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Berlin International Film Festival · 2012

Berlin International Film Festival 2012

Competition

Programme

25 films · 16 reviews

Jump to a film

Aujourd'hui (Tey)

The last day of a man who knows he will die that evening.

(Country: France, Senegal; Year: 2012; Director: Alain Gomis; Writer: Alain Gomis; Stars: Saül Williams, Aïssa Maïga, Djolof M'bengue) , Official site

World premiere

Barbara

Review preview for Barbara

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.

Owen Van Spall · 4 out of 5
Set in 1978 East Berlin, a doctor desperate to escape to the West finds herself thrown into turmoil by the attentions of another physician.

(Country: Germany; Year: 2012; Director: Christian Petzold; Writer: Christian Petzold, Harun Farocki; Stars: Nina Hoss, Ronald Zehrfeld, Rainer Bock, Christina Hecke, Claudia Geisler, Peter Weiss, Carolin Haupt, Deniz Petzold, Rosa Enskat, Jasna Fritzi Bauer, Peer-Uwe Teska, Elisabeth Lehmann, Mark Waschke, Peter Benedict, Thomas Neumann) , Official site

Full review See: Christian Petzold interview about Barbara

World premiere

Bel Ami

Review preview for Bel Ami

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

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
An ambitious young man seeks to attain power in 1890s Paris by seducing and manipulating the bored wives of important men.

(Country: UK, France, Italy; Year: 2012; Director: Declan Donnellan, Nick Ormerod; Writer: Rachel Bennette, based on the book by Guy de Maupassant.; Stars: Robert Pattinson, Christina Ricci, Uma Thurman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Colm Meaney, Holliday Grainger, Natalia Tena)

Full review

World premiere. Out of competition

Caesar Must Die (Cesare Deve Morire)

A docudrama following drama workshops at Italy's Rebibbia prison, charting the trials and tribulations as the inmates tackle Shakespeare.

(Country: Italy; Year: 2012; Director: Paolo Taviani, Vittorio Taviani; Stars: Fabio Cavalli, Salvatore Striano)

World premiere

Captive (Captured)

Review preview for Captive

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

Owen Van Spall · 4 out of 5
Unlikely relationships form between hostages and captors as they trek through the Philippine jungle.

(Country: France, Germany, Philippines; Year: 2012; Director: Brillante Mendoza; Writer: Boots Agbayani Pastor, Patrick Bancarel, Arlyn dela Cruz, Brillante Mendoza; Stars: Isabelle Huppert, Joel Torre, Maria Isabel Lopez, Mercedes Cabral, Kristoffer King, Ronnie Lazaro, Sid Lucero, Madeleine Nicolas, Raymond Bagatsing, Baron Geisler, Mon Confiado, Rustica Carpio, Bernard Palanca, Perry Dizon, Evelyn Vargas) , Official site

Full review

World premiere

Childish Games (Dictado)

Review preview for Childish Games

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.

Owen Van Spall · 2.5 out of 5
The sudden appearance of a childhood friend and his young daughter leads a schoolteacher on an unwanted psychological journey into his past.

(Country: Spain; Year: 2012; Director: Antonio Chavarrías; Writer: Sergi Belbel, Antonio Chavarrías; Stars: Juan Diego Botto, Bárbara Lennie, Mágica Pérez, Marc Rodríguez, Àgata Roca, Nora Navas, Monti Castiñeiras, Maria Pau Pigem) , Official site

Full review

World premiere

Coming Home (A moi seule)

Review preview for Coming Home

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

Owen Van Spall · 2 out of 5
Story of a kidnapped woman and what happens to her after release.

(Country: France; Year: 2012; Director: Frédéric Videau; Writer: Frédéric Videau; Stars: Agathe Bonitzer, Reda Kateb, Hélène Fillières, Noémie Lvovsky, Jacques Bonnaffé, Grégory Gadebois, Marie Payen, Margot Couture, Makita Samba, Pascal Cervo, Marie Vialle)

Full review

World premiere

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (Exteremely Loud And Incredibly Close)

Review preview for Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

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

Donald Munro · 2.5 out of 5
A boy trying to come to terms with the death of his father on 9/11 finds a mysterious key.

