Trailer
Assistive Technologies

Blind at Heart (Die Mittagsfrau)

Runtime
2hrs 16mins
Directed by
Barbara Albert
Featuring
Mala Emde,
Max von der Groeben,
Thomas Prenn
Film Language
in German with English subtitles
Body

New England premiere!

Based on Julia Franck’s International bestselling novel Die Mittagsfrau — winner of the German Book Prize and translated into 37 languages — Barbara Albert’s film adaptation is a richly textured portrait of one woman’s struggle to maintain selfhood in an increasingly hostile landscape. Hélène’s complexity is brought to life by the mesmerizing Mala Emde in this stirring drama.

Hélène arrives in Weimar-era Berlin as a young woman with aspirations of becoming a doctor. As the city’s carefree ambiance darkens and tragedy befalls her fiancé (Thomas Prenn), Hélène’s grief gives way to a determination to keep her half-Jewish lineage a secret. When a handsome Luftwaffe officer (Max von der Groeben) professes his love and offers her a forged Aryan identity, she accepts his offer—yet the steps she takes for self-preservation leads her down a difficult path.

Please note: by purchasing a ticket to this screening, you agree that your contact information will be shared with the National Center for Jewish Film for the purpose of including you on their mailing lists. There are no member comps for NCJF Festival Films.

 

Reviews
Review Text

“A handsome, richly textured work…Mala Emde is so magnetic in the central role.” 

 

Review Author
Screen Daily
Review Text

“A wonderful, taut drama with great character development…a stirring homage to female physicality and self-empowerment.” 

Review Author
Luxembourg Chronicle

Presented By

This Week

  • An exhilarating space adventure set in the near future.

    Showtimes
  • From the Studio Ghibli and director Hayao Miyazaki, comes the Oscar-nominated fantasy adventure for the whole family.

    Showtimes
  • Amy Goodman takes on soldiers, politicians, and corporate media in a fearless pursuit of truth

    Showtimes
  • The eagerly awaited sequel to the 2006 phenomenon that defined a generation. 

    Showtimes
  • The new film from Steven Soderbergh, starring Ian McKellen and Michaela Coel.

    Showtimes
  • A horror writer visits an Irish inn to scatter his parents' ashes, unaware the property is said to be haunted by a witch.

    Showtimes
  • A Blast of DRAMATIC Dynamite exploded right before your eyes!

    Showtimes
  • The new film from Kristoffer Borgli (Dream Scenario), starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson.

    Showtimes
  • Modern pop star meets gothic melodrama in David Lowery’s phantasmagoric tale of two women bound across time and space by their personal and artistic histories.

    Showtimes
  • Princess Mononoke

    4K restoration directly overseen by Studio Ghibli’s own Atsushi Okui!

    Showtimes
  • Hayao Miyazaki’s wondrous fantasy adventure, winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

    Showtimes
  • He only needs three things to get through the day ... an espresso, an aspirin, and a miracle.

    Showtimes
  • Based on the life story of Tourette's Syndrome campaigner John Davidson, MBE. 

    Showtimes
  • tommy

    Your senses will never be the same.

    Showtimes
  • David Lynch's startling debut feature is a lasting cult sensation influenced by the writings of Franz Kafka and Nikolai Gogol.

    Showtimes
  • In the darkest hour, there is a light that shines on every human being... but ONE!

    Showtimes
  • In an age of darkness. At a time of evil. When the world needed a hero. What it got was him.

    Showtimes
  • singing in the rain and sullivan's travels

    Celebrate the magic and mayhem of moviemaking in this Mother’s Day double feature!

    Showtimes
  • Featuring guests from The Huntington's production of Oedipus el Rey, running May 7–June 7, 2026.

    Showtimes