Woman in Gold tells the real-life legal drama surrounding the ownership of the famous portrait painted by Gustav Klimt. It stars Helen Mirren as Maria Altmann, a long-time resident of Los Angeles whose authoritative manner makes it clear that her upbringing in Austria in the years before World War II was not average.

The story begins when, following the death of her sister in 1998, she discovers letters about some notable artworks, most notably Gustav Klimt’s 1907 masterpiece “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I” – aka “The Woman in Gold” – whose subject is Maria’s late aunt. This and other works were stolen by the Nazis when they annexed Austria in 1938 and were never returned to the scattered survivors of the Jewish family.

Maria enlists the help of her friend’s lawyer son Randy Schoenberg (Reynolds), whose own exiled Austrian heritage includes his composer grandfather Arnold. They then secure the help of a Viennese investigative journalist, Hubertus Czernin (Brühl), in order to assemble a legitimate case to reclaim several paintings. The Austrian Government, however, considers the paintings as national treasures and won’t be giving them up easily.

If you have ever wondered what the story is behind this iconic painting, then Woman in Gold goes a long way towards revealing its fascinating true mystery.