East Germany, Summer 1980. Barbara, a doctor, (Nina Hoss) works at the Charité university hospital in Berlin. She applies for an exit visa – and is punished by being transferred to a hospital in the province. Even though official channels are closed, she is still determined to leave East Germany. With the help of her lover who lives in the West, Barbara plans to escape through the Baltic Sea. But as she waits for an opportunity, she begins to fall for her colleague André.

Barbara is probably Christian Petzold's easiest film, told in an open and straightforward way. But he still remains true to his ambition: as in his other movies, he creates a precise portrait of his characters, especially Barbara, who hangs somewhere between starting a new life and enduring the old one. Nina Hoss' intense performance gives her character dramatic depth, that really draws you in. In an unobtrusive but touching way, the film tells the story of a woman who tries to regain control over her life.