A story of love and subterfuge in 1980 East Germany that never quite accelerates into an outright thriller, "Barbara" reps another assured collaboration between director Christian Petzold and his main muse, actress Nina Hoss. Credibly capturing the bleakness of life in the German Democratic Republic without indulging in miserablist excess, this wise and incisively crafted drama brings simmering intelligence and a dry, sardonic compassion to bear on its tale of two doctors slowly worming their way into each other's hearts and minds.