The Marriage of Maria Braun

A resourceful and morally flexible woman who navigates postwar Germany by blending sexuality, wit, and business instincts. She transforms from a bar worker into a key adviser and mistress, orchestrating deals while masking her vulnerability. Her emotional detachment becomes a strategic asset in a society redefining gender roles.

Maria's husband who returns from the Soviet POW camp and is drawn into her world, yet remains emotionally distant. He bears the consequences of her actions and ultimately withdraws from the relationship, choosing to emigrate before the final tragedy. His presence exposes themes of loyalty, disappointment, and longing.

A Black American soldier with whom Maria begins a conflicted romance as a means to secure financial support for her family. Their affair culminates in violence, and his death marks a turning point that exposes the cost of Maria's pragmatic love.

Wealthy textile industrialist who becomes Maria's patron, lover, and business partner. She leverages their relationship to gain influence and control, and his estate becomes a central element in the final revelations about her power and her sacrifices.

Oswald's lawyer who remains wary of Maria's influence but ultimately supports the firm. He provides legal cover and confronts Maria with the moral ambiguities of their business world, including the will that becomes central to the ending.

Maria's physician who becomes a morphine addict due to the pressures on his female patients forced into sex work. His addiction underscores the moral cost of wartime upheaval on the healing professions.

Maria's mother figure who witnesses her daughter's ascent and the cost it exacts on their family. She embodies the traditional, often unsettled, expectations of women in a changing Germany.