Skip to main content

Berlin International Film Festival · 2025

Berlin International Film Festival 2025

Perspectives

Programme

14 films · 4 reviews

Jump to a film

BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions

Preeminent West African curator and scholar Funmilayo Akechukwu’s magnum opus, The Resonance Field, leads her to the heart of the Atlantic Ocean, drawing a journalist into a journey that shatters her understanding of consciousness and time.

(Country: US; Year: 2025; Director: Kahlil Joseph; Writer: Saidiya Hartman, Irvin Hunt; Stars: Shaunette Renée Wilson, Penny Johnson Jerald, Zora Casebere, Kaneza Schaal, Jermell Deshauan, Peter Hernandez, Hope Giselle)

The Devil Smokes (And Saves The Burnt Matches In The Same Box) (El Diablo Fuma (y guarda las cabezas de los cerillos quemados en la misma caja))

The fears of five stoic young siblings abandoned by their parents mix with those of their schizophrenic grandmother who now looks after them, blurring and gradually dissolving the boundary between reality and imagination.

(Country: Mexico; Year: 2025; Director: Ernesto Martínez Bucio; Writer: Ernesto Martínez Bucio, Karen Plata; Stars: Mariapau Bravo Aviña, Rafael Nieto Martínez, Regina Alejandra, Donovan Said Martínez, Laura Uribe Rojas, Carmen Ramos, Gamboa Bernardo, Micaela Gramajo)

Eel (Hé mán)

On an isolated island on the outskirts of Taipei, a mysterious young woman and a lost man cross paths and explore the island’s hidden stories together. A film about longing, belonging and transformation in a world where time and memory fade into the mist.

(Country: Taiwan; Year: 2025; Director: Chu Chun-Teng; Stars: Devin Pan, Bella Cheng, Chin-Yu Pan, Misi Ke, Mei-Hou Wu)

Growing Down (Minden Renben)

Sándor, a widower, is the only witness to a serious accident involving his stepdaughter and youngest son. Now he faces a dilemma: should he tell the truth and live with the consequences? Or lie and save his son from juvenile detention?

(Country: Hungary; Year: 2025; Director: Bálint Dániel Sós; Writer: Bálint Dániel Sós, Gergö V. Nagy; Stars: Szabolcs Hajdu, Ágoston Sáfrány, Anna Háy, Zoltán Friedenthal, Rita Kerkay, Eliza Sodró, Kati Zsurzs, Róbert Kardos, Attila Kosztor)

How To Be Normal And The Oddness Of The Other World (Wie man normal ist und die Merkwürdigkeiten der anderen Welt)

Review preview for How To Be Normal And The Oddness Of The Other World

It is a ride, okay, and it is a bit nauseating and therefore not sterile.

Marko Stojiljkovic · 3 out of 5
Freshly released from psychiatric hospital, Pia moves back in with her parents to rebuild her life. In a world that feels as unsteady as herself, she juggles jobs, heartbreak, her meds and social stigma as she searches for equilibrium.

(Country: Austria; Year: 2025; Director: Florian Pochlatko; Writer: Florian Pochlatko; Stars: Luisa-Céline Gaffron, Cornelius Obonya, Elke Winkens, Oliver Rosskopf, Felix Pöchhacker, David Scheid, Lion Tatzber, Wesley Joseph Byrne)

Full review

Little Trouble Girls (Kaj ti je deklica)

Review preview for Little Trouble Girls

Along with Vladimir Gojun’s progressively rhythmic editing and Julij Zornik’s subjective sound design, the filmmaker takes us right into the protagonist’s, and therefore any and every teenager’s head.

Marko Stojiljkovic · 4 out of 5
During a weekend of rehearsals with the school choir at a convent, an introverted teenager begins to view the world from a new perspective.

(Country: Slovenia, Italy, Croatia, Serbia; Year: 2025; Director: Urska Djukic; Writer: Urska Djukic, Marina Gumzi; Stars: Jara Sofija Ostan, Mina Svajger, Sasa Tabakovic, Natasa Burger, Marko Mandic, Lotos Sparovec, Sasa Pavcek, Branko Zavrsan, Casson Matia, Popovic Stasa, Frlic Spela, Tomazin Irena, Strle Mateja)

Full review See: Interview with Urška Djukić about Little Trouble Girls

Mad Bills To Pay (or Destiny, Dile Que No Soy Malo)

Rico’s summer is a mix of chasing girls and hustling homemade cocktails out of a cooler on Orchard Beach, the Bronx. But when Destiny, his teenage girlfriend, crashes at his place with his family, it’s only a matter of time before his carefree days come spiraling down.

