Synopsis

Curious about what life has in store, 22-year-old Luisa moves out of her parents’ home and into a residential facility for people with disabilities on the outskirts of a small German town. Taking a job in a laundry, the outgoing young woman is excited for new adventures. But when an unexpected pregnancy leads to suspicions of sexual abuse, an ensuing investigation tests Luisa, her family, and the staff at the group home, threatening to upend the residents’ sense of security and stability.

This deeply affecting and empowered drama is based on extensive research into true crimes of sexual abuse and features an incredible inclusive cast. As the resolute Luisa, actress Celina Scharff deftly captures her character’s vulnerability and defiance; intimate close-ups convey the tumult and upheaval Luisa experiences as she faces a very difficult decision. Even as the film grapples with the weight of personal trauma, it strikes a hopeful note, suggesting that Luisa’s inner strength, her strong sense of autonomy, and the support of loved ones will help her regain equilibrium.

Synopsis

A spare, stripped-down parable shot on an iPhone, Kontinental ‘25 takes to the streets of Cluj, Romania, to survey the precarious state of contemporary morality. After receiving eviction orders from his shelter in an abandoned cellar, a man commits suicide. Orsolya, the city official responsible for carrying out the eviction, is plagued with guilt over his death. Seeking reassurance, she spends the next several days traversing the Transylvanian city, discussing the incident with an array of characters—-from bike messengers to friends and priests—in hopes of finding absolution.

Inspired by Roberto Rossellini’s Europa ‘51, the darkly comic social drama is both incisively observed and impeccably performed, offering a portrait of a city and society at a crossroads. Director Radu Jude (2023’s Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World), whose taboo-breaking Dracula is also screening at the Festival, infuses his script with ironic detail and wholly human characters to craft an astonishing exploration of personal responsibility in the face of societal crisis.

Synopsis

A promising lawyer working in insurance, young Franz Kafka is newly engaged yet nearly bowed by the weight of his familial and professional obligations. Finding refuge in his passion for literature, Franz begins creating the surreal masterpieces that will ultimately win him artistic immortality, even as the world around him careens toward unimaginable conflict and illness threatens to cut short his own life. In present day Prague, the prescience of his great work is celebrated, even as his legacy is commodified in the ubiquitous Kafka-themed tourist trifles found across the city.

A lifelong student of Kafka, Polish master filmmaker Agnieszka Holland crafts a fittingly unconventional tribute to one of the 20th century’s literary masters, humanizing an icon and reflecting on his enduring international influence in this time-shifting cinematic portrait. Incisively exploring the young Kafka’s psychology and the forces that shaped him, the film delves into the root of his obsessions and peculiarities.

Synopsis

A timeless tale of bitter family rivalries and forbidden love takes new form in this wondrous musical fantasy. 1940 Stockholm. John and Ninni—both heirs to their families’ competing amusement parks—fall hard for each other amidst the whirling world they inhabit. Can their love survive generations of animosity, nasty pranks, and an encroaching war?

Synopsis

Berlin, 1942: Hilde and Hans are madly in love, but amid the passion there is grave danger. Hans becomes involved in the anti-Nazi resistance and, despite huge risks, the pregnant Hilde also decides to join the movement. When she is arrested by the Gestapo and sent to prison, she summons a quiet, inspirational strength and keeps fighting.