Rose - English subtitles

A battle-scarred soldier arrives at a village, with an inheritance and a deep secret about their identity. Sandra Hüller spellbindingly leads this compact period saga about the violence of gender norms as well as the utopias of desire that cannot be contained.

In seventeenth-century Germany, returning soldier Rose arrives at a tiny Protestant village, with a battle-scarred smile and a deed to farmland. Though Rose’s enigmatic identity raises eyebrows, the village folk come to respect Rose as a God-fearing, noble gentleman. But when betrothed to another landowner’s daughter, a secret beneath Rose’s persona comes under devastating scrutiny.

Anchored by Sandra Hüller’s spellbinding, shapeshifting performance, this period saga is told with impeccable balance. The pared-down but precise screenplay lays bare the violence of a society ruled by gender norms. Yet at the same time, the protagonists’ indomitable desires conjure a quiet, queer dignity that commands its own authority.