Rosenstrasse (2003)

56% of critics liked it
(61 reviews)
65% of users liked it
(1,049 ratings)

German filmmaker Margarethe von Trotta directs the war drama Rosenstrasse, based on the plight of "mixed marriages" between Jewish men and non-Jewish women during the Holocaust. In contemporary New York, Jewish matriarch Ruth (Jutta Lampe) practices Orthodox mourning traditions for her late husband,… More German filmmaker Margarethe von Trotta directs the war drama Rosenstrasse, based on the plight of "mixed marriages" between Jewish men and non-Jewish women during the Holocaust. In contemporary New York, Jewish matriarch Ruth (Jutta Lampe) practices Orthodox mourning traditions for her late husband, to the dismay of her daughter Hannah (Maria Schrader). At the wake, Ruth's cousin Rachel (Carola Regnier) tells Hannah some family secrets that send curious Hannah over to Berlin. She searches out 90-year-old Lena Fischer (Doris Schade), who cared for Ruth during WWII. Flashbacks recall the events of 1943,when Jewish husbands were rounded up and kept in a house on a street called Rosenstrasse. Lena (played by Katja Riemann as a young woman) joins a group of other wives for a week-long protest, where she meets an abandoned seven-year-old named Ruth (played by Svea Lohde as a girl). Rosenstrasse was shown in competition at the 2003 Venice International Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 2 hr. 16 min.
Directed By: Margarethe von Trotta
Written By: Pamela Katz, Margarethe von Trotta
Genres: Art House & International, Drama

In Theaters: Aug 20, 2004 Wide
On DVD: Jan 18, 2005
Studio: Samuel Goldwyn Films

Critic Reviews

Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee
The film is anchored in particular by the dual performances of Schade as the 90-year-old Lena and the magnificent Riemann as her younger counterpart.
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
The trite framework, static staging and unemotional acting render this a most forgettable Holocaust tale.
Robert Denerstein, Denver Rocky Mountain News
A Holocaust drama that proves it's possible to make a minor movie about a major subject.
Angel Gonzalez, Dallas Morning News
The film opens a window into the fact that not all good Germans were cowed during those dark times.
John Monaghan, Detroit Free Press
Rosenstrasse is manipulative, to be sure, but it's also very smart.
Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star
An absorbing, sturdy and ultimately pedestrian melodrama.
CT Staff, Christianity Today
In spite of some manipulation and improbability, Rosenstrasse made me feel good for a good, historical reason, and it didn't minimize anyone's suffering in the process.
Sarah Chauncey, Reel.com
It's difficult to reconcile the awkwardness of the outer story with the naturally flowing storyline of the inner one.
Brian Gibson, Vue Weekly (Edmonton, Canada)
This story is inherently dramatic enough to stand on its own, but von Trotta throws it off-kilter by framing her film within a dead-end, modern subplot.
Jeff Vice, Deseret News, Salt Lake City
While most of Rosenstrasse is set in World War II, there are present-day, flash-forward sequences that are considerably less involving. Actually, they're so dull that they drag the entire movie to a screeching halt.
Michael E. Grost, Classic Film and Television
True story of one of the few attempts by Germans to launch protests against the Nazi dictatorship.
Marjorie Baumgarten, Austin Chronicle
Not uninteresting, and it is very nicely performed, although you'll strain to learn from the movie the history on which it is based and struggle futilely to get inside the motivations of its characters.
Clare Pfeiffer Ramsey, Orlando Weekly
The movie's disjointed flow makes it hard to watch the story unfold.
John Beifuss, Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)
Has the never-ending wave of less-than-essential Holocaust movies begun to reduce the most horrific episode of the 20th Century to the level of just another genre?
Connie Ogle, Miami Herald
Succeeds as a testament to the power of love and, in particular, as a tribute to brave women.
Laura Kelly, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
A solid, thoughtful, involving drama.
Frank Swietek, One Guy's Opinion
The episode...is a fascinating one, and potentially the stuff of powerful drama. But von Trotta blunts the impact.

Read all 17 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Cynthia S

I do have a thing for movies about Nazi Germany, I admit it. This one is really, really good. It also, I believe, was based on a true story...like most of them.
Leigh R

Very hard to get into because you switch in time so many times, but it is well worth it. Beautifully acted and well put together. Loved it.
Christopher M

Part of my post-war German film course. This is a very good WW-II era film, which focuses on an event I wasn't aware of and I don't think has been covered before, so right out of the gate, the concept is at least totally unique. Its a very definably German film about the… More
Part of my post-war German film course. This is a very good WW-II era film, which focuses on an event I wasn't aware of and I don't think has been covered before, so right out of the gate, the concept is at least totally unique. Its a very definably German film about the protest of German women whose Jewish husbands have been imprisoned around 1943 (I think this was the year, might have been '42). It has a decidedly feminist agenda, but I don't see how this can be avoided considering the nature of the story. In the end, its a pretty powerful, emotional tale that contains a great performance by Katja Riemann and the work of clearly talented director. It comes off as somewhat by the numbers, but I think it would be very, very hard not to like this film. It just has a universal resonance, and it is quite well done, and respectful to the subject matter.