The Berlin Affair

In Berlin, late 1938, Louise von Hollendorf visits her former college literature professor to recount the events that have shaped her life. The rest of the film unfolds as a flashback, with Louise narrating to the Professor and the Professor occasionally guiding the memory. This framing sets a tone of reflection against the encroaching Nazi atmosphere.

Several months earlier in spring, Louise is married to Heinz, a German senior diplomat. His long work hours leave her feeling isolated and craving companionship. She begins drawing lessons to fill the void in her life.

Louise attends drawing classes at the Institute of Fine Arts and meets Mitsuko Matsugae, the young daughter of the Japanese ambassador. Rumors soon spread that the two women share a deeper attraction. The environment buzzes with intrigue and unspoken tension.

The two women engage in a passionate romance, first at Louise's house and then at Mitsuko's residence on the grounds of the Japanese embassy. Their bond deepens as they share intimate moments and secret meetings. Louise narrates the affair with a mix of longing and peril.

Heinz grows suspicious of Louise's relationship with Mitsuko, driven by jealousy and fear for his political career. He confronts Louise about infidelity, which she denies despite mounting evidence. The couple's tension foreshadows the social danger closing in on them.

Louise learns that Mitsuko has also been involved with Joseph Benno, their half-Italian drawing instructor. Benno and Mitsuko plan to marry and spread rumors about Louise to distract others from their own relationship. Disgusted, Louise breaks away from Mitsuko and returns to Heinz, confessing everything.

Despite the revelations, Heinz is upset but eventually forgives Louise for her infidelity. The marriage unless tempered by trust continues, yet the STI tension reverberates as the political climate tightens around them. The trio's unstable dynamic lingers as a looming threat.

Wolf von Hollendorf, Heinz’s cousin and a Gestapo officer, compels Louise and Heinz to participate in a plot to expose General Werner von Heiden’s homosexuality. They invite von Heiden and his lover to their home, where Wolf reveals the scandal and wrecks the General’s career. Von Heiden is forced to flee Berlin and eventually Germany.

A month later, Mitsuko reappears, pretending to be ill and pregnant. Louise remains skeptical but the bond between Louise and Mitsuko is rekindled with even greater intensity. Joseph Benno remains involved, pressing his own agenda behind the scenes.

Benno leverages a signed agreement promising marriage to Mitsuko to pressure Heinz, with Wolf’s help turning the tables on him. Heinz uses the leverage to deport Benno back to Italy, clearing the way for Mitsuko and Louise’s continued affair. The power shift strengthens the trio’s grip on Louise’s life.

The three orchestrate a staged suicide to scare Heinz into accepting their arrangement. Mitsuko seduces Heinz in a provocative ménage à trois and uses sleeping pills to manipulate the situation, driving a wedge between the lovers. The relationship grows more jealous and volatile as the plan spirals out of control.

The self-destructive entanglement becomes public when Benno’s account is published in a Berlin newspaper. Heinz resigns from his post and hurries to leave Berlin as Wolf withholds their passports. The trio is pushed further into hiding as the regime closes ranks.

The trio hides in a seedy hotel room and drinks poison as part of a ceremonial suicide. Louise awakens to find Heinz and Mitsuko dead, realizing she was given a sedative instead of poison. She is left shocked, disoriented, and utterly alone in the aftermath.

As Louise finishes her memory for the Professor, the Professor urges her to publish her story and passes him a manuscript for safekeeping. Moments later, Gestapo agents arrest the Professor, leaving Louise to face life on her own. The film closes with Louise alone, contemplating what comes next.