"Valerie" is a German German-language film from 2006, so this one had its 10th anniversary last year. The director is Birgit Möller and she is also one of many writers working on this one. Möller is a prolific cinematographer and this film here is her only work as the woman in charge behind the camera and of the script. or I should maybe say "only full feature work". At 80 minutes only (and this includes credits already), it is a pretty short movie, but that's not a problem at all as it is a nicely focused and essential little piece. I would not say that it is an actors' movie, even if everybody in the cast including lead actress Agata Buzek and the two "big" names Striesow and Ünel does a fine job.The heart and soul is the plot thought and the story of a young woman struggling with her profession and she may turn into a homeless person as a consequence. This shows us pretty much that people without shelter can be found in every profession really and in every line of work. And for women, it is especially depressing as they are frequently reduced to their physicality as a consequence and they may end up doing things they don't want to, even if the (alleged) prostitution scene is handled by Möller very tastefully. This also shows that this is not a movie that wants to shock people and tries desperately to do so. Instead it feels like an authentic character study from start to finish and I never had the feeling I was watching actors. Of course I am not really knowledgeable enough to say if it is really accurate that she is not getting any modeling jobs, especially with her looks, but this is also not what the film is about. It is all the consequences that arise from it and also maybe about the (big) fractured ego of the protagonist. I enjoyed the watch overall. This is certainly a film that is underseen and one of the better German movies (maybe even best) from 2006 for sure. See it if you can.
Review of Valerie
