Paula Beer Discusses Her Collaborative Partnership with Director Christian Petzold

Paula Beer, the 31-year-old German actor, has become a central figure in Christian Petzold's films since 2018's Transit. In their latest collaboration, Miroirs No 3, Beer plays Laura, a young woman who survives a car crash and forms a codependent relationship with Betty, a woman grieving her daughter's suicide. The film explores themes of reincarnation and mystery, with Petzold describing it as "the story of a dead girl who comes back to life." Beer notes that Petzold's work often blends reality with fairy-tale elements, creating layered characters that resist easy categorization. Their partnership deepened with Undine (2020), where Beer and co-star Franz Rogowski suggested edits, and Afire (2023), where she played opposite Thomas Schubert. During Miroirs No 3, Beer challenged the original ending, leading to reshoots while she was pregnant. She recalls being inspired early in her career by Nina Hoss, Petzold's previous leading lady, who later presented her with the Marcello Mastroianni award at Venice for Frantz (2016). Beer, fluent in English and French, expresses interest in working with directors outside Germany, comparing the experience to Laura's liberation in the film. Miroirs No 3 is currently showing in UK cinemas.