(Country: US, UK; Year: 2025; Director: Joel Alfonso Vargas; Writer: Joel Alfonso Vargas; Stars: Juan Collado, Destiny Checo, Yohanna Florentino, Nathaly Navarro)

Punching The World (Mit Der Faust In Die Welt schlagen)

The childhood of two brothers, Philipp and Tobi, growing up in the East German provinces is scarred by the disintegration of their family, the lack of prospects in the region and role models who promise adventure but cross moral and legal boundaries.

(Country: Germany; Year: 2025; Director: Constanze Klaue; Stars: Christian Näthe, Sammy Scheuritzel, Anja Schneider, Camille Moltzen, Anton Franke, Johannes Scheidweiler)

The Settlement (Al mosta'mera)

After a man dies in a fatal accident at work, the only compensation offered to the family is the chance for his two sons, Hossam and Maro, to be employed in the same factory, side by side with the man responsible for their father’s death.

(Country: Egypt, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, France; Year: 2025; Director: Mohamed Rashad; Writer: Mohamed Rashad; Stars: Eman Ghoniem, Ziad Islam, Hajar Omar, Adham Shoukry, Mohamed Abdel Hady)

Shadowbox (Baksho Bondi)

Maya discovers that her husband – an ex-soldier who is suffering from PTSD – is the prime suspect in a murder investigation. She and her teenage son are forced to go to extremes to keep the family together.

(Country: Spain, India, France, US; Year: 2025; Director: Tanushree Das, Saumyananda Sahi; Writer: Saumyananda Sahi; Stars: Tillotama Shome, Chandan Bisht, Sayan Karmakar, Suman Saha)

That Summer In Paris (Le rendez-vous de l'été)

Paris, the 2024 Olympic Games. Blandine arrives from Normandy to watch the swimming competitions. Disorientated by the hustle and bustle of the city where nothing seems to go her way, she navigates the chaos of Paris and an unexpected reunion.

(Country: France; Year: 2025; Director: Valentine Cadic; Writer: Valentine Cadic, Mariette Désert; Stars: India Hair, Arcadi Radeff, Blandine Madec, Lou Deleuze, Matthias Jacquin)

Two Times João Liberada (Duas vezes João Liberada)

João stars in a biopic about the gender-nonconforming Liberada, who was persecuted by the Inquisition. When the film’s director is struck down by a mysterious paralysis, João navigates the chaos, determined to honour Liberada’s story and finish the film.

(Country: Portugal; Year: 2025; Director: Paula Tomás Marques; Writer: João Abreu, Paula Tomás Marques; Stars: João Abreu, André Tecedeiro, Jenny Larrue, Caio Amado Soares, Eloísa d'Ancensão, Tiago Aires Lêdo)

We Believe You (On vous croit)

Review preview for We Believe You

We Believe You works to perfection thanks to the dedication and stellar directing, acting and technical work.

Marko Stojiljkovic · 3.5 out of 5
A mother does everything she can to protect her children from their father at a custody hearing.

(Country: Belgium; Year: 2025; Director: Charlotte Deville, Arnaud Dufeys; Writer: Charlotte Deville, Arnaud Dufeys; Stars: Myriem Akheddiou, Ulysse Goffin, Adele Pickaers, Alisa Laub, Laurent Capelluto, Marion de Nanteuil, Natali Broods, Mounir Bennaouim)

Full review

Where The Night Stands Still (Come la notte)

Review preview for Where The Night Stands Still

Opting for the single-take scenes, usually in wider shots from a distance, signals artistic formal rigour.

Marko Stojiljkovic · 3 out of 5
Three Filipino siblings, all domestic workers in Italy, meet in the villa that one of the sisters has inherited. Shared memories and buried grievances come to the surface and put their fragile relationship to the test.

(Country: Italy, Philippines; Year: 2025; Director: Liryc Dela Cruz; Writer: Liryc Dela Cruz; Stars: Tess Magallanes, Benjamin Vasquez Barcellano Jr, Jenny Llanto Caringal)

Full review