(Country: US; Year: 2011; Director: Stephen Daldry; Writer: Eric Roth, Jonathan Safran Foer; Stars: Tom Hanks, Thomas Horn, Sandra Bullock, Zoe Caldwell, Dennis Hearn, Paul Klementowicz, Julian Tepper, Caleb Reynolds, John Goodman, Max von Sydow, Stephen Henderson, Lorna Pruce, Viola Davis, Jeffrey Wright, Hazelle Goodman) , Official site

Full review

International premiere. Out of competition

Farewell, My Queen (Les adieux à la Reine)

Review preview for Farewell, My Queen

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.

Anne-Katrin Titze · 4 out of 5
The early days of the French Revolution as seen through the eyes of the servants at Versailles.

(Country: France / Spain; Year: 2012; Director: Benoït Jacquot; Writer: Benoît Jacquot, Gilles Taurand, Chantal Thomas; Stars: Léa Seydoux, Diane Kruger, Virginie Ledoyen, Xavier Beauvois, Noemie Lvovsky)

Full review See: Introduction to Film Society of Lincoln Center's Rendez-Vous With French Cinema

The Flowers Of War (Jin líng Shi San Chai)

Nanking in 1937. An American trapped in a cathedral with a group of prostitutes and schoolgirls in a cathedral, takes on the role of protector.

(Country: People's Republic of China; Year: 2011; Director: Zhang Yimou; Stars: Christian Bale, Ni Ni, Atsuro Watabe)

Flying Swords Of Dragon Gate (Long men fei jia)

Top martial arts proponents showcase their talents in this cinematic hurricane.

(Country: Hong Kong / China; Year: 2011; Director: Tsui Hark; Stars: Jet Li, Zhou Xun, Chen Kun, Kwai Lun Mei)

Haywire

Review preview for Haywire

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

Amber Wilkinson · 2.5 out of 5
A betrayed agent goes rogue in search of revenge.

(Year: 2011; Director: Steven Soderbergh; Writer: Lem Dobbs; Stars: Channing Tatum, Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas, Michael Angarano, Bill Paxton, Gina Carano, Mathieu Kassovitz, Eddie J. Fernandez, Anthony Brandon Wong, Tim Connolly, Maximino Arciniega, Aaron Cohen, Natascha Berg)

Full review

Berlinale Special. German premiere

Home For The Weekend (Was bleibt)

Review preview for Home For The Weekend

A haunting, well-directed piece of cinema.

Scott Macdonald · 3.5 out of 5
A family reunion becomes difficult as secrets are revealed and frustrations expressed.

(Country: Germany; Year: 2012; Director: Hans-Christian Schmid; Writer: Bernd Lange; Stars: Lars Eidinger, Corinna Harfouch, Sebastian Zimmler, Ernst Stötzner)

Full review

World premiere

In the Land of Blood And Honey

During the Bosnian conflict, an army officer encounters a woman he was enamoured with prior to the war - only now, she is his prisoner.

(Country: US; Year: 2011; Director: Angelina Jolie; Writer: Angelina Jolie; Stars: Rade Serbedzija, Zana Marjanovic, Goran Kostic, Branko Djuric, Nikola Djuricko, Dzana Pinjo, Jasna Beri, Fedja Stukan, Goran Jevtic, Jelena Jovanova, Ermin Bravo, Dolya Gavanski, Vanessa Glodjo, Irena Mulamuhic, Alma Terzic)

Berlinale Special. German premiere

Jayne Mansfield's Car

Review preview for Jayne Mansfield's Car

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

Owen Van Spall · 3 out of 5
Sixties set drama sees a culture clash between two families.

(Country: US, Russia; Year: 2012; Director: Billy Bob Thornton; Writer: Tom Epperson, Billy Bob Thornton; Stars: Billy Bob Thornton, Robert Duvall, John Hurt, Kevin Bacon, Ray Stevenson, Robert Patrick, Tippi Hedren, Katherine LaNasa, Frances O'Connor.)

Full review

World premiere

Just The Wind (Csak A Szél)

Drama inspired by real-life attacks against Roma communities.

(Country: Hungary, Germany, France; Year: 2012; Director: Benedek Fliegauf; Writer: Benedek Fliegauf; Stars: Lajos Sárkány, Katalin Toldi, Gyöngyi Lendvai, Géza Jungwirth)

World premiere

Mercy (Gnade)

A woman's involvement in a hit-and-run accident has unexpected consequences for her family.

