Film Review: ROSE: Sandra Hüller is Oscar Nomination-Bound with This Incredibly Layered Story of Courage [NYFF2026]

Rose Review

Rose (2026) Film Review from the 64th Annual New York Film Festival, a movie directed by Markus Schleinzer, written by Alexander Brom and Markus Schleinzer and starring Sandra Hüller, Caro Braun, Marisa Growaldt, Godehard Giese, Robert Gwisdek, Maria Dragus, Sven–Eric Bechtolf, Anne Klein and Martine Schambacher.

Filmmaker Markus Schleinzer tells the harrowing tale featured in the new film, Rose. It is essentially about a woman who manages to find (temporary) safety while disguised as a man in the early 17th century. Sandra Hüller portrays the title character, who doesn’t flinch in most times of hardship, and tries to speak out against those who doubt her in this devastating, powerful tale, which is commandeered by Hüller’s very nuanced performance, which is likely to yield the incredible actress yet another Oscar nod for Best Actress come January.

We eventually learn why, exactly, the daring character Hüller plays takes big risks by passing herself off as a man, and when those reveals come into view, Rose hits hard like a sledgehammer, offering viewers a taste of what being a woman was like in a time period where men typically thrived as the females gave birth to babies, who may not have been ready to be born into the unusual society the film presents to the audience.

There is another standout in this film and it is Caro Braun as Suzanna, a seemingly meek woman who takes into a marriage with Hüller’s character, who Suzanna believes is a man. This film really takes the material surprising places when it ups the ante as Suzanna and her new “husband” apparently have sex. Suzanna announces her recently discovered pregnancy, complicating an already difficult situation for the respectable Rose. That idea becomes a hard situation for Rose to fathom being that she has a female’s body parts, which makes it impossible to conceive a baby through their shared intimacy.

Rose accurately portrays the horrifying realities of women during the time period it sets itself in. As the plot progresses, Rose could be persecuted for accumulating a fair share of wealth under false pretenses. Hüller turns the lead role here into the achievement that she’s been working towards her entire career, thus far. Take, for instance, a scene in which Suzanna has revealed that she didn’t see a penis on her husband when he was unclothed, and those townsfolk ultimately demand that Rose takes out her (his) penis to debunk any theory that she could, in fact, be a woman underneath the disguise.

It appears Rose gets respect as a man that she doesn’t get as her female self. Rose is layered, and Hüller gets some serious acting challenges that she overcomes with a vengeance. Braun, surprisingly, holds her own beside Hüller, offering the audience a glimpse of a woman who doesn’t have the intelligence that Rose has, thus Suzanna is destined for a life of suffering, especially once those around her begin to catch on to the truth and her less fortunate situation.

For the duration of the film, Rose captivates, and, also, maintains the full attention of the audience with a performance from Hüller that will simply floor the audience from opening to close. It’s amazing to see the different fates that could await Rose when a simple gender reveal finally happens to those who threaten her very way of life.

Another standout sequence has Hüller’s character explaining the reasons that she deserves to be respected, not prosecuted, for giving money to those who needed it in rough times by providing jobs for them through a specifically obtained budget.

Hüller delivers a daring and unique performance for the record books here. As a man, it becomes clear that Rose can sustain against a number of formidable obstacles. For one, not having to answer to other people on every little thing makes her thrive as a man while, as a woman, it becomes clear that rape and childbearing is all a woman seemed to be good for back then.

Directed with stylistic flair, this crisp black and white movie is simply outstanding. Hüller runs through some great scenes for a final performance that will rip the viewer’s heart out, and then some.

Rose explores a ferocious path to personal salvation, which is manipulated by those characters in power who are more than happy to see Rose thrive as a man, but fail as a woman. As a story of gender identity, the film, itself, thrives on its performance by Hüller, who is a master of her craft. Each scene is marked by the clothing that Rose wears or injuries she bears, which gives her the potential to pass herself off as a man until fate tells her that her situation may not be able to be rectified once her true identity is discovered by others.

Hüller and Braun are well-matched as a pair of intriguing characters, and it’s easy to see some major on-screen chemistry between these characters. That chemistry is not romantic and once things get going, all hell will be endured for these two daring women, whose fates could have been pre-determined based on the time the story sets itself in.

Rose will haunt the viewer for days with its deep tale of redemption, and its depiction of the cruel punishment that awaits Rose for her actions. It is a truly great cinematic experience.

Rating: 9/10

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