THE STORY – In the early 17th century, somewhere in Germany, a mysterious soldier arrives in an isolated Protestant village. Slight and modest by nature, his face disfigured by a scar, this stranger declares himself to be the heir of a long-abandoned farmstead and produces a document to support his claim to the suspicious villagers.
THE CAST – Sandra Hüller, Caro Braun, Marisa Growaldt, Godehard Giese & Augustino Renken
THE TEAM – Markus Schleinzer (Director/Writer) & Alexander Brom (Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 93 Minutes
Austrian writer-director Markus Schleinzer’s latest, “Rose,” is a black-and-white historical drama set just after the Thirty Years’ War. The film places the fictional character of Rose into a 17th-century village in the land of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. Rose isn’t a historical figure, but a character inspired by documented accounts of women pretending to be men in Europe. Sandra Hüller gets lost in her character’s male persona, aided by some excellent prosthetics and make-up to rough her up.
The film begins as Rose (Sandra Hüller), disguised as a man, enters a small village claiming to be the heir of an abandoned farmstead. The villagers are wary but do not suspect anything about Rose’s gender, and are more concerned about the paperwork; however, everything is in order, and she is given the land. She settles in quickly and becomes a part of the community, with most people respecting her for her efforts in the war.
Looking to settle down and live a normal life, albeit with the privileges of being a man at the time, Rose tends to her land and animals. Her life is changed when a local, respected farmer approaches her about taking his daughter’s hand in marriage. It was clearly not in Rose’s plans to get married to a woman, but denying a wife would seem odd. Reluctantly, Rose agrees to marry the farmer’s daughter, Suzanna. They have a lovely wedding ceremony, but when they arrive home, the time for consummating their marriage looms. Rose isn’t eager to reveal her gender, so she shrugs off the ordeal by saying she appreciates her wife’s pureness and intends to keep it that way. Naturally, struggles follow as those around them wait for Suzanna to have her first child, but the length of time before getting to that is suspicious.
Schleinzer’s arthouse film opens to painterly black-and-white shots of the German landscape. Walking across the land is Hüller’s Rose, whose story is told through soft, well-spoken narration. Each shot is a wonder of its own; the frame is well-composed and beautifully lit. The mise-en-scene makes it feel period accurate with some great old-looking costumes and set builds. Rose looks quite ambiguous; she could be a man or a woman, thanks to a big facial scar that distorts her face. The prosthetics are seamless. It’s easy to imagine that Rose might’ve scarred her face on purpose to help her disguise, but it seems she genuinely got it in battle based on the way she talks about her time at war.
Sandra Hüller returns to acting in her native language after the success of the Oscar-nominated “Anatomy of a Fall.” This year is a big one for Hüller as “Rose” is just one of the three projects that she stars in. Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s “Digger” is set for release later this year, where Hüller will star alongside Tom Cruise. “Project Hail Mary” will see her playing alongside Ryan Gosling, so “Rose” remains the sole German-language film she will appear in this year. Here, Hüller’s role is uniquely challenging as she is forced to act in a masculine way. Her mannerisms and actions echo those of a man; it’s easy to believe her, although the narration regularly reminds us that it’s all a disguise. It would seem a great role for any actor, as after all, what is acting but putting on a convincing charade?
Rose’s journey becomes all the more gripping after she gets married. At first, it’s rather funny seeing Rose using a homemade strap-on to have sex with her wife. But things become quite sweet as all is revealed to Suzanna, where the two find newfound freedom as a supposedly straight couple. They continue the charade, as Suzanna would be pawned off to another husband if the truth came out, and Rose would be put to the sword for her deception of the community. Instead, the two become companions with a shared interest in their newborn child, who was somehow conceived.
Markus Schleinzer’s “Rose” is always engaging and has something thoughtful to say about gender norms. Rose likes being able to slip into trousers; why shouldn’t she be able to do as she pleases? The film ends on a defiant note as Rose writes her story, passing it on to future generations, perhaps a hint towards the character’s real-life inspiration. Rose and Suzanna’s marriage never becomes a queer relationship, as there is no romance between the two, but this twist really makes the film. It highlights the importance of freedom in a man’s world.
