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<\/p>\nHistorical queer film ‘Rose’ shown at Berlin with call to action\n<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Berlinale turned reflective and political with the premiere of Rose, a historical queer drama that brought both applause and pointed conversations to the red carpet. Directed by Markus Schleinzer, the film debuted in competition at the Berlin International Film Festival, continuing the festival\u2019s long-standing engagement with queer storytelling.<\/p>\n
Set in 17th-century Germany in the aftermath of the Thirty Years\u2019 War, Rose follows a woman who assumes a male identity in an attempt to escape rigid patriarchal structures. Portrayed by Sandra H\u00fcller, the central character arrives in a small village seeking safety and autonomy under her new persona.<\/p>\n
Within the community, Rose finds acceptance and eventually marries a young woman named Suzanna, played by Caro Braun. However, the fragile stability of her life is threatened when Suzanna uncovers the truth. Rose then attempts to persuade her to remain in the marriage, offering a promise of shared freedom within their unconventional arrangement.<\/p>\n
H\u00fcller, internationally recognised for her performances in The Zone of Interest and Anatomy of a Fall, reflected on her character\u2019s motivations during a press interaction. She said Rose \u201cused this drag as a disguise to live in safety and to have a life of her own”.<\/p>\n
The actor also connected the narrative to present-day realities. \u201cMore and more people who were on the path of being more free and integrated in society, respected and accepted are threatened these days, again,” she told journalists. \u201cThat was definitely a topic that we were thinking about” in making the film,” she added.<\/p>\n
Director Schleinzer described the project as part of his continued engagement with queer identity and history. \u201cI\u2019m a queer person myself so queer identity and queer history\u2026 is always part of my work,” he said.<\/p>\n
The film presents a stark depiction of how individuals who defied social and gender norms were treated in the 17th century. Schleinzer noted that while the story is rooted in the past, its development coincided with contemporary political shifts, including the re-election of Donald Trump in the United States.<\/p>\n
\u201cSuddenly everything seemed like it had the potential to become uglier again in our Western bubble,” Schleinzer said.<\/p>\n
Although he acknowledged a personal preference for more uplifting cinema, he explained why Rose takes a different path. \u201cthey leave me a little inactive”. \u201cWhen I see something that stirs me up, then I have the feeling that I have to take action.”<\/p>\n
The director expressed hope that audiences would examine ongoing gender inequalities. \u201cWhy do women still earn so much less than men?” he asked. \u201cThere is so much to do, let\u2019s do it. Let\u2019s yearn for a happy ending in our own lives.”<\/p>\n
The Berlin festival, which this year marks the 40th anniversary of its Teddy Award honouring queer-themed films, provided a fitting platform for Rose.<\/p>\n
(With inputs from AFP)<\/p>\n
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February 16, 2026, 08:56 IST<\/p>\n News<\/a> movies<\/a> hollywood<\/a> Historical Queer Drama Rose Premieres At Berlin Film Festival With Strong Social MessageDisclaimer: Comments reflect users\u2019 views, not News18\u2019s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use<\/a> and Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Last Updated:February 16, 2026, 08:56 IST “Rose,” directed by Markus Schleinzer and starring Sandra H\u00fcller, premiered at Berlin,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":14974,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[99],"tags":[112,6144,11146,11150,190,11147,10819,11149,11148,11151],"class_list":{"0":"post-14973","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-berlin","8":"tag-berlin","9":"tag-berlin-international-film-festival","10":"tag-berlinale-rose-premiere","11":"tag-gender-identity-in-film","12":"tag-germany","13":"tag-historical-queer-drama","14":"tag-markus-schleinzer","15":"tag-queer-storytelling","16":"tag-sandra-huller","17":"tag-thirty-years-war-drama"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14973","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14973"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14973\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14974"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14973"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14973"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14973"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.news18.com\/dlxczavtqcctuei\/news18\/static\/images\/english\/google-color.svg\")
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