8 unmissable hidden gems at this year’s Berlinale

While it struggles to compete with other major European film festivals on the glamour front — Potsdamer Platz in February isn’t quite as alluringly romantic as the Venice Lido in late summer — the Berlinale is a godsend to regular Berliners looking for a jolt of cultural excitement to liven up the bleakest time of year. It’s vast programme of films, however, can prove overwhelming, leading viewers to gravitate towards familiar faces: this year’s hot tickets include new work by arthouse heavyweights Agnès Varda and François Ozon, as well as directorial efforts by Hollywood stars Casey Affleck and Jonah Hill. But stick with the big names and you’ll miss out on a host of under-the-radar highlights, many of which may never see general release. To get you started on your cinematic journey off the beaten track, here are eight gems by lesser-known filmmakers from this year’s jam-packed lineup.

37 Seconds

This exuberant debut feature by HIKARI, aka Mitsuyo Miyazaki, subverts expectations and breaks taboos in the most charming manner imaginable. It tells the story of Yuma (Mei Kayama), a shy, softly-spoken young woman with cerebral palsy who ghostwrites comic books for an obnoxious YouTube star. Frustrated that her condition holds her back from living an independent adult life, Yuma finds solace in the world of manga porn, and resolves to break free from the clutches of her ungrateful boss and her overprotective mother. Equal parts sex-positive coming-of-age tale and moving family drama, 37 Seconds is feelgood fare with an edgy twist.

Beauty & Decay

Annekatrin Hendel’s brisk documentary celebrates Berlin icon Sven Marquardt, but only briefly touches on his notoriety as Berghain’s merciless head bouncer. Instead, it focuses on his formative years as a queer punk in DDR-era Prenzlauer Berg, his work as a fashion photographer, and his relationships with models Dominique Hollenstein and Robert Paris. Far from the the tale of debauchery and disheveled glamour you might be expecting, Beauty & Decay is a bittersweet study of friendship, ageing and creative pursuit, which paints a compelling picture of Marquardt as a sensitive, sweet-natured outsider.

Buoyancy

Australian filmmaker Rodd Rathjen establishes himself as a major up-and-coming talent with this elegant, minimalist thriller. Shining a light on the shocking phenomenon of modern-day slavery in Southeast Asia, Buoyancy tells the story of 14-year-old Chakra (Sarm Heng), who leaves rural Cambodia for Thailand in search of lucrative factory work, and promptly falls into the hands of human traffickers. The bulk of the film takes place on a decrepit fishing trawler, where Chakra fights for survival by forging an uneasy alliance with his sadistic captors. Heng delivers a captivating, terse performance, while Rathjen slowly ratchets up the tension to almost unbearable levels.

A Colony

Following in the footsteps of Welcome to the Dollhouse and Eighth Grade, Geneviève Dulude-De Celles’ A Colony is the latest indie gem to explore the particular horrors of everyday life as a teenage girl. Set in rural Québec, it charts the bumpy coming-of-age of introverted Mylia (Émilie Bierre) as she attempts to blend in at a new school. Many scenes are rooted in familiar teen movie tropes – the booze-fuelled house party, the painfully awkward burgeoning romance, the climactic school dance. But the film is elevated by its vivid sense of place, sharp screenplay and naturalistic performances, with nine-year-old Irlande Côté proving particularly charming as Mylia’s uninhibited younger sister.

Monos

Riding a wave of hype from last month’s Sundance Film Festival, where it won a Special Jury Award, this riveting new feature from Columbian auteur Alejandro Landes depicts the often shocking antics of a squad of child soldiers stationed on a remote mountain. Shedding little light on his protagonists’ backgrounds and motives, Landes is more concerned with considering the chaos that can ensue when teens are left to their own devices. Monos is visually impeccable, with the dark action unfolding against an idyllic rural backdrop. And a stirring score by Mica Levi (Under the Skin, Jackie) evokes a sense of claustrophobic dread. The result is like a feverish mash-up of Lord of the Flies, Werner Herzog’s Aguirre, the Wrath of God and Larry Clark’s Kids.

The Last to See Them

Sara Summer’s richly atmospheric drama, The Last to See Them, is conceptually bold and artfully executed. Loosely inspired by true events and centred around a family in rural Italy, it opens with text explaining that our protagonists will shortly be murdered by home invaders. Summer then simply charts the family’s last day together, evoking  a sense of frustration and mounting anxiety as we watch them waste precious hours fretting over relatively trivial matters. Lingering shots of the eerily calm countryside add a jolt of otherworldly menace, but the film emerges chiefly as a poignant plea to make the most of your time on earth.

Searching Eva

At first glance, Eva Collé appears to be living the Berlin dream. Over the course of this bold documentary/essay film, we see an ostensibly free-spirited young woman flee her conservative Italian hometown and start a hedonistic new chapter in Kreuzberg, where she enjoys freedom and financial independence as a model and self-determined sex worker. But gradually, darker elements rise to the surface, as it transpires that Eva’s parents are recovering addicts, and that she herself struggles with drug use and mental illness. On top of this, Searching Eva paints a compelling, somewhat ambiguous portrait of social media dependency. By sharing intimate details of her chaotic existence with an enthralled online audience, Eva seemingly inspires others to live authentically. Yet at times it appears she’s driven less by a desire to forge meaningful connections with strangers, and more by an increasing tendency towards narcissism.

Acclaimed Israeli director Guy Nattiv makes his English-language feature debut with this bruising exploration of neo-Nazism in modern rural America. British star Jamie Bell is revelatory as Bryon, a skulking, heavily-tattooed skinhead urged by his new girlfriend Julie (Danielle Macdonald) to sever ties with his dysfunctional, fascistic “family”. But Bryon’s nearest and dearest prove reluctant to loosen their grip, for fear that he might pose a threat to the spread of their hateful movement. Based on a true story, Skin holds Bryon fully accountable for his myriad wrongdoings, but also locates the humanity obscured by his menacing facade. Atmospherically shot and nerve-shreddingly suspenseful, it’s primed for mainstream success beyond the festival circuit.

The 69th Berlin International Film Festival runs from 7 — 17 February.