A person is looking off into the distance in a black and white image. They are wearing a wide brimmed hat and have a piece of straw in their mouth.

Rose Sydney Film Festival

  • Cinema
  • Playhouse
  • Run time: 94 minutes Subject to change
  • Seating map

A towering performance that won Sandra Hüller the Berlinale Silver Bear

Germany, Austria | 2026 | German | History / Drama | Unclassified 18+

Sandra Hüller won the Berlinale Silver Bear for this towering performance as a 17th century soldier who claims an inheritance only to have his identity brought into question.

Said to be the “true and twisted tale of a deceiver of land and folk, who, defying her birth as a woman, comported herself as a man and committed many a wicked deed,” what follows is far more complex. Battle-worn, 'the soldier' (Hüller, Anatomy of a Fall, SFF 2023) turns up in a village bearing the paperwork to lay claim to an abandoned farmstead. Initially sceptical, the villagers come to respect the industrious stranger. As the soldier's influence grows, he is pressured to marry, which he does – setting in motion a series of surprising and tragic events. Director Schleinzer (Angelo, SFF 2018) tackles the material, based on historical characters, with a wry humour and an admiration for a gender non-conforming stalwart.

Presented by Sydney Opera House and Sydney Film Festival

Event details

Beautifully shot and as engrossing as a lurid soap opera.

Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

Terrific... an elegant, intelligent work.

Wendy Ide, Screen International

The title role in the austerely beautiful character study Rose is such a thrilling fit for Sandra Hüller

David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter

Cast and credits

Rose Sandra Hüller
Suzanna Caro Braun
Großbauer Godehard Giese

Director & Screenwriter Markus Schleinzer
Producer Johannes Schubert
Producer Karsten Stöter
Producer  Philipp Worm
Screenwriter Alexander Brom
Editor Hansjörg Weißbrich

Australian Distributor Madman Entertainment

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Sydney Opera House
Bennelong Point
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