(Country: Germany, Norway; Year: 2012; Director: Matthias Glasner; Stars: Jürgen Vogel, Birgit Minichmayr, Henry Stange) , Official site

World premiere

Metéora

(Country: Germany, Greece; Year: 2012; Director: Spiros Stathoulopoulos; Writer: Spiros Stathoulopoulos; Stars: Theo Alexander, Tamila Koulieva)

World premiere

Postcards From The Zoo (Kebun binatang)

Review preview for Postcards From The Zoo

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

Amber Wilkinson · 3 out of 5
Magic realist fairytale of a girl who is raised in a zoo.

(Country: Indonesia; Year: 2012; Director: Edwin; Writer: Edwin, Daud Sumolang, Titien Wattimena; Stars: Nicholas Saputra, Ladya Cheryl, Dave Lumenta, Heidy Trisiana Triswan, Nazyra C. Noer, Adjie Nur Ahmad, Klarysa Aurelia)

Full review

World premiere

A Royal Affair (En Kongelig Affære)

Review preview for A Royal Affair

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

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
Romance and politics become entangled in this historical drama about the Queen of Denmark falling for her husband's physician.

(Country: Denmark; Year: 2012; Director: Nikolaj Arcel; Writer: Bodil Steensen-Leth, Rasmus Heisterberg, Nikolaj Arcel; Stars: Mads Mikkelsen, David Dencik, Alicia Vikander, Søren Malling, Trine Dyrholm, William Jøhnk Nielsen, Cyron Bjørn Melville, Thomas W. Gabrielsson, Rosalinde Mynster, Kenneth M. Christensen, Laura Bro, Bent Mejding, Mikkel Følsgaard, Erika Guntherová, Klaus Tange) , Official site

Full review

World premiere

Sister (L'enfant d'En Haut)

Review preview for Sister

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

Anton Bitel · 3 out of 5
A snapshot of life for a 12-year-old, who steals from the rich at a local ski resort to support him and his sister.

(Country: Switzerland, France; Year: 2012; Director: Ursula Meier; Stars: Léa Seydoux, Gillian Anderson, Martin Compston, Johan Libéreau, Jean-François Stévenin, Kacey Mottet Klein, Yann Trégouët, Magne-Håvard Brekke) , Official site

Full review

World premiere

Shadow Dancer

Review preview for Shadow Dancer

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.

Amber Wilkinson · 4.5 out of 5
A woman caught up in the Troubles is forced to become a informant for MI5.

(Country: UK; Year: 2012; Director: James Marsh; Writer: Tom Bradby; Stars: Clive Owen, Gillian Anderson, Aidan Gillen, Andrea Riseborough, Domhnall Gleeson, Martin McCann, Stuart Graham, Michael McElhatton, Mark Huberman, Brid Brennan, Alan O'Neill, David Ryan, Morgan Watkins, David Kendellen, Daniel Tatarsky)

Full review

European premiere. Out of competition

Tabu

Review preview for Tabu

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

Owen Van Spall · 3.5 out of 5
Past and present consideration of a woman with a privileged colonial past.

(Country: Portugal, Germany, Brazil, France; Year: 2012; Director: Miguel Gomes; Writer: Miguel Gomes, Mariana Ricardo; Stars: Teresa Madruga, Isabel Muñoz Cardoso, Carloto Cotta, Ana Moreira, Laura Soveral)

Full review

World premiere

White Deer Plain (Bai lu yuan)

(Year: 2011; Director: Quan'an Wang; Writer: Zhongshi Chen, Wei Lu; Stars: Fengyi Zhang, Kitty Zhang Yuqi, Gang Wu, Yihong Duan, Taisheng Chen, Wei Liu, Tao Guo, Huanshan Xu, Dehang Zhang, Cao Xi'an Yang, Junjie Yang, Jiayu Yangchen, Zexin Yang, Li Meng)

World premiere

War Witch (Rebelle)

Review preview for War Witch

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.

Neil Mitchell · 5 out of 5
A former child soldier recounts her past to her unborn child.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2012; Director: Kim Nguyen; Writer: Kim Nguyen; Stars: Rachel Mwanza, Alain Lino Mic Eli Bastien, Serge Kanyinda, Mizinga Mwinga, Ralph Prosper, Jean Kabuya, Jupiter Bokondji, Starlette Mathata, Alex Herabo, Dole Malalou, Karim Bamaraki, Sephora Françoise, Jonathan Kombe, Marie Dilou, Gauna Gau) , Official site

Full review See: Tribeca Episoded One: Planet Of Snail, War Witch, Una Noche, Off Label and a chat to some documentarians.

World premiere