115 Films from the 2021 Berlinale Festival
115 titles
- 101
Instructions for SurvivalMovie · 2021 · 72mAlexander hides his transgender identity to live safely in his own country. His passport lists him as female, making legal employment impossible. Even essential medical visits pose a danger, so he's secretly undergoing hormone therapy with online support and local transgender activists. Desperate for a way out of their difficult lives, Alexander’s wife, Mari, decides to become a surrogate mother for $12,000. However, their seemingly practical plan begins to unravel as Alex and Mari form an unexpected emotional connection with the developing baby.IMDb 7.4TMDB 6.0 - 102
The MauritanianMovie · 2021 · 129m · Drama, ThrillerThis is the true story of Mohamedou Ould Slahi, a Mauritanian man held at the U.S. military's Guantanamo Bay detention center for more than ten years without being charged. He worked with a defense attorney to try and secure his release.IMDb 7.5TMDB 7.4 - 103
Jesus Egon ChristMovie · 2021 · 51mOn the edge of Berlin, a man claiming to be a priest leads a support group for people battling addiction and mental illness in a dilapidated building. Egon, a new resident struggling with psychosis, arrives at the facility hoping for a home and religious community. He's plagued by insomnia, resists work, neglects his hygiene, and struggles to follow the priest’s orders, who often humiliates the residents. For most, faith offers a lifeline; for Egon, it’s a justification for his defiance, fueled by conversations with Jesus who encourages his behavior. As he tries to understand the Messiah's miracles, Egon's psychosis intensifies.IMDb 6.0TMDB 1.0 - 104
Come HereMovie · 2021 · 69mFour young travelers journey to Kanchanaburi with the intention of visiting the museum, but their plans change when they discover it's temporarily closed for renovations. They then spend their time exploring the area in alternative ways.IMDb 5.8TMDB 6.2 - 105
Keep MovingMovie · 2021 · 139mNine dancers, raised in East Germany, face a critical choice in the final years of the GDR. They must decide whether to remain with their loved ones in a familiar environment or pursue the opportunity for freedom in the West.IMDb 6.6 - 106
The SeedMovie · 2022 · 99mRainer is working hard as a site manager, hoping this job will be his big opportunity. Because of rising city rents, he and his pregnant wife and 13-year-old daughter Doreen have moved to a small house on the edge of town that needs work. Doreen isn't happy about the change at first, but she befriends her neighbor Mara, a girl from wealthy but judgmental parents. Soon, their new friendship leads to trouble. Mara encourages Doreen to pull pranks and eventually involves her in a theft.IMDb 6.4TMDB 6.7 - 107
AzorMovie · 2021 · 100m · Drama, ThrillerIn Argentina, during a dictatorship, Geneva banker Yvan De Wiel travels to replace his partner, who has mysteriously vanished. Amidst luxurious settings – quiet lounges, pools, and guarded gardens – a tense confrontation unfolds between two bankers. Though they operate differently, both are connected to a subtle and ruthless system of colonization.IMDb 6.5TMDB 6.3 - 108
When a farm goes aflameMovie · 2021 · 111mThis is a story about my mother and the men who are also my brothers, but from different fathers.IMDb 6.4TMDB 5.0 - 109
Wood and WaterMovie · 2022 · 79mUpon retiring, a mother leaves her isolated life in rural Germany for Hong Kong to visit her son, who is involved in protests.IMDb 6.2TMDB 5.8 - 110
North by CurrentMovie · 2021 · 86mAngelo Madsen Minax returns to his rural Michigan hometown after his infant niece's death and the arrest of her killer, who is also his brother-in-law. Employing essay film techniques, vérité footage, staged scenes, and family home movies, Madsen explores a community grappling with opioid addiction, economic hardship, and intense religious beliefs. Through the process of filmmaking, he attempts to repair fractured family relationships and rethink the concept of justice. *North By Current* doesn't aim to solve a crime; instead, it presents a detailed look at a resilient family and offers a new perspective on incarceration, addiction, gender identity, and rural life, using empathy as a path toward a fairer world.IMDb 6.4TMDB 6.0 - 111
For LucioMovie · 2021 · 78mThis film explores the vivid and playful world of Italian singer-songwriter Lucio Dalla, using striking visuals and music to capture his unique artistry.IMDb 6.4TMDB 5.7 - 112
From Where They StoodMovie · 2023 · 110mDuring World War II, a small group of prisoners in concentration camps secretly photographed the atrocities the Nazis were trying to conceal. Director Christophe Cognet follows their paths, searching for the stories behind these images and the circumstances of their creation. The film presents an exploration of these photographs as a form of resistance and a historical record.IMDb 6.5TMDB 7.5 - 113
NinjababyMovie · 2021 · 104m · Drama, ComedyRakel's life is upended when she discovers she's six months pregnant after a single night. Unprepared for motherhood and with abortion unavailable, she decides to pursue adoption. However, her journey takes a bizarre turn with the arrival of Ninjababy, an animated character who relentlessly torments her.IMDb 7.3TMDB 7.0 - 114
AnamnesisMovie · 2021 · 111mIn 2015, the filmmakers encounter Stefan in a prison therapy ward. He appears polite and reserved. A guard describes him as a ruthless woman abuser. The filmmakers document Stefan's final years of incarceration, grappling with unsettling questions about his true nature. The film employs puppetry and theatrical sequences, blurring the lines between reality and fabrication.IMDb 5.5TMDB 5.0 - 115
SkiMovie · 2021 · 75mA creature haunts Lake Nahuel Huapi. At dusk, it stretches across the water's surface like stretched leather, seizing its prey with sharp claws. A second monster also hides near Bariloche, in the Argentine Andes.IMDb 6.7TMDB 4.5
