HER THIRD (East Germany / 1971)



Directed by Egon Gnther, who has been described as an "avant-gardist" of East German cinema, Her Third (Der Dritte) is an intimate and absorbing drama about a woman attempting to grasp the kaleidoscopic social values in the early-70s GDR.

Jutta Hoffmann plays Margit Flieer, a thirtysomething mathematician working at a chemical plant who is a single mother of two and is seeking a male companion. She starts eyeing a co-worker but isnt sure how to approach him. Through a series of flashbacks, we gradually discover Margits past which largely defines her present state. After being orphaned at a young age, she sought comfort in a religious upbringing which she ultimately found to be too restrictive, and decided to pursue higher education on her own while being employed. Margit's first husband was her handsome chemistry professor who resented her youthful idealism; her second, a middle-aged author and musician (Armin Mueller-Stahl) who eventually succumbed to alcoholism due to his lacks. Both being responsible for a child each. 

But Margit has found a way to survive the tribulations thus far, and wants to starts anew in a society which mightve been striving to provide equal status to women both professionally and otherwise, but their submissiveness was still considered a virtue in domestic matters. Hoffmann -- winner of the Best Actress award at the 1972 Venice Film Festival -- is truly a revelation here; shes tested in an array of emotionally complex situations by the taut screenplay (adopted from a short story by screenwriter Gnther Rcker) which covers nearly two decades of her character's life, but she comes through with flying colors. 

When the film was submitted to the authorities for approval, they didnt find anything problematic with how the turbulent life of this GDR woman was depicted (the truth was hard to refute, I guess), but an issue was raised with a brief yet intimate moment Margit shares with her spry best friend and colleague, Lucie (Barbara Dittus), according to whom "socialism cant handle two things: fresh rolls and large busts." But Gnther was eventually able to get the film certified. Not surprisingly, Her Third became a box office success upon its release, and is now considered as one of the key DEFA films of the 70's.

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*Now available on DVD in the U.S. (First Run). 

*Extra Features include:

- Biographies & filmographies 
- Interview with screenwriter Gnther Rcker.
- Essay: "A Woman and GDR Society" by Erika Richter (who I'm assuming is related to critic/historian Rolf Richter.)
- A DEFA short documentary, Sylvia (1983), which serves as an excellent companion piece to the feature.
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