Love becomes a prison in “Berlin Syndrome,” the new film from Cate Shortland (“Somersault,” “Lore“) that unwinds a slow-burn thriller about romantic obsession that runs deadly.
Teresa Palmer leads the film as an Australian journalist in Germany who strikes up a relationship with a charming young man. Everything appears to be bliss with their brief fling — until she discovers that she’s been locked in, unable to leave. 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.
“Berlin Syndrome” opens on May 26th.
