Fraulein (2006) Das Fräulein

Director: Andrea Staka
Writers: Andrea Staka, Eva Vitija-Scheidegger (contributor) (as Eva Vitija)
Stars: Mirjana Karanovic, Marija Skaricic, Ljubica Jovic

Ruza left Belgrade for Switzerland as a young woman full of hope for a new and better life. Twenty-five years later she appears to have achieved everything: she owns a canteen in Zurich, which she manages with a firm grip and financial success. Ruza values her meticulously-structured daily routine, in both her professional and her private life. Ruzas's orderly world shifts when 22-year-old Ana from Sarajevo enters the scene. She feels threatened by Ana's direct and impulsive manner while at the same time she is intrigued by her zest for life. Slowly a friendship develops between these two self-willed women. However, a certain distance between them remains: Ruza's afraid to open herself up completely, and Ana has a secret too difficult for herself to reveal.

This German/Swiss co-production (filmed in Switzerland)is about three generations of women from Bosnia-Herzgovina. A young woman,living from day to day,a middle aged owner/manager of a restaurant & an older worker. It manages to nicely weave a trilogy of stories on how these women got to where they are (and why). I couldn't help notice that the movie seemed to be shot live on high definition video,rather than standard 35mm film stock,which gives it a certain look (mind you,I'm not beefing). Das Fraulein (or as it's being distributed in the U.S. as merely Fraulein) is a lovingly written/directed & acted film (video?) about 3 women trying to make do with their lives,and the hard knocks they've all been dealt with.

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