Australian filmmaker Cate Shortland (Lore, Somersault) has selected Snowtown writer Shaun Grant’s adaptation of Melanie Joosten’s novel Berlin Syndrome to follow the success of her first two features.
While on holiday in Berlin, Australian photojournalist Clare (Teresa Palmer) embarks on a passionate holiday romance with charismatic local man Andi (Max Riemelt). But their affair suddenly changes pace when Clare wakes up in Andi’s apartment to discover he’s gone to work and left her locked inside. It could be a mistake, one anyone could make; however, it is soon evident that Andi has no intention of letting her leave.
Making its debut at the Sundance Film Festival in early 2017, where it’s been selected to screen as part of the World Cinema Dramatic competition, Berlin Syndrome promises to be a rich, subtle and insightful psychological thriller from this most perceptive of filmmakers.