Miroirs No. 3 Movie Review

“Miroirs No. 3” is the name of classic, romantic piano piece by Maurice Ravel. It is also the title for this movie about mirrors, and about how life is reflected in all types of daily activity. It is how a ghost from the past can be an invited guest in a lonely house.

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A young woman in Berlin is studying music and piano at the university. Her name is Laura (played by Paula Beer), who is a woman lost in her own life. Just a week before her final recital for school, she is talked into going for a trip. Her sometimes boyfriend Jakob (played by Philip Froissant) is insistent. He wants Laura to come with him on a trip out into the countryside.

They go with another couple, and Jakob wants to impress this other guy — who is music producer. Laura is not really interested all that much with the whole idea. The four are in a convertible on a country road.

They pass a small house on the side of the road, with an older woman standing by the front fence. The woman locks eyes with Laura, as if they know each other. Laura feels the need to go back home. Jakob drives her back to the station.

On the way back, they pass the same house. Jakob is not driving and watching the road. He almost hits the fence around the house. The older woman sees Laura once again. Laura is driven away by Jakob once again. But a few meters down the road, there is a horrible crash. The older woman hears this crash, and goes down the road. She sees the car overturned. Laura has been thrown away from the crash. But Jakob has died from injuries.

The older woman, named Betty (played by Nina Hoss), is able to get Laura up and gets her back to the house. She calls the authorities, and they come to take care of the crash scene. Jakob and the car have been taken away. Laura is medically treated, but she is not injured. They offer to take her to the hospital. Laura asks Betty if would be OK for her to stay with her for a while.

Betty seems to look at Laura with a sense that she has seen her before. One time she accidentally calls Laura by the name ‘Yelana’. Whatever that could mean, right? Betty shows Laura some extra clothes, and they just happen to fit. Laura needs to rest, and catch up on some rest. Laura finds that Betty’s welcoming attitude very soothing. Betty and Laura are starting to become very friendly.

Betty is alone in this house. But she tells Laura that she is married. But her husband and son live at the garage that they run. Laura is anxious to meet them, and Betty invites them over for dinner. Her husband, Richard (played by Matthias Brandt), has not come back for quite a while. Neither has her son, Max (played by Enno Trebs). There is a background reason that they are not coming around that often.

Richard and Max see Betty at the house. There are four plates on the table. Richard is a bit disappointed, and Max is furious. But they do not say why. But then Laura walks out from the kitchen with dinner. Richard and Max are, in a word, shocked. They had some family issues that are unspoken. Laura is just happy to see the whole family together.

Betty and Laura are doing all sorts of little things together. They paint the front fence, after a talk about Tom Sawyer and his Adventures. They work on fixing the herb garden. They wash and dry the dishes. There are many little ways where these two are starting to bond. But there is still something that makes Laura feel unsettled. It is something that she cannot place her finger on, but it is also bothering Richard and Max.

But all the pleasant days are all thrown for a loop. Laura hears some information from Max that changes everything. Betty and Richard had, years ago, a daughter. Her name was Yelana, and she was very depressed. Yelana had killed herself – and this broke Betty’s spirit. But Laura is a spitting image of Yelana, and Betty has come back into a happier place. Richard and Max are very pleased that Betty is feeling better. But they know that this whole thing is unfair to Laura.

Laura needs to leave, and she still has her final piano recital. She was very confused for a few days with Betty. But she knows now that her time with Betty and her family was a healing time. And not just a healing time for Betty and her family, but also for her. Laura sees that her time away from Berlin and in the country was quite ‘reflective’.

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“Miroirs No. 3” is written and directed by Christian Petzold. It is a very small and self-contained story. This is a personal-level character study that shines a light on the slow self-discovery of the main character. So, in other words — do not expect any fast action or tense situations. It is a languid delivery of a couple of characters dealing with low-stakes issues.

The acting by Paula Beer (as Laura) is quite realistic, naturalistic and honest. She is only equaled by Nina Hoss (as Betty) in her portrayal of a broken woman, devoted to her dead daughter. These two play off each other with great ease.

There is a delicate dance of emotions and action that make these two very relatable. Hoss is believable as the broken soul with emotional issues. Beer is also good as the young student who feels unconnected and wounded.

“Miroirs No. 3″is small and self-contained story about broken woman meeting a person who might be a mirror-image of the deceased daughter who broke her.