'Rose' and the piece of fabric that embodies gender politics
Key takeaways
- 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.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
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.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Cm9f Sandra Hüller is Rose, a war veteran disfigured by a bullet wound Image: The Match Factory/Everett Collection/picture alliance Advertisement Whether legendary Chinese warrior Hua Mulan, France's patron saint Joan of Arc or pirates Mary Read and Anne Bonny, history offers numerous examples of women who adopted male clothing to circumvent the assigned gender roles that restricted their freedom — and many more cases remain undocumented.
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.