'Undine' Trailer: Acclaimed German Director Christian Petzold Tackles The World Of Sea Nymphs

Acclaimed German filmmaker Christian Petzold (“Transit“) makes films like no one else. While grounded and realistic, they’re also elevated, melodramatic, and sometimes even steeped in ideas of fairy tales. While not an overly stylish genre filmmaker per see, Petzold always subtly reimagines genre in his films, whether it’s the thriller, melodramas, the spy genre, film noir, and more. But for his latest film, “Undine,” he perhaps takes all these ideas. He pushes them a little further than ever before, taking on the Ondine myth based on the mythological figure of European tradition. This water nymph becomes human when she falls in love with a man but is doomed to die if he is unfaithful to her.

Of course, that story gets told through the lens of Petzold, which is always familiar but new and slightly askew from traditional cinema.

“Undine” stars Paula Beer, Franz Rogowski (the star of the filmmaker’s aforementioned film, “Transit,”) Maryam Zaree, and Jacob Matschenz. In addition to “Undine” and 2019’s “Transit,” Petzold has enjoyed a career filled with acclaimed works, including films such as “Barbara,” “Yella,” and “Gespenster.”

Here’s the official synopsis:

In his latest feature, celebrated German filmmaker Christian Petzold (Barbara, Phoenix, Transit) reworks the ancient myth of the mysterious water spirit in the modern world. Set in Berlin, Undine (Paula Beer) works as a historian lecturing on Berlin’s urban development. She knows all about the Humboldt Forum and has a knack for dressing. She is nonchalantly beautiful, and the way she imparts her knowledge about the city built on a swamp is as professional as it is graceful. But Undine’s world collapses when the man she loves leaves her. Soon the ancient myth catches up with her, and Undine has to kill the man who betrays her and return to the water.

“Undine” launches in theaters & digital platforms on June 4 via IFC Films. Watch the new trailer here.