Barbara
Barbara Image
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Metascore
86 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 22 Critics What's this?

User Score
6.6 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 14 Ratings

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0 out of 10
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  • Summary: A doctor in 1960s East Germany makes the mistake of applying for an exit visa and is, as a result, banished to a small hospital in the hinterlands.

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
  1. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kenneth Turan
    Dec 21, 2012
    100
    It's one terrific film, as smart, thoughtful and emotionally involving as just about anything that's out there.
  2. Empire
    Reviewed by: Philip Wilding
    Dec 17, 2012
    80
    Tough and tender, it's the best Iron Curtain drama since "The Lives Of Others."
  3. Time Out New York
    Reviewed by: Eric Hynes
    Dec 18, 2012
    80
    Despite being the subject of nearly every shot in the film, Hoss maintains an air of mystery, simultaneously projecting severity, sensitivity and sensuousness throughout.
  4. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Jordan Mintzer
    Dec 17, 2012
    80
    A slow-burning Cold War drama that will reward patient viewers with its ultimate emotional payoff.

See all 22 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. Bikerjames
    10
    Barbara was a nice surprise. Barbara, a physician, is banished to work at a hospital in the communist bloc of East Germany because she applied for an exit visa. She is watched like a hawk by authorities as someone who possibly may try to escape. In the meantime, she is plotting an escape with her boyfriend who occasionally has to come to the East side of the wall for his work. The depiction of the hospital and her living quarters is so stark and realistic. She also begins to have feelings for her colleague Andre, who is apparently head of staff at the hospital. The ending is not what you would expect. The acting is great, and the cinematography is first rate. The movie is German, so there are subtitles, but it is a slow paced film and the subtitles are easy to follow and don't detract. Nina Hoss is wonderful in the title role and the film is sure to be a contender for best foreign film at Oscar time. Highly recommended.… Expand
  2. MarcDoyle
    9
    What an excellent film. Several critics compare it to The Lives of Others, but they are quite different. The threat of the Stasi is much more overt and oppressive in The Lives of Others. It's certainly a threat in this film, and the room/body searches are here, but it's much more subtle feel. The focus on Barbara and her relationships with her boyfriend, her fellow doctor, and a troubled young girl stuck in a camp works because Nina Hoss is such an incredibly good actress. Highly recommended.… Collapse
  3. VinceM
    9
    Lovely mystery story. Barbara is so ice cold most of the film, especially towards her fellow doctor, Andre, that it's not until she comforts the young trapped girl that we see her gentle, caring side. She's in a real dilemma she wants to flee oppressive East Germany and yet she's drawn to her patients and her calling to care for sick and injured. Finally when her lover tells her she'll not have to work in Denmark after she escapes, she makes a heart-felt decision. Surprise ending which makes sense.… Expand
  4. TVJerry
    6
    This is a typical European import: subtitled with an oblique narrative, minimal dialogue, no music and deliberate pacing. The title character is an aloof doctor in a small village in 80s East Germany (before the wall came down). She works in a children's hospital and is subjected to constant surveillance from the authorities. Over the course of the film, she helps some of the patients, plots to flee the oppression and interacts with one sympathetic colleague. While it's intelligently crafted and never dull, it's still unsentimental and sparse. For serious buffs only.… Expand

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