Here are two dozen films that competed in the main competition at the Berlin Film Festival in 2024 and their scores on Metacritic (the largest aggregator site that collects reviews of movies, games and series). This is not a top in the usual sense; rather, a cross-section that demonstrates the preferences not of individuals, but of global film critics as a whole.
How we've grouped data:
- all films are placed from top to bottom and left to right, from highest to lowest and in alphabetical order;
- the data is current as of early March 2024. As more reviews appear, the scores of movies and, as a result, their placement may change slightly;
- films that do not yet have a Metacritic score are listed in alphabetical order;
- we also recommend that you read the results Berlin, Cannes and Venice film festivals .
Dahomey — 85 points (dir. Mati Diop)
Reward: Golden Bear
Genre: documentary
What is remarkable: years later, dozens of the most valuable exhibits return to their native Benin, a country that has changed beyond recognition during their absence.
Small Things Like These — 82 points (dir. Tim Mielants)
Reward: Best Supporting Performance
Genre: drama
What is remarkable: an Irish family man makes a living selling coal, but one day he has to come into conflict with the Catholic Church, which controls one of the cities.
La Cocina — 75 points (dir. Alonso Ruizpalacios)
Reward: None
Genre: drama
What is remarkable: in a New York eatery, someone cleans the cash register, Julia has an abortion, and Pedro tries to snatch something worthwhile from life.
A Different Man — 74 points (dir. Aaron Schimberg)
Reward: Best Leading Performance
Genre: thriller
What is remarkable: an easily addicted actor undergoes plastic surgery and radically changes his face, which is why he loses the role of his whole life.
A Traveler's Needs — 72 points (dir. Hong Sang-soo)
Reward: Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize
Genre: drama
What is remarkable: the heroine teaches French to two Korean women, walks alone and drinks a little for fun.
Pepe — 63 points (dir. Nelson Carlo De Los Santos Arias)
Reward: Silver Bear for Best Director
Genre: drama
What is remarkable: a journey through space and time by the huge hippopotamus Pepe, who appeared in Colombia thanks to Pablo Escobar.
Suspended Time — 57 points (dir. Olivier Assayas)
Reward: -
Genre: drama, comedy
What is remarkable: the filmmaker and his brother are holding a 2020 lockdown at their parents' house and in the company of their new halves.
The Empire — 53 points (dir. Bruno Dumont)
Reward: Silver Bear Jury Prize
Genre: science fiction, comedy
What is remarkable: a special child is born in a fishing village in northern France, thanks to which ordinary people learn about the cosmic war between good and evil.
Another End — 52 points (dir. Piero Messina)
Reward: -
Genre: science fiction, romance
What is remarkable: in the near future, technology makes it possible to return the dead to a living body so that loved ones can fully say goodbye to them.
Black Tea — 52 points (dir. Abderrahmane Sissako)
Reward: -
Genre: melodrama
What is remarkable: a young girl from Côte d'Ivoire flees from her wedding to China, where she falls in love with a tea shop owner.
Architecton — Score unavailable (dir. Victor Kossakovsky)
Reward: -
Genre: documentary
What is remarkable: a cinematic essay about the building materials from which humanity has built a significant part of its world — about concrete and natural stone.
Gloria! — Score unavailable (dir. Margherita Vicario)
Reward: -
Genre: drama
What is remarkable: in 1800, a newly invented piano appears in an old school of music, trapped in the narrow streets of Venice.
The Devil's Bath — Score unavailable (dir. Veronika Franz, Severin Fiala)
Reward: -
Genre: horror, thriller
What is remarkable: in mid-18th-century Austria, a married woman can't find a place for herself — neither in patriarchal society nor in the family. Because of this, she is accumulating a craving for violence.
Langue Etrangere — Score unavailable (dir. Claire Burger)
Reward: -
Genre: melodrama
What is remarkable: a French high school student goes on an exchange program to Leipzig, where she pretends to be a completely different person to impress her new friend.
Who Do I Belong To — Score unavailable (dir. Meryam Joobeur)
Reward: -
Genre: drama
What is remarkable: a woman from northern Tunisia sends her older sons to war, and one of them returns with his mysterious pregnant wife.
My Favorite Cake — Score unavailable (dir. Behtash Sanaeeha, Maryam Moqadam)
Reward: -
Genre: drama, comedy
What is remarkable: a 70-year-old Tehran woman gets tired of living alone and decides to build a new relationship, but this change has unexpected consequences.
From Hilde, with Love — Score unavailable (dir. Andreas Dresen)
Reward: -
Genre: drama
What is remarkable: the story of Hilda Coppi, who was part of Nazi Germany's underground resistance.
Dying — Score unavailable (dir. Matthias Glasner)
Reward: Best Screenplay
Genre: drama
What is remarkable: members of a fairly large family lead scattered lives and are secretly happy when one of them goes to the next world. But when they die, they meet again.
Sons — Score unavailable (dir. Gustav Moller)
Reward: -
Genre: thriller, drama
What is remarkable: Eva has been working as a prison guard for many years, but with the arrival of a young prisoner, her usual life breaks apart.
Shambhala — Score unavailable (dir. Min Bahadur Bham)
Reward: -
Genre: drama
What is remarkable: a pregnant woman from a Himalayan village who practices polygamy is abandoned by her husband. Because of the condemnation of others, she goes to find him with her second husband.
See you at new film festivals!
