Hall)