Berlin International Film Festival — A–Z of films

A diverse collection of short films inevitably means there will be a mixed bag in terms of enjoyment for any one viewer: some of the films are very obscure or outright bizarre, whereas some are so short and slight they leave little impact

Weiwei is such a fascinating subject that even a documentary that never seems to stray into the experimental is compelling, but white text on a black screen does not a revolution make.

Every time the film brings out [...] his photographs, I found myself leaning forward - drinking in their beautiful details.

Aspiring to character-study status, the film evades at almost every turn the more compelling moments of its bare-bones plot. It’s a shame.

A quietly enjoyable film with a sense of the old-fashioned about it and a few bursts of humour to cut through the air of melancholy and suspicion.

This is a challenging and rewarding piece that reflects your own thoughts as much as those of the filmmaker.

The Blue Angel has all the ingredients of a classic moral tragedy.

This is a fantastic chance to see some of the industry's greatest talents at the top of their game.

Despite its grim subject, this is a film full of fight, with all the energy you'd expect from that.

Mendoza never lets your expectations, or your blood pressure, settle as the strange and isolated group face physical and existential threats.

There are simply not enough surprises to be had and as the film progresses one gets a sense that a series of boxes are being ticked.

Yet although the film is shot wide by an unmoving camera in full naturalist mode, we ultimately remain uncertain whether Chocó has taught Everlides a lesson, or just dreamt that she has.

Despite the fine cast, and some striking, color-drained cinematography, A Moi Seule doesn't have enough psychological complexity.

Bleak, stripped down and haunting.

It's difficult to understand how anybody could put themselves through this for eight or more hours a day over a six month period. There's only really one answer: love.

This low-key coming of age drama pokes gently into questions of faith, temptation, family and belonging.

The strongest features of the of the film are the performances by Max von Sydow and by Sandra Bullock as Linda, Oskar's mother.

Diane Kruger has only four days, all at the Petit Trianon, to leave her mark. And she does - a fervent and poignant, half-aware queen.

It took me a while to warm to this film...But as Yong Kim explores her characters a more nuanced, rewarding movie emerges.

Like Richter's creations, this deceptively simple film is many-layered.

Soderbergh lays the pretension on thick in flashbacks to the Barcelona job that is clearly at the root of her problems, with slo-mo here and black and white there doing nothing to distract from the fact that it has all the substance of a chocolate bar adv

As Martin walks to and fro from urban settings to the Edenic countryside, Weingartner's film also seems to meander, and to drift a little too close to the sentimental – until a twist comes that forces the viewer to re-evaluate everything that has gone bef

A haunting, well-directed piece of cinema.

Sadly, there is not a funny enough script or any particularly amusing performance to provide a backbone to hang the visualisations on, leaving Iron Sky as a more of a showcase for what low-budget filmmaking can achieve in terms of effects.

Anyone over the age of 35 will find the whistle-stop, romanticised tour of Thatcher's career offers scarcely any insight, skating over most of the interesting issues.

Given the Rampling family pedigree there are certain expectations of quality, and Southcombe largely lives up to the promise with this sharply stylish crime mystery that gives plenty of space for Rampling to flex her acting muscles.

Brought up a notch by a fine cast, some genuinely funny scenes and a curious darker streak that lies beneath the laughs.

There's a real sense of being there, not only in the same physical spaces but in the same emotional ones.

To enjoy this kind of adventure, you have to get lost in Guy Maddin's house, because he has made a ghost of a film - 'but a ghost isn't nothing.'

A gently paced but unsparing and unglamorous portrait of a gay relationship where love doesn't and perhaps never could conquer all.

Kid-Thing is all about kid-think, with David Zellner keeping his main character's child perspective front and centre at all times.

One of the best social dramas you are likely to see this year.

Technically impressive, indeed ground-breaking.

Matthew Akers’ all-seeing documentary cleverly mimics the form of the museum’s retrospective by saving the most revealing facts about Abramovic until professional and personal context is established.

This immersive film from the Wakatobi islands in Indonesia is a fascinating snapshot of the lives of the Bajo tribe and a sweetly worked narrative about family and friendship that also offers powerful commentary about the state of our seas.

The charisma of the interviewees is what makes the film interesting to watch.

Quietly, in the background, details become almost too horrible to watch.

El Hosaini is wise to inject visual majesty into her otherwise gritty tale.

No Man's Zone is a crushingly dull documentary, at least twice as long as the selected material warrants.

They're interesting people, all with interesting and evolving stories to tell.

Polanski makes a familiar story of persecution and inhumanity utterly fresh.

The picture Edwin paints recalls the postcards of the title, both for good and ill.

A delightful, genial, lovable movie - the product of an idiosyncratic artist and master storyteller.

Thought-provoking rather than yielding insight.

The characters' interplay, mutual respect and overwhelming joy at being accepted made my heart swell in delighted awe.

The historical reality was as much about political as personal liberty, and the film reflects that.

You will learn a few things here, even if you are a film buff.

It is a well-observed portrait of the family ties that bind, but with insufficient narrative development to justify its length.

Marsh takes no prisoners, makes no apologies and kicks you when you're down, all of which makes his films dangerous, inifinitely watchable and almost unbearably surprising.

A lurching and uneven film, Sleeping Sickness resembles a dream.

Peschel delivers a superb physical performance.

The pace of the film, like the turning of the seasons, country life and the shift in control of the Bras empire, is slow, but no less enthralling for that.

Attacking the communist regime with minimal reverence, Sun Alley is entertaining and at times very funny.

Director Gomes pays homage to the fantasy of colonial history while subverting it at the same time.

When a journalist is so embedded, a bit of historical accuracy and broader perspective might actually have helped.

A celebration of Vito's life and of the work that long outlives him.

The wall is an undeniable presence, both solidly tangible and, thanks to some stunning sound design, resonantly audible as it redefines and demarcates the Woman's newly cloistered life.

This is no chest-beating, flag-waving war movie, no propaganda for conflicts past, present or future, War Witch is the story of childhood destroyed, a country in flames and of how we survive the worst of what (in)humanity throws at us.

The script by Diablo Cody is a real gem, painful and darkly funny throughout.

The animated characters have a detailed, Disney-friendly feel, but there is little of the sentimentality that tends to fur the teeth of US animation.