As the film starring Sandra Hüller is released in Germany, DW talked to director Markus Schleinzer about why women passing as men inspired his historical drama, and why it's a current topic.
Markus Schleinzer's film "Rose," a historical drama set in the 17th century, imagines the life of one of these women who conceals her gender.
Starring Sandra Hüller in the title role, Rose appears in an isolated community as a scarred soldier returning from the Thirty Years' War , and claims to be the heir to a long-abandoned farmstead.
Following its premiere at the Berlinale , "Rose" hits German theaters on April 30, and it will also be distributed internationally by Mubi later this year.
A quest for freedom When filmmaker Markus Schleinzer turned 50, one of his friends told him that exactly 250 years before his birth, a woman who presented as a man for most of her life was executed for sodomy.
Sentenced to death by Prussian King Frederick William I in 1721, Catharina Margaretha Linck became the last person to be executed for lesbian sexual activity in Europe.
Linck led an unconventional life. Beyond wearing men's clothes and having sexual relationships with other women, she also fought as a soldier and claimed to be a prophet, spending a few years with an unorthodox religious group. She went by the name Rosenstengel (Rose stem).
That intriguing story led Schleinzer down a rabbit hole of research on women who took on a male persona throughout history. He became fascinated by "what drives people to step into other identities in order to live something that is denied to them," the filmmaker told DW.
But there were also many cases of women who tried to support themselves after the death of their spouse.
For some, the motivation was simply to follow their husbands to war — which was something only male soldiers could do.
In other cases, families aimed to save their honor if a son didn't want to fight in a conflict; they'd send a gutsier daughter instead.
Beyond these different motivations, added Schleinzer, "all these women had the same goal: freedom." "The fate of all these people deeply moved me," said the filmmaker. As a queer person himself, he has always explored queer identity and history in his work. "So, from the very beginning, writing this screenplay was a political endeavor for me." Mentioning that he was raised solely by women, the filmmaker added that he believes "that the only thing that could save us right now is if we had more feminism in the world, and returned to the fundamental principles of feminism." Women's inequality remains a persistent global issue, gender-based violence is rising and transgender rights are one of the most polarizing issues in the current political discourse. For Schleinzer, even though "Rose" is a historical drama, "in reality, it also tells a story about the present time we live in." "Rose" is a tale that reflects on "how people are denied things that are perfectly logical for others to live by." For the filmmaker, the question is: Why are they denied these rights?
Beyond his work as a filmmaker, Schleinzeris also a casting director, who has among other projects worked on several Michael Haneke films, along with other projects. The influence of Haneke's Palme d'Or winning "The White Ribbon" (2009), another stark black-and-white historical drama recognized for its deliberate ambiguity, can definitely be felt in "Rose." Schleinzer's experience as a casting director has also influenced his writing; early in the process of developing "Rose," he already visualized Sandra Hüller portraying the main role.
One of Germany's most celebrated actors, Hüller has gained international recognition in recent years, especially after starring in " The Zone of Interest " and " Anatomy of a Fall " in 2023.
"It was very clear to me from the beginning that this character would be very complex," explained Schleinzer, noting that the challenge was to reveal Rose's depth without any big monologues, but rather through "lots of silence." It's a character who constantly embodies different layers at once, he noted: Rose's own identity as a woman, her persona as a con artist, but also "all the radars that are constantly kept active, to detect if people are aware of her deceit." Hüller, who expresses all these layers at once through her precise and sensitive acting, won the Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance at the Berlinale.
But Rose is not an activist against the patriarchy; she acts out of self-interest. She is much more complex than the classic victim; she herself becomes a perpetrator, as another person falls victim to her secret. Rose is both strong and vulnerable — and that makes her a compelling character.
"Above all, the film doesn't want to preach," said Schleinzer.
But it definitely prompts reflection on the longstanding structures and symbols that imprison women to this day. Late in the film, Rose is asked what led her to defy her birthright. "There was more freedom in trousers," she replies, adding: "It's just a small piece of fabric." Edited by: Tenzin Sekhon Advertisement
