It is strange how much a film can be so compelling and still leave you lost. You are always questioning yourself and what the truth is when watching Christian Petzold’s Miroirs No.3. His latest film is a study of trauma and loss. The viewer is kept wondering what bad will happen next, not realizing what they have already been exposed to.
Studying in Berlin, Laura (Paula Beer) and her boyfriend take a trip to the countryside. On a country road the two are in a car crash and miraculously Laura is the only one to survive. Physically she is not hurt, but psychologically something changes in her – she enters some sort of daze. Along the road there was the home of one local woman, Betty (Barbara Auer), who takes Laura in. Betty witnessed the accident and now begins to care for Laura as a mother would. Betty is estranged from her husband Richard (Matthias Brandt) and son Max (Enno Trebs). Yet, the arrival of Laura strangely brings the family back together. As the four begin to spend more time with each other, a family-like routine is built up. As Laura gets closer to the three, their past and secrets are uncovered.
Petzold subtly drops hints throughout the film leading the viewers towards a probably conclusion. In the most minimalistic way he explores complicated and hidden human emotions through each character he has created. The audience remains in the dark, almost as in the dark as Laura is. Words are not needed to explain what is going on when the film’s silence speaks for itself. Miroirs No.3 does not tell the audience anything directly. It allows them to study the characters and their movements, to interpret the situations and come to their own conclusions.
From the moment Laura and Betty set eyes on each other, something clicks between the two of them. You wonder why Betty would let a complete stranger move in with her, but you could also apply that to Laura who wants to stay with her. Beer and Auer create a true and suspicious bond between Laura and Betty. It is mysterious how they immediately form a routine together and Laura does not question what is happening. While studying human emotions in Miroirs No.3, Petzold adds something to the character of Betty that makes the audience skeptical of her true intentions. Auer’s facial expressions, long gazes, and bond built with Laura cause the audience to wonder what her true objectives are.
Humans are so complex and hard to understand in the best of times. Yet when put through a trauma, their morals and actions change – for better or worse. Things happen so subtly yet fast in Miroirs No.3. A family that has been torn apart, for reasons unknown to the audience until the end, quickly patches things up and begins spending more time together. Though Laura was the one who has just been in a car accident, there are reasons to believe that Betty and her family have been through something as well.
Petzold knows how people work, they always behave better when there is company around. As Laura settles in she begins to shed her layers and becomes more comfortable in her environment. Laura’s relationship development with Richard and Max provides the audience an insider’s look at why and how people hide their secrets. At first Richard is distant and does not want anything to do with the nonsense. But as soon as he sees Laura in the flesh, his demeanour changes and the audience understands there is a secret hidden there. A secret that gets further fleshed out when Max meets Laura.
Not only is Petzold able to unveil secrets in the most discreet way by using characters to show them, he is also able to explore the human psyche. Though Laura seems like the most receptive person in the film, she remains oblivious about the situation she has found herself in. She appears emotionless and does not know why she feels, or does not feel the way she does.
It is quite remarkable how many different aspects of a person Petzold is able to implement into his film. We may never be able to completely understand anyone’s true intentions or decisions and that is the idea that encompasses Miroirs No.3. Forever in the unknown when it comes to another person, Miroirs No.3 remains minimalistic and in-depth. After its world premiere at the 2025 Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, it has come to the UK as part of the BFI London Film Festival’s Thrill strand.
