Betty (Barbara Auer) looks at Laura (Paula Beer) as the latter walks towards her and her fence. Laura’s plans involve a party with her boyfriend Jakob (Philip Froissant) and friends Debbi (Victoire Laly) and Roger (Marcel Heupermann). But she is at Betty’s house, recovering from minor injuries after a car accident that instantly kills Jakob. Laura’s stay is temporary, although her presence makes for rocky encounters with Betty’s husband and her son. Those characters, Roger (Matthias Brandt) and Max (Enno Trebs), have opposing feelings about Laura’s presence. She at least fills a void that’s been missing in a family with its own minor mysteries. How will all of them react, though, if one of them starts being frank about what that is?

Even if the film has its moments, I am making it seem more tense than it is, which makes sense because of my experience with Christian Petzold’s films dealing with history like Phoenix does. In comparison, other critics call this a minor film of his because its setting is present day. Despite of recent events, Petzold goes small, depicting moments like improving one’s home decor or bad table manners. But it also shows magic within contemporary times, things breaking down, or the smile of a woman. A wheel rolls out of Max’s garage, he and Laura being friends despite him needing to say something. And sometimes, all a film like Miroirs No. 3 needs is Paula Beer elegant familiarity among relative strangers.

Miroirs No. 3 gets its name from a piece of music from Ravel, having an intoxicating quality, and not everyone is going to be a fan of its minimalist approach or its tactics to delay reveals. In fairness to the film, it only interrupts Max once as he tells Laura something important. Yes, it’s strange that maybe within twenty minutes of its running time, Laura’s already familiar with Betty’s house. But again, there’s magic within its ups and downs, less speed bumps and more a rolling hill. There’s also a ghost like quality to these characters with their own traumas, recognizing those in others. And not to be obvious, but there’s a hall of graceful mirrors effect going on here, with broken pieces.

The characters in Miroirs No. 3 are broken but they’re not lost, or at least, Laura has her sense of self. Even if that’s a minor distinction, it’s enough to put her at odds with an otherwise welcoming family. The film eventually reveals Betty’s attachment to Laura, and if she was a lost character, or someone starting again, she’s fine until she eventually steps on toes. But a close bond with nice people isn’t going to change the fact that she has a life in Berlin. The rest of this film is like many in that it makes viewers wonder if characters resolve their conflicts. Petzold only really has two ways of resolving that, and he chose the path that feels realistic.

Miroirs No. 3 is available to stream on MUBI, which-