Iron Sky ★★☆☆☆

Easily one of the most anticipated films at this year's Berlinale (for right or for wrong) was Timo Vuorensola's Iron Sky (2012), with tickets for this 'Nazi's from the Moon' sci-fi parody selling out within a couple of minutes. Such a ludicrous premise was never going to result in a prize-winning film, yet Iron Sky transcends the absurd into a yet-unknown stratosphere of ridiculous filmmaking.

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The End of Puberty ★★☆☆☆

 An unique twist on the body-swap sub genre, Kimura Shoko's debut film The End of Puberty (Koi ni itaru yamai, 2011) is a kooky comedy about a young girl and her biology teacher, who inexplicably find that they've exchanged sexual organs during intercourse - only in Japan could you find such an outlandish premise.

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Headshot ★★☆☆☆

A story of corruption, deceit and exploring the true definition of justice, Pen-Ek Ratanaruang's Headshot (2011) is a Thai film noir with an enticing twist - its central protagonist Tul (played by Jayanama Nopachoi) is a hitman, who after miraculously surviving a gunshot to the head, finds himself seeing everything upside down - literally.

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Just the Wind ★★★★☆

Benedek Fliegauf's hard-hitting Hungarian drama Just the Wind (Csak a szél, 2011) is a chilling story of a Romany community living amongst an atmosphere of fear and paranoia, that will certainly find itself fighting amongst the best of the Berlinale for its prestigious Golden Bear award.
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Francine ★★★★☆

Starring Academy Award-winning actress Melissa Leo, Brian M. Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky's Francine (2012) is a surprisingly provocative piece of stripped-down social realism that's subtle approach belies its powerful core themes.

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Rent-a-Cat ★★★★☆

Tonally a million miles away from the dark subject matter of most of this year's Berlinale lineup, Naoko Ogigami's Rent-a-Cat (Rentaneko, 2011) is a delightfully twee story of self discovery which successfully blends elements of Amélie (2001) with the sweet sentiment of Studio Ghibli.

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As Luck Would Have it ★★★☆☆

From acclaimed surrealist director Álex de la Iglesia and starring Salma Hayek, As Luck Would Have (La Chispa de la Vida, 2011) it is a satirical comedy that aims to expose our society's cultural dependency on the output of the sensationalist media industry, fuelled by a mixture of human misery and morbid fascination with fame.

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Tabu ★★★★★

Miguel Gomes' third feature Tabu (2012) is an impassioned love story which draws its influences from the early romantic era of 1930's Hollywood filmmaking - and is already one of the stand-out films at this year's Berlinale.

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Home for the Weekend ★★★☆☆

 
Home for the Weekend (Was Bleibt, 2012) is an astute and compassionate domestic drama which oozes the sort of effortless naturalism filmmakers rarely capture. Directed by Hans-Christian Schmidt and starring Lars Eidinger, Corinna Harfouch and Sebastian Zimmler, this touching tale of one family's failed efforts to deal with the sickness of its matriarchal figurehead has a bittersweet aftertaste.

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Friends After 3.11 ★☆☆☆☆

 In March 2011, Japan was struck by a catastrophic earthquake, with the devastating tsunami that followed causing a meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear power station that sent ripples of discontent throughout the country. Director Iwai Shunji's Friends after 3.11 (2011) is a deeply personal documentary which uses the statements of some of his closest friends to express the views of a society in a state of political despondency.

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Jayne Mansfield's Car ★★☆☆☆

 

Directed by and starring Billy Bob Thornton, Jayne Mansfield's Car (2012) is a fractured comedy drama set in the 1960s that's built around a conflict of cultures. Boasting an ensemble cast which includes Robert Duvall, John Hurt and Kevin Bacon, Thornton's latest offerings is one of the hottest tickets at this year's Berlinale.

 

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Flowers of War ★★★☆☆

The Flowers of War (Jin Ling Shi San Chai, 2011) is a dramatic portrayal of the horrendous Nanking massacre which occurred in 1937. Directed by Zhang Yimou and starring Christian Bale (soon to be seen reprising his role in the final chapter of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises) The Flowers of War attempts to depict the true horror behind this tragic chapter of Chinese history.


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Sister ★★★★★

 

Following the success of her 2008 debut Home, director Ursula Meier returns with Sister (L'enfant d'en haut, 2011), a moving adolescent drama set against the backdrop of the Swiss Alps, and starring Kacey Mottet Klein,  Léa Seydoux , Martin Compston and Gillian Anderson.

 

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Keyhole ★★★★☆

Whilst Michel Hazanavicius' The Artist (2011) is sweeping up awards across the globe for its masterful use of cinematic nostalgia, it seems odd that the German expressionist-inspired works of Guy Maddin remains resigned to the appreciation of arthouse cinephiles. However, his most recent production Keyhole (2011) doesn't look like changing that dynamic, pushing his abstract approach passed the realms of worldwide accessibility.


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Shadow Dancer ★★☆☆☆

Director James Marsh returns to fiction after a successful foray into documentary filmmaking with Shadow Dancer (2012), a harrowing thriller focusing on the troubles in Northern Ireland. Set in Belfast during the height of the IRA bombings, Marsh's psychological tale of the domestic implications of this much published conflict stars Clive Owen, Gillian Anderson and Andrea Riseborough - fresh from an ill advised appearance in Madonna's much derided W.E. (2011).



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Captive ★★★☆☆

Directed by Brillante Mendoza and starring the incredibly watchable Isabelle Huppert (The Piano Teacher [2001], White Material [2009]) Captive (also referred to as Captured) is loosely based on the true story of an accidental kidnapping of a group of holiday makers and missionaries in the Philippines in 2001.

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