Aimée & Jaguar
Two women find trust, companionship and love in World War II Berlin. There's just one catch: One of them is Jewish.
Story
Felice (Maria Schrader), is a strong Jewish woman living in 1944 Berlin and belongs to an underground organization trying to get out of Germany alive. Lilly (Juliane Köhler), is a devoted mother of four (and occasionally unfaithful wife) who is desperate for love. An unusual and passionate love between them blossoms, despite the danger of persecution and nightly bombing raids. Their love flourishes until the Gestapo tracks down Felice.
Acting
Pretty much unknown to American audiences, Schrader and Köhler give passionate performances as a very flirtatious, head-strong lesbian and a love-starved housewife, respectively. When Lilly succumbs to Felice's incessant advances, the pair develops a convincing but strange love affair that borders on obsession.
Direction
German director Max Färberböck paints a vivid picture of a crumbling Berlin in the midst of nightly bomb raids and its subsequent destruction. The gloomy skies throughout the film capture the hopelessness of wartime Germany. The love scenes get pretty heavy at times, but hey -- that's love.
Bottom Line
Almost as steamy as "9 1/2 Weeks."
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Starring Maria Schrader, Juliane Kohler, Heike Makatsch, Johanna Wokalek and Elisabeth Degen.
Directed by Max Färberböck. Produced by Gunter Rohrbach and Hanno Huth. creenplay adapted by Rona Munro. Released by Zeitgeist Films.