The title character is a schoolgirl who, having won an essay competition on "Freedom in Europe," finds the inhabitants of her town unwilling to participate in her next essay, "My Home Town During the Third Reich." Years later, as a mother and wife of a schoolmaster, she continues her search to uncover the truth, despite personal danger to herself and her family. Based on the true story of Anja Rosmus, The Nasty Girl depicts German fascism, not only in the past, but also in the presentday. Bolstered by Lena Stoltze’s vibrant performance (playing both the teenage and adult parts) and Michael Verhoeven’s distinctly modernist direction, The Nasty Girl emerges as one of the finest political satires in contemporary cinema.