My personal Berlinale Ranking - 2013

Elise and Didier fall in love at first sight, in spite of their differences. He talks, she listens. He's a romantic atheist, she's a religious realist. When their daughter becomes seriously ill, their love is put on trial.

The impact of a selfless deed of benevolence and heroism right in the middle of the raging Bosnian war inextricably intertwines the lives of five people who are still affected by its consequences, over a decade later.

Layla Fourie, a young single-mother in South Africa, receives a job assignment as polygraphist. In the constant presence of mistrust, lies and fear Layla soon becomes a suspect herself.

After the terrible news of a fatal car accident involving her son, a desperate mother will do anything in her power to set her child free.

Jin, a guerrilla, lives in a cave and decides to escape from the organization. She finds some civilian clothes and goes down from the mountain to the city. However, the city is no safer than the mountain.

A story set in Santiago and centered on Gloria, a free-spirited older woman, and the realities of her whirlwind relationship with a former naval officer whom she meets out in the clubs.

A young woman Shiori faces an accidental death of her beloved husband at a local industrial town, recovering from the 3.11 Tsunami disaster. Once detesting, Shiori is hesitant to admit her attraction for Takumi, the reason for the death of her husband. This is a story of a young woman, who forgives a man whom she once hated, and overcomes the past.

A Roma family lives far from the urban centres of Bosnia-Herzegovina. The father Nazif salvages metal from old cars and sells it to a scrap-dealer. The mother Senada keeps the house tidy, cooks, bakes and cares for their two small daughters. One day, she feels a sharp pain in her abdomen. At the hospital she is told there is something wrong with the baby she is carrying: "They say it's dead." She is at risk of septicaemia and they must operate immediately. But Senada has no medical insurance; since the operation will cost much more than the family can afford the hospital's head refuses to treat her. A race against time together with a mounting sense of hopelessness played by a cast of non-professional actors re-enacting an episode from their own lives. Winner of the Silver Bear Jury Grand Prix and the Silver Bear for best actor at the Berlin Film Festival 2013.

Winter, 1915. Confined by her family to an asylum in the South of France - where she will never sculpt again - the chronicle of Camille Claudel's reclusive life, as she waits for a visit from her brother, Paul Claudel.

Facing a failed relationship and a struggling restaurant, a woman hits the road for a trip with her grandson.

In this update of Yasujiro Ozu's "Tokyo Story", a retired schoolteacher and his wife visit their three working children in modern-day Tokyo.

A couple meets at their son's grave ten years after his death; his plot is to make way for a casino city. Anger, hatred and bitterness erupt. A drama that goes far beyond this couple's private grief and points towards the end of society.

Baby Blues is a vintage fashion blog about loneliness. It is about Natalia's baby-boy. His existence shows how easy it is to fulfill teenage needs today. Just like ordering something in a fast food. Like saying: something to love and fries to go. But most importantly it is a blog about egoism.

Korean Redemption and Revenge. Sung-gong has always been a target for school bullies. One day, the bullies drag him to the home of a fellow high school girl named Jang-mi where they take turns raping her and forcing Sung-gong to do the same against his wish. Ten years later, Sunggong encounters Jang-mi again at a church, and thereafter he pursues his life seeking her forgiveness without confessing that he was one of offenders. But, when he realizes that Jang-mi is still traumatized, he seeks out the bullies again.

Analia, 20-year-old woman from provincial Argentina who arrives in Buenos Aires on a delivery errand. But instead of heading home as planned, she extends her stay following a chance encounter with the city's Muslim community.

Running toward God but away from his sexuality, Adam became a priest at age 21. Now the head of a rural parish, he's still tormented by desire. When Father Adam attempts to help a troubled teen, long-suppressed feelings begin to surface.

A young woman's world unravels when a drug prescribed by her psychiatrist has unexpected side effects.

A drama centered on the experiences of a blind piano prodigy.

In a secluded house by the sea with the curtains shut, a screenwriter hides from the world with only his dog as company. The tranquility is abruptly broken one night by the arrival of a young woman fleeing from the authorities. Refusing to leave, she takes refuge in the house. But come dawn, another unexpected presence will change everything.

A New Jersey guy dedicated to his family, friends, and church, develops unrealistic expectations from watching porn and works to find happiness and intimacy with his potential true love.

After a whole life of work at Tijuana, Rafael and Lidia are victims of injustice against their rights and dignity: Rafael learns that due to a paperwork mistake, he will not be entitled to his retirement pension. As for Lidia, she finds out that her employer's will leave the entire heirloom to the dog. In their own way, alone and silently, they'll begin a battle: Rafael against a company, Lidia against a dog. Curiously, these struggles are not visible.

Two brothers kidnap a schoolmate to contribute to the family's income.

14 years old Myrto kidnaps the son of his father's business partner whom she blames for bankrupting her father's business.

Two highway road workers spend the summer of 1988 away from their city lives. The isolated landscape becomes a place of misadventure as the men find themselves at odds with each other and the women they left behind.

Ela and Can seemingly have it all. Yet in this affluent section of Istanbul, love turns to suspicion, success delivers only material comfort and truth keeps playing hide-and-seek.