The film Barbara does an excellent job of conveying the dark, gloomy, scary and oppressive atmosphere of life in the DDR during the Cold War. The Stasi are never far away, ready to search and terrorize anyone who steps out of line. I assume that this dystopic depiction of bureaucratic secret services run amok is accurate, given similar portrayals in other recent films treating the same era. Throughout the film it occurred to me that if the Stasi were to exist (or return...), they would have total information control. The capacity to express dissent can be completely thwarted in the age of the internet and mass surveillance of everyone everywhere. Good luck doing dead drops, among other things, in the twenty-first century. Good luck doing anything in secret. Good luck even having secrets.
The story itself I did not find very compelling. Or I suppose that I did find it suspenseful, but then it all came to a sudden and illogical end. I was not convinced at all and found the abrupt termination quite unsatisfying. It was almost as if the director was afraid to end a somber and depressing movie on a somber and depressing note. There were a lot of loose ends all over the place, which at the conclusion were simply left dangling in what I suppose was the hope that the viewer would come away with a sense of hope.
I honestly do not understand why people have rated this work so highly, although I do agree that the atmosphere of fear and oppression are effectively portrayed.
The story itself I did not find very compelling. Or I suppose that I did find it suspenseful, but then it all came to a sudden and illogical end. I was not convinced at all and found the abrupt termination quite unsatisfying. It was almost as if the director was afraid to end a somber and depressing movie on a somber and depressing note. There were a lot of loose ends all over the place, which at the conclusion were simply left dangling in what I suppose was the hope that the viewer would come away with a sense of hope.
I honestly do not understand why people have rated this work so highly, although I do agree that the atmosphere of fear and oppression are effectively portrayed.