“The doc is shot on 16mm Kodak Vision3 film, and the stock looks so good, it makes me wonder why more documentaries don’t utilise this truly cinematic format.”
Ukraine war doc Mariinka (Pieter-Jan De Pue) is a bona fide masterpiece.
journeyintocinema.com/mariinka-rev...
“He is never challenged, never made to feel uncomfortable, never made to think about any of this. It’s a real betrayal of what a good documentary should do.”
Sperm donor documentary Dad Genes has no spunk.
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“This is not a problem that will go away.”
Reviews of The Loneliest Man In Town, Josephine, Queen At Sea, Sad Girlz and Where To? characterise our last newsletter on the Berlinale!
journeyintocinema.substack.com/p/berlin-blues
“Life does not dim its colours just because something violent has happened.”
Sad Girlz is a nuanced — and powerful — depiction of friendship and sexual assault. Recent winner of Berlinale Generation 14plus!
journeyintocinema.com/sad-girlz-re...
“On the whole, not a great year, but there’s still some gems among the muck.”
Read our mega-article with all of our fresh Berlinale takes!
journeyintocinema.com/journey-into...
“Only one man could make this — it’s a true pleasure to experience his vision.”
Unidentified Nonflying Objects (UNO), the latest film by Russian animator Sasha Svirsky, plays in Berlinale Shorts.
journeyintocinema.com/unidentified...
“Can we ever know what we really want to say? Or the perfect way to express our true selves?”
The new film by Hong is minor, even by his low-key standards, but it offers small joys (and beers).
journeyintocinema.com/the-day-she-...
“Jude and Cioflâncă’s latest creates a truly evocative sense of Romanian life in the tail-end of the Nicolae Ceaușescu regime.”
Dive into the world of Jewish Romanian life with Radu Jude’s Shot Reverse Shot, playing in Berlinale shorts!
journeyintocinema.com/shot-reverse...
“This film offers a sensitive portrait of what it means to be cast adrift by a society bent on pointless war and destruction.”
A Russian Winter plays in Berlin Panorama
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“This narrow lens makes its broader take on pornography feel slightly reactionary and anti-porn: an understandable response, but ultimately limited.”
Truly Naked plays in Perspectives.
journeyintocinema.com/truly-naked-...
“Rarely has optimism felt so earned, and rarely does bondage seem so freeing. A little miracle of a movie.”
Lust plays in Forum at Berlinale!
journeyintocinema.com/lust-review/
“Four Minus Three captures how grief never works in a truly non-linear aspect, but is a constant companion that jerks you between eras.”
A standout film from the Berlinale.
journeyintocinema.com/four-minus-t...
"You can go after one Nazi, but it’s like whack-a-mole — they’ll keep popping up, no matter how many trials you drag them into."
Legal drama Prosecution plays at Berlinale!
journeyintocinema.com/prosecution-...
Berlinale 2026, #4: Seduction: A Cruel Woman! Prosecution! Decay! The worst film ever to play at Berlinale!
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"History buffs will prefer the TV show, but for a more auteurist take on the material, Decay is a vital watch."
The vital Chernobyl film Decay (1990) plays in the Berlinale Retrospective.
journeyintocinema.com/decay-review/
“We are truly immersed in the world of these women, making for a metafictional experience that abounds in sly, wry pleasures.”
Everything Else Is Noise plays in Berlinale Forum.
journeyintocinema.com/everything-e...
“I was super impressed with what Charli XCX was doing here; between her and Dua Lipa’s book club, our British female pop stars are actually kinda awesome.”
The Moment is a standout at the Berlinale!
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"Now Berlinale has returned to its natural state: a sodden, sad, swamp, with rain slanting sideways."
Takes on Mouse, Yellow Letters, A Prayer for the Dying — and more!
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“There’s a playful looseness to it all, making for a consistently exciting and engaging film.”
Viv Li’s Two Mountains Weighing Down My Chest is an engaging exploration of being caught between two very different cultures. Live from Berlinale!
journeyintocinema.com/two-mountain...
“The place has been totally remade for export so the rest of the world can have cheap tomatoes and peppers all year round.“
South Spanish drama Iván & Hadoum asks if love can survive under exploitation.
journeyintocinema.com/two-mountain...
"Finally! A good opening movie. It does what any festival opener should do: raise the mood, stir the soul and get us excited about what is to come."
No Good Men opens the Berlinale!
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“It simply feels far too trivial to ever make any true impact, either as political or romantic cinema.”
Fridge drama Complaint No. 713317 plays at Rotterdam!
journeyintocinema.com/complaint-no...
“The film is brave enough to ask how much responsibility rests upon those who do migrate to make a proper effort to get involved in society, rather than assuming everything is going to be the same as back home.”
Home plays at Rotterdam Film Festival!
journeyintocinema.com/home-review/
“Where other films would frantically fill in the absences with platitudes or pat resolutions, this deeply intimate portrait is happy to embrace the unknowable — and is all the richer for it.”
White Lies plays at IFFR!
journeyintocinema.com/white-lies-r...
“The lack of contextual understanding, at first disorienting and liberating, curdles into more and more reasons not to get involved.”
Why Do I See You In Everything? plays at IFFR!
journeyintocinema.com/why-do-i-see...
"The level of honesty on display is striking; it’s hard to think of another documentary about the gay adult film world where a performer opens himself up this fully."
Fascinating porn documentary Mickey & Richard plays at IFFR!
journeyintocinema.com/mickey-and-r...
“If you ever wanted to see a Pink Panther movie (1963-2009) with double the Clouseaus and an arthouse, relaxed approach to world-building, then Conrad & Crab really is the lowkey gem for you.”
Conrad & Crab plays at IFFR!
journeyintocinema.com/conrad-and-c...
“While I cringed at most of their actions, I saw a lot of myself, and the common human struggle, in their incomplete yearning for enlightenment — through each other, and through art.”
Excellent Polish drama Tell Me What You Feel plays at Rotterdam!
journeyintocinema.com/tell-me-what...
“The experience is like being at a party where you don’t like anyone, but then everyone sits in a circle and starts making out with each other. A waste of time for everyone involved.”
Butterfly, playing at Rotterdam, is terrible!
journeyintocinema.com/butterfly-re...
"Obsessed with the transformative power of the image, she wanted to use the camera to turn the tables on the male gaze, imagining women loving women without their participation."
Sundance film Barbara Forever explores Lesbian Icon Barbara Hammer
journeyintocinema.com/barbara-fore...
