The Berlin Film Festival has commenced in Germany’s capital, and we’re highlighting the most talked-about films in the lineup: from the star-studded “Rosebush Pruning” featuring Pamela Anderson to the Ukrainian documentary “Traces,” which sheds light on victims of wartime sexual violence.
“Josephine”
The film chronicles the journey of a couple (Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan) and their daughter Josephine (debutante Mason Reeves). Their family grapples with trauma and a legal battle after the girl inadvertently witnesses sexual assault in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Directed by Beth de Araújo, this project, which she dedicated over a decade to, offers an unflinchingly honest, intimate, and bold portrayal of a child’s experience with trauma.
“Josephine” emerged as one of the early sensations and favored entries at the Sundance Film Festival 2026.
Advertising.
“Rosebush Pruning”
Pamela Anderson, Callum Turner, Elle Fanning, and Riley Keough — Karim Aïnouz has assembled a stellar cast for the satirical drama “Rosebush Pruning.” Within a lavish villa bathed in Catalan sunlight, siblings Jack, Ed, Anna, and Robert live in opulence and isolation, avoiding contact with their blind and demanding father. When Jack, the eldest sibling and family’s anchor, announces his move to be with his girlfriend Martha, familial bonds fray, compelling another brother, Ed, to reveal the truth about their mother’s death… “Rosebush Pruning” is a biting satire on the absurdity of the traditional patriarchal family.
“Rose”
The events of “Rose” unfold in 17th-century Germany. A mysterious woman, disguised as a man, appears in a Protestant village, claiming to be the heir to one of the local farms. “Rose” is directed by Austrian filmmaker Markus Schleinzer, a protégé of Michael Haneke, and features a brilliant performance by Sandra Hüller, a luminary of European cinema known for her roles in “The Zone of Interest” and “Anatomy of a Fall.”
“At the Sea”
Following rehabilitation, Laura (Amy Adams) returns to her family home in Cape Cod. Once the face of her late father’s renowned dance company, she now confronts the price of growing up in his shadow. Laura’s long-undiagnosed functional alcoholism reaches a crisis point after a drunk-driving accident involving her young son. Now sober, she returns home, transformed, to a family unprepared for the change…
“At the Sea” is an intimate portrait of a woman’s journey from denial to acceptance and a masterful work by Hungarian director Kornél Mundruczó.
“The Weight”
The film is set in the 1930s United States. Samuel Murphy (Ethan Hawke), a widower from Oregon, is separated from his daughter due to imprisonment. The prison warden, Clancy, offers Samuel and several other inmates a chance at freedom in exchange for participating in a perilous gold smuggling operation for him.
“The Moment”
“The Moment” is a mockumentary by director Aidan Zamiri about a pop star preparing for her first headlining tour, with the singer Charli XCX playing a fictionalized version of herself. The singer herself states that “The Moment” is neither a documentary about the tour nor a concert film, but rather “the most realistic depiction of the music industry I’ve ever seen.”
Following the film’s premiere at the Berlin Film Festival, the singer found herself at the center of a discussion, as the film’s afterparty in Berlin was organized by the German project Dance Hole, founded by a Russian national.
“Queen at Sea”
This film by American director Lance Hammer stars Juliette Binoche as a single mother summoned from Newcastle to London to care for her ailing mother, who has Alzheimer’s (Anna Calder-Marshall). After Amanda (Binoche) discovers her stepfather (Tom Courtenay) in a compromising situation, she is forced to make a difficult decision—to place her mother in a care facility. However, this experience can be harrowing for an Alzheimer’s patient…
“Traces”
The sole Ukrainian film in the Berlinale program is the documentary “Traces” by Alisa Kovalenko and Marysia Nikitiuk, which tells the stories of women who are survivors of wartime sexual violence. “Despite their trauma, the six heroines of the film have united to resist and demand justice,” state the filmmakers. “Traces” is based on testimonies from the SEMA Ukraine community, as well as the personal experiences of director Alisa Kovalenko.