As the festival moves into its second week, the word of mouth is growing on a number of world premieres following four days in which critics searched for a competition film they could universally celebrate.
Grant Gee’s Everybody Digs Bill Evans, his enigmatic portrait of the iconic jazz musician, Hanna Bergholm’s bloody genre title Nightborn, and Rose, starring Sander Huller, from Austrian director Markus Schleinzer, which screened on Sunday night, have come the nearest.
Beyond the competition, a few films have particularly impressed so far. In Panorama, Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson’s bittersweet US drama Mouse has particularly stood out, with critics responding to its superb performances and warm storytelling.
In Perspectives, German director Kai Stänicke’s debut Trial Of Hein, which opened the section, has drawn praise for its enigmatic blend of period drama and folk horror. Another Perspectives debut, Dara Van Dusen’s atmospheric period American West drama Prayers For The Dying, has also drawn plaudits.
Anticipation is now high for Lance Hammer’s Queen At Sea, starring Juliette Binoche as a woman struggling to support her mother, who is suffering from dementia, and the Panorama title, Lali, the first-ever all-Pakistani film selected for the Berlinale, directed by Sarma Sultan Khoosat, producer of Joyland.
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