Berlin Film Festival Reviews
‘Who by Fire’ Review: A Visit to the Country Turns Epically Sour in Philippe Lesage’s Powerful Ensemble Drama
The third feature from the Quebecois director of 'Genesis' and 'The Demons' premiered in Berlin’s Generation 14plus section, where it received the international jury prize.
- By
‘The Strangers’ Case’ Review: Omar Sy in an Intense Refugee Drama That Preaches a Bit More Than It Practices
The 'Lupin' star headlines the feature debut of producer and activist Brandt Andersen, who adapted the story from his prizewinning short 'Refugee.'
- By
‘Gloria!’ Review: An All-Female Orchestra at the Turn of the 19th Century Does It for Themselves in Fluffy Italian Debut
Margherita Vicario's film centers around women musicians at a Church-run establishment in early-1800s Italy.
- By
‘Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger’ Review: Martin Scorsese Lends a Personal Perspective to an Engaging Testament of Movie Love
Narrated by the 'Killers of the Flower Moon' director, David Hinton’s doc delves into the filmmaking duo’s body of work and their creative ups and downs.
- By
‘Sons’ Review: Sidse Babett Knudsen Is Remarkable as an Avenging Corrections Officer in a Plausibility-Challenged Drama
The Berlin competition entry is the latest from Danish 'The Guilty' director Gustav Moller.
- By
‘Shambhala’ Review: Stunningly Crafted Nepalese Drama Takes Too Long to Cast Its Spell
Writer-director Min Bahadur Bham’s second feature follows a newlywedded woman who crosses the Himalayas in search of her fleeing husband.
- By
‘A Family’ Review: French Writer Christine Angot Makes Directorial Debut With a Bruisingly Personal Doc About Incest
Like many of her written works, this explores the damage done by the abuse inflicted on Angot as an adolescent by her father.
- By
‘Brief History of a Family’ Review: Subtle Psychological Thriller Puts a Contemporary Chinese Family Under the Microscope
Taking its European bow at Berlin after a premiere at Sundance, Lin Jianjie’s first feature focuses on a teenage boy, his parents and the classmate who becomes their surrogate second son.
- By
‘A Traveler’s Needs’ Review: Isabelle Huppert Reteams With Hong Sang-soo for Another Wispy, Wistful Drama
Competing for the main prize in Berlin, the film is the French star's third collaboration with the South Korean auteur.
- By
‘Who Do I Belong To’ Review: A Brooding and Overwrought Drama About Radical Islam
Director Meryam Joobeur, whose 2020 short 'Brotherhood' was nominated for an Oscar, unveiled her first feature in competition at the Berlinale.
- By
‘Black Tea’ Review: Abderrahmane Sissako’s Evocative but Slippery Diasporic Drama
The latest feature from the ‘Timbuktu’ director follows an African bride who flees to China in order to start a new life.
- By
‘Spaceman’ Review: Adam Sandler and Carey Mulligan Navigate Marriage Across the Universe in Absorbing but Trite Netflix Sci-Fi
Isabella Rossellini and Kunal Nayyar also appear in Johan Renck’s film of the Jaroslav Kalfur novel ‘Spaceman of Bohemia,’ featuring Paul Dano as the voice of an alien arachnid.
- By