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Festival coverage

Berlin International Film Festival

2013

The 63rd Berlin International Film Festival has an exciting line-up of films and events including new work from across the globe. Opening with Wong Kar Wai's acclaimed martial arts drama The Grandmaster, it also includes the latest work from banned Iranian director Jafar Panahi.

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Latest reviews

  • Boy
    Review preview for Boy

    This is an upbeat, often hilarious, but never mawkish, celebration of love.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4.5 out of 5
    A Boy and his brother find their fantasy version of their dad is somewhat different to the real deal.
  • No Man's Land
    Review preview for No Man's Land

    Lamas highlights the power of the much-maligned 'talking head' format of documentary while simultaneously striking out into less clearly defined territory aided by the shadowy life story of that same man.

    Rebecca Naughten · 3.5 out of 5
    A former mercenary confesses to the brutal acts for which he is responsible.
  • Closed Curtain
    Review preview for Closed Curtain

    The more problematic aspects of the film stem from a narrative that cannot sustain the inventiveness of the central conceit and which peters out before the end.

    Rebecca Naughten · 3 out of 5
    A writer and his dog retreat to a coastal villa only to have their peace disturbed by two siblings fleeing the police.
  • Salma
    Review preview for Salma

    Kim Longinotto's documentary about the Tamil poet Salma burns with both indignation and a profound melancholy.

    Rebecca Naughten · 4 out of 5
    The story of a woman shut away by her family for 25 years, who became a published poet, politician and activist.
  • The Strange Little Cat
    Review preview for The Strange Little Cat

    Zürcher's film may not follow traditional storytelling lines but it is bold in form and, for all its lack of story, memorable in content.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
    An intimate look at a family preparing to eat dinner togather in a Berlin apartment.
  • Concussion
    Review preview for Concussion

    A brilliant central performance from Robin Weigert.

    David Graham · 3.5 out of 5
    A frustrated woman secretly becomes a lesbian escort.
  • Mother, I Love You
    Review preview for Mother, I Love You

    Nords gets an excellent performance from Konovalovs - contrasting the enjoyment of the wide open spaces of his home city at night with the stress that waits for him inside his home or school.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
    Desperate not to disappoint his mother, an introverted boy gets into increasingly difficult situations.
  • An Episode In The Life Of An Iron Picker
    Review preview for An Episode In The Life Of An Iron Picker

    Drawing from real life events, Tanic's docudrama gains its power from the emotionally stirring scenario and all-round naturalistic performances, which feel infused with greater honesty given that a version of this nightmare has been played out in real lif

    Owen Van Spall · 3 out of 5
    Life becomes desperate for a scrap merchant when his pregnant wife needs medical help they can't afford.
  • Vic + Flo Saw a Bear
    Review preview for Vic + Flo Saw a Bear

    Côté has always had a skill for subverting expectations and here he manages to slide his film from black comedy to outright horror with the smoothness of a snake.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
    A couple, one of whom is just out of prison, hide away in a house in the woods until the past comes calling for them.
  • Interior. Leather Bar.
    Review preview for Interior. Leather Bar.

    This is a curious film, an important film and, in its oblique way, a very funny film.

    Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    An attempt to recreate 40 minutes of gay bdsm-focused footage cut from William Friedkin's 1980 crime thriller Cruising.

A–Z of Berlin International Film Festival 2013 reviews

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