Apr 27, 2016 — In Phoenix, Christian Petzold sets his nuanced melodrama of postwar German-Jewish identity within a starkly realist aesthetic, making newly fascinating use of his enduring interest in the tensions between the real and the artificial.

Sep 30, 2019 — One of contemporary world cinema’s most exciting filmmakers, Christian Petzold has, over the past two decades, built up a spellbinding body of work that grapples with his native Germany’s turbulent recent history, and its traumatic aftershocks. Now on the Criterion...

Apr 27, 2016 — Over the past fifteen years, the German director and actor have worked together on six films, creating dynamic characters that highlight Hoss’s powerful talent.

Apr 30, 2024 — The gentle rapport between actors Lili Taylor and River Phoenix fuels this humane examination of American masculinity, a film that showcases the nuanced and compassionate approach of director Nancy Savoca.

The writer and director talks about being inspired by Gina Prince-Bythewood’s Love & Basketball at a young age, selects a pair of films that portray the human impact of war, and praises Nina Hoss's performance in Phoenix.

The musician reminisces about Repo Man playing permanently on his tour bus, shares why The Flight of the Phoenix is a relaxing Sunday movie, and selects favorites by David Lean and Marlon Brando.

The actor and author raves about the visual beauty of The Color of Pomegranates, shares his love for Debbie Harry and her performance in Videodrome, and reflects on the formative experience of seeing River Phoenix in My Own Private Idaho...

Dec 7, 2018 — Christian Petzold’s films are like dances in which people circle each other but never quite connect. The most resonant moments in the German writer-director’s work are not ones of dialogue or plot development but of blocking and choreography: bodies intertwining,...

Mar 22, 2022 — In Robert Aldrich’s epic disaster film, James Stewart leads a pack of temperamentally different men as they struggle to survive in the face of the unknown—a template that would go on to influence Hollywood blockbusters for decades to come.

Apr 20, 2016 — In an interview published this week at the A. V. Club, writer Adam Nayman sits down with actor Nina Hoss, the star of Christian Petzold’s haunting 2014 film Phoenix, which we’re releasing on disc next week. The film is a...