BlazeLime Strong and Moving!

Nonureva Really Surprised!

Hayden Kane There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Tobias Burrows It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

lavatch In this moving and thought-provoking drama, the principal theme concerns the human emotion of guilt. The time is fall 1945. The setting is war-torn Berlin. The drama unfolds in a well-furnished apartment that has somehow escaped the bombs. Three characters locked in a room unfold their stories and their secrets. And the message is ultimately one about personal and collective guilt.The central character is Christina (or Frieda), who worked as a prostitute for the Nazis in order to survive. A little girl was born, but subsequently disappeared. Christina/Frieda has not disclosed this information to her fiancé Billy, an American GI and war reporter, who has his secrets as well. Billy fulfilled a mission on the black market, but his action eventually came back to haunt him.The fascinating character of the German inspector played by the fine actor Stephen Lang, who arrives to sort out the truth of what happened to Frieda's baby girl. It is as if the policeman stands for the conscience of a nation, and it will be Frieda's task to at least relieve the world of one lie. The most interesting dramatic symbol in the film is the mountain of watches observed by Billy at one of the death camps. At that moment, time appeared to stop. In one frame of the film, that image is beautiful recreated."Christina" is the rare film that is essentially a stage play that works effectively as a film with no attempt to adapt or "open up" the action. The three actors are terrific, particularly the actress playing Christina/Frieda. The understated performance hit all the right notes in a moving allegory about guilt. At one point, Christina/Frieda recalls a line spoken by her mother, suggesting that "history is circle of blood and water." Three lives come before the bar in this moving drama. And the verdict of the imagined jury is: Schuldig!

EddiesFathersSon I'm not sure why my view is so different from other reviews but it is. I watched this movie from beginning to end in the hope that I can prevent as many people as possible from wasting their time doing the same. Originally Christina may have been a beautiful story. Unfortunately, the translation to film is in almost every regard poorly done. Perhaps with enough budget, a rewritten script and different actors it could be a good watch but the makers had none of these.Set in Berlin after the end of WWII, it is a dark secret tale in the family of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" or "Sophie's Choice". This movie has none of their subtlety and though filmed on a single set like Woolf the claustrophobia doesn't enhance the story the way Mike Nichols' directing did. It just makes "Christina" claustrophobic.The title character is unconvincing as someone who lived through the horror of Berlin at the end of the war. In Nicki Aycox's defense it is her lines more than anything that make her seem not tragic but ridiculous. We know there were "bombs everywhere" and that "they just kept falling" because she tells us six separate times. (And of course because most students of history knew that before they watched)After the first half hour I wanted the GI boyfriend to either walk out or kick the German police officer out of the apartment. But instead he spends most of his time being dumbstruck. The police officer's motivation is never clear. He's investigating a crime but why, everything that happened in Berlin at the end of WWII this particular case is so important is never revealed. But when Billy talks about his visit to the death camps I just wanted to smack everyone involved. In one statement the horror that was The Holocaust was belittled and used as a metaphor for an infinitely smaller and morally complicated event. The audacity of that one aspect of the film alone is enough to make this a Must (not) See film.

wayneyb-896-644420 This story's theme may have been dark but it enlightens us to the grim reality of war. Don't miss the opening minutes of the film when actual post-war footage of Germany and its "survivors" set the tone for Christina's psychological dilemma. Sometimes, none of life's choices are pleasant and Christina's were especially difficult. Perhaps we all need the relentless pursuit of a "Reinhardt" in our lives to admit and accept our painful choices. And we need the love and acceptance of a Billy Calvert to catch us when we break. The actors were topnotch with convincing accents as they led you through the twists of the film. You should be prepared to cowl in your seat and bite your fingernails as this plot is compelling -- A must see!

erbyarby Christina is a moving and powerful film. It is cleverly staged and lighted. The performances of the 3 main characters are all compelling. It is a dramatic, captivating story that is remarkable relevant to today's world of seemingly endless war. The effects of war, subtle and profound, are presented in a way that makes the living hell become real for those fortunate to have not experienced it first hand. The fact that the film was shot in a condensed time frame, sequentially and on a limited budget make it even more remarkable. The entire movie is shot on one set, yet the camera movements and angles amplify the dialog very effectively and focus the attention of the viewer.