Director: Christian Petzold
Cast: Paula Beer, Barbara Auer, Matthias Brandt, Enno Trebs, Philip Froissant
Mirrors No. 3 is a 2025 German drama-thriller directed by Christian Petzold, running 86 minutes. Set against quiet countryside landscapes, it follows a young woman who survives a catastrophic car accident and finds herself drawn into the orbit of a stranger's family — a slow, unsettling study in intimacy, obligation, and secrets that surfaces beneath ordinary hospitality.
What is Mirrors No 3 about?
Laura is travelling through rural countryside when her car is struck in a devastating collision. Against all odds she walks away without a scratch, yet she is profoundly disoriented. A local woman who happened to witness the crash brings Laura into her home and tends to her with fierce, almost maternal care. Her husband and grown son resist at first, but one by one they warm to the unexpected guest. The four of them settle into domestic rhythms that feel almost like family. Yet as days pass, something beneath the surface refuses to stay buried — old wounds and buried truths begin to press through, threatening the fragile calm they have all agreed, without quite saying so, to maintain.
Cast & crew
Christian Petzold directs, bringing his signature restraint and psychological precision to the project. Paula Beer leads as Laura, paired with Barbara Auer as the watchful matriarch and Matthias Brandt as her husband. Supporting the ensemble are Enno Trebs, Philip Froissant, Victoire Laly, Marcel Heupermann, and Christian Koerner, each contributing to the film's claustrophobic yet intimate atmosphere.
Context & significance
For Persian-speaking viewers abroad, Mirrors No. 3 offers something that German art cinema does particularly well: the slow revelation of what lies beneath polite social surfaces. Petzold has long been celebrated for his chamber dramas where psychological tension builds through glances and silences rather than confrontation. Iranian diaspora audiences who grew up with Persian literary traditions of concealment and subtext will recognise this grammar immediately. The film is available with Persian dubbing, making it fully accessible without needing to follow subtitles, and its compact 86-minute runtime makes it ideal for an evening watch in any time zone.
Where & how to watch
Mirrors No. 3 is available on K-Time with both Persian dubbing and Persian subtitles. Watch on the web browser, your TV, or your phone — no VPN needed, no geo-blocking, no extra download required. Cancel anytime.