D: Małgorzata Szumowska (Body, In the Name of, Elles, 33 Scenes from Life).
S: Mateusz Kościukiewicz, Agnieszka Podsiadlik, Małgorzata Gorol, Roman Gancarczyk, Dariusz Chojnacki, Robert Talarczyk, Anna Tomaszewska, Martyna Krzysztofik.
Understandably misanthropic. Cutting towards organised religion. Combines droll humour with a deep ache. (Shame about the grating focus gimmick.)
IN THE AISLES (In den Gängen) ★★★★½
D: Thomas Stuber (A Heavy Heart).
S: Franz Rogowski, Sandra Hüller, Peter Kurth.
The opposite of reality TV. A celebration of the dignity of ordinary lives. Told with flair about understated camaraderie.
ÁGA ★★★★☆
D: Milko Lazarov.
S: Mikhail Aprosimov, Feodosia Ivanova, Galina Tikhonova, Sergey Egorov, Afanasiy Kylaev.
Transitions glacially from the claustrophobic to the grandiose. The last remnants of a cultural existence. A lump in the throat conclusion, which is both intimate and epic.