Christian Petzold boldly reimagines the ancient myth of Undine in this suspenseful tale of romance and betrayal in modern-day Berlin.

For in-depth thoughts on Undine, please see my colleague Mike Vaughn’s review from its theatrical debut here.

Video Quality

Undine comes to Blu-Ray in a pleasant 1080p presentation that brings the feature to life without a hiccup. The film provides a natural aesthetic to the color palette which renders well in high definition. Numerous hues impress with the depth of the shade. Skin tones are complex and natural throughout the ensemble. The transfer uncovers texture within the clothing, makeup, and production design that adds respectable depth to the picture. Highlights are handled impeccably with no semblance of blooming, and the black levels are deep and do not stumble with any crush or compression artifacts. There is the slightest bit of banding in a few shots. The transfer handles every aspect with the utmost care. IFC Films has done a commendable job with this release.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray disc comes with a faithful DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that effortlessly translates this story. The sound design is not overly ambitious, but each noise adds to a world that has a specific identity. Dialogue comes through clearly without ever being overpowered by competing sounds. Environmental subtleties enrich the soundscape to give the world some evocative qualities. Music flows through the room when it needs to with a consistent fidelity. This is not the most bombastic feature, but certain moments introduce some welcome texture to the low end. Nothing comes up short with the audio portion of the disc. The film is presented in the original German with optional English subtitles.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Marco Abel (University of Nebraska), author of The Counter-Cinema of the Berlin School (2013), and Jaimey Fisher (University of California, Davis and Irvine), author of Christian Petzold (2013), co-editors with Aylin Bademsoy of Christian Petzold: Interviews (2023)

Booklet: A multi-page booklet is provided featuring essays from film scholar Ailie Margot and author Olivia Landry that provide some great context to the feature.

Final Thoughts

Undine feels like somewhat of a departure for Christian Petzold, yet it retains his purposeful sense of direction and strong narrative drive. The subtly enchanting mixture of myth and love story is brought to life with great emotion by the luminous Paula Beer and the always-captivating Franz Rogowski. The heartache is so good, and you cannot help but get lost within this wondrous tale. IFC Films has released a Blu-Ray featuring a great A/V presentation and a welcome commentary track. Recommended

Undine is currently available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray or with a Limited Edition Slipcover exclusively through Vinegar Syndrome/OCN Distribution.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: IFC Films & OCN Distribution have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.