Yella (film)

Following a separation from her husband, Yella Fichte plans to leave Wittenberge for a new accountancy job in Hanover. Her husband, Ben, insists on giving her a ride to the train station. She reluctantly agrees. When she refuses to return to him, he becomes abusive and won't let her out of the car. He drives through a bridge siding into a river. They both escape the crash, but Yella leaves him unconscious on the shoreline and catches her train.

On her arrival, she is approached by Philipp, a businessman, about becoming his assistant. She doesn't give him a firm answer. The next day, she discovers that the man who hired her no longer works for the company. The man convinces her to steal a portfolio from the office for him but rewards her by making a crude pass that she rebuffs.

She plans to return to Wittenberge the next day and falls asleep with her door open. Philipp walks in, awakens her and renews his offer. She accepts. He involves her in a series of unethical moneymaking schemes using evidence of malfeasance to scam money out of competitors. Philipp tests her loyalty by asking her to make various deposits totaling €75,000, but actually gives her €100,000. She plans to keep the difference to bribe Ben to stay away, but Philipp catches her. She explains her situation and he forgives her.

On separate occasions, Ben attempts to kidnap her and tries to bargain with her to return to him. Instead, his abusive gestures drive her into Philipp's arms. Philipp loses his job due to his unethical practices. He tells Yella that their scams were intended to raise money to begin a new enterprise, but he's short €200,000. Yella blackmails one of his previous victims for the additional funds. As they wait for the man to deliver the money to them, Yella has a strange vision of him. When he doesn't arrive as expected, she is compelled to look for him.

At the man's home, his wife helps Yella. They find him face down in a backyard pond. Philipp arrives and helps pull the body out of the water while Yella leaves. As she's crying in the back of a taxi, Yella suddenly finds herself back in Ben's car, going off the bridge.

Wittenberge police pull Ben's car from the water and find Yella and Ben's bodies inside.

• Nina Hoss - Yella Fichte
• Devid Striesow - Philipp
• Hinnerk Schönemann - Ben
• Burghart Klaußner - Dr. Gunthen
• Barbara Auer - Barbara Gunthen
• Christian Redl - Yella's father
• Michael Wittenborn - Dr. Schmidt-Ott
• Wanja Mues - Sprenger
• Martin Brambach - Dr. Fritz
• Joachim Nimtz - Prietzel
• Peter Benedict - Dr. Friedrich's lawyer Oliver
• Peter Knaack - official receiver
• Selin Bademsoy - Dr. Gunthen's daughter

Yella was released on DVD by Artificial Eye on January 28, 2008. It was later released by Cinema Guild on March 31, 2009.^[3]