Christian Petzold's 'Great Freedom' Explores Trauma and Identity

German director Christian Petzold's latest film, "Great Freedom" (original title "Tredje våningen"), centers on a woman who survived a car accident, presenting a thriller that blurs the lines between the ordinary and the extraordinary. Petzold consistently and elegantly explores themes of doppelgängers and hidden identities in his films, featuring characters who are not who they appear to be. Previously, he tackled the Holocaust in "Phoenix," about an Auschwitz survivor who returns home with a reconstructed face after torture, and "Transit," which followed a man assuming a dead writer's identity to escape occupied France. In his more recent works, Petzold has shifted away from World War II's "German wound" to develop his motif of mysterious identity. This approach is evident in "Great Freedom," which premiered last year at the Cannes and Jerusalem film festivals. The film bypassed Israeli cinemas and became exclusively available on yes VOD this past weekend.