This collection of articles is the first comprehensive introduction to the work of the multi-talented Doris Doerrie, Germany's most successful female filmmaker and best-selling author. From Straight through the Heart (1983) to Naked (2002), all eleven of her feature films are examined in individual essays. The approaches by the various authors are as diverse as Doerrie's films. Some explore the relationship between her short stories and the films based on them, while others analyze the influence of Hollywood (Ernst Lubitsch, Billy Wilder, and Robert Altman) as well as German film history on her work. Two essays discuss Doerrie's short story collections, and the final chapter focuses on the most recent phase of her literary career, as the author of popular children's books. In addition to the articles, the volume includes an interview with Doris Doerrie as well as the filmmaker's own English translation of her original script for Nobody Loves Me. Illustrated with photos.

Contributions by: Donna L. Hoffmeister, Jennifer Taylor, Vibeke R. Peterson, Susan Kassouf, Sheila Johnson, George Lellis, Robert C. Reimer, Hans-Bernhard Moeller