Nina Hoss plays Barbara, a physician exiled to a remote East German village from Berlin in the early 1980s. The movie begins with a few requisite Cold War elements, namely surveillance and an aloof yet palpably brittle protagonist whose distance and mystery just seethe with secrets. It then builds into an engrossing and pleasingly ambiguous story of love, dignity, and the inevitable complexities of community.

Hoss’s rich performance—aided by her regal, visceral bearing—is the centerpiece of an excellent, subtle cast. The film is visually striking as well, with the antiseptic hospital and the countryside’s enchanting verdure illustrating the tension between a restrictive, largely inscrutable society and the human beings who find a way to live within it.

This is one of five collaborations between Hoss and director Christian Petzold. Handsomely captured character-driven dramas are my jam, so I’m eager to see more.