Dressing up a socio-economic critique as a romantic thriller only works if there's enough suspense to keep the audience intrigued.
Comment
05/15/08
Yella (2007)
80
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:49
Fresh:39
Rotten:10
Average Rating:6.5/10
Consensus: Chilly and haunting, Yella's atmosphere gets under the skin.
Theatrical Release:2008
Synopsis: Narrowly escaping her volatile ex-husband, Yella (Nina Hoss) flees her small hometown in former East Germany for a new life in the West. She finds a promising job with Philipp (Devid Striesow), a... [More]
Starring: Nina Hoss, Devid Striesow, Hinnerk Schönemann, Burghart Klaussner
Director: Christian Petzold
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Reviews for Yella
Though the film attests that the director can masterfully dredge up metaphysical dread, it also proves that he needs to learn to avoid easy ways out.
05/14/08
Somehow, this tightrope walk between the supernatural and underhanded business deals (call it Carnival of Michael Clayton) manages the neat trick of keeping its balance.
05/14/08
It’s one of those films that keeps swirling in your brain once it’s done -- thanks both to its somewhat unresolved ending and to the many subtle themes touched on throughout.
05/12/08
A study of the malaise of corporate culture in modern Germany with an unsatisfying ending. Up until the conclusion, it is quite rewarding.
05/12/08
Far less concerned with character development than with bludgeoning clues to the drama's true nature.
05/11/08
A suspenseful film carried off without the viewer knowing what the suspense is all about. ... The mystery happening in the margins of this story is more interesting than the mainline plot.
04/27/08
A German metaphorical Reunification thriller and political allegory equating a blunt and feverish appetite for sex and capitalism.
04/18/08
In spite of some mysterious circumstances, Yella is directed perfunctorily and entirely without suspense or any sense of urgency.
04/16/08
The adept performances and sharp direction of this thriller allow the viewer to see the writer-director's point: that life in communist East Germany may have been preferable for some to the more prosperous existence in the West.
04/12/08
Unfortunately, a gimmicky construction helps the writer-director avoid facing the consequences of the drama he's set up.
09/29/07
Tricky and insinuating, this German drama has the subtle subtext of a thriller as it follows a woman caught at a crossroads in her life. It's a little aloof and dry, but very well made.
09/21/07
A supernatural thriller with much to say on the greed and venality that underpins new Europe, Christian Petzold's German drama is spookily intriguing.
09/21/07
This disquieting parable about trust and risk wrong-foots us at every turn.
09/21/07
Towards the end the symbolism gets heavy-handed, but by then the film has already cast its coldly mesmerising spell.
09/21/07
A neat metaphysical thriller.
09/21/07
Exquisitely frigid, menacing, disquieting, with a storyline that keeps you off-balance, marred only by a slightly hackneyed dénouement.
09/21/07
A rich, inventive and atmospheric thriller that is somehow able to reveal the final twist while retaining its mysterious allure.
09/21/07
Like its heroine, Yella is well-turned-out but chilly; it rarely stirs the emotions, but keeps the attention hooked.
09/21/07
A haunting suspense drama, which compares favourably with some of the best continental cinema.
09/21/07
Latest News for Yella
May 03, 2009:
A German metaphorical Reunification thriller and political allegory equating a blunt and feverish appetite for sex and capitalism. 
More...
March 27, 2009:
A German metaphorical Reunification thriller and political allegory equating a blunt and feverish appetite for sex and capitalism.
More...
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