This is one of a number of recent German films that have played in England - Mostly Martha, Goodbye, Lenin, The Lives Of Others - and Academics and failed Pseuds are starting to talk about a German New Wave which is totally misleading because unlike the French so-called New Wave these German films are actually quite GOOD and adhere to the old style of film-making, strong stories, no hand-held cameras, jump-cuts and other sloppiness. That's not to say that this entry doesn't take the odd liberty - within minutes Yella is walking through the strangely deserted streets of a large town in the middle of the day, just her and her violent ex/estranged husband. Later that same husband turns up on her doorstep where she is saying goodbye to her father prior to leaving for a new job on the other side of the Elbe when the ex turns up again and offers to drive her to the station; now both Yella and her father know that the ex is trouble but - in the equivalent of the scene where the heroine walks the corridors of the old, dark castle in the middle of the night with only a negligee and a candle for company - she meekly gets in the car, against all logic. There's an appropriate - given the denouement - surreal quality about it which shouldn't be exposed to a strong light but the metaphors mostly work and with the exception of the violent ex the acting is good quality. I doubt if it will find its audience outside Germany but nevertheless it'a a notable effort.
Review of Yella
