Fraulein
Ruza left Belgrade more than 25 years ago to seek a new life in Zurich. Now in her fifties, she has completely detached herself from the past. She owns a cafeteria and maintains an orderly, joyless existence. Mila, a waitress there, is a good-humored Croatian woman who also emigrated decades ago, but, unlike Ruza, she dreams of returning to a house on the Croatian coast. Both of them receive a jolt when Ana, a young, itinerant woman who has fled Sarajevo, breezes into the cafeteria looking for work. Ruza hires her but is annoyed by Ana's impulsive and spirited efforts to inject life into the cafeteria. Gradually the acrimony will dissipate, as Ana, who hides a tragic secret under her passionate spirit, begins to thaw Ruza's chill, and their relationship will change both women in ways they never anticipated.
Cast
- Mirjana Karanović
- Marija Škarièiæ
- Ljubica Joviæ
DVD Features
Bonus short: Happiness, directed by Sophie Barthes
Sound: Stereo 2.0
Discs: 1
- "A remarkably affecting work that doesn't go for easy sentiment."
- "A quiet triumph!"
- "Director Andrea Staka plays the actors like a fine instrument, eliciting anxiety, pain, passion and joy that feel genuine."
Awards & Recognition
Best Film
Locarno Int'l Film Festival
Best Film
Sarajevo Film Festival
Best Actress
Sarajevo Film Festival
FIPRESCI Prize
Valladolid Int'l Film Festival
Tribeca Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
Rotterdam Int'l Film Festival
Diaspora Film Festival
Green Mountain Film Festival
Whitehead Film Festival
San Francisco Film Society