Master Cheng review – soupy tale of a Chinese chef in smalltown Finland
The dubious locals are won over by a Shanghai widower’s cooking in this hokey but soothing story of acceptance
The Metamorphosis of Birds review – poetic Portuguese documentary
A father and daughter are united by the absence of their mothers in Catarina Vasconcelos’s contemplative debut feature
Great Freedom review – powerful gay prison drama set in postwar Germany
A concentration camp survivor is incarcerated for decades for his sexuality in this nonlinear film with a remarkable performance from Franz Rogowski
La Civil review – compelling cartel kidnap drama with a vérité edge
Teodora Miha imbues this harrowing tale of a mother’s search for justice with a documentarian’s gaze, in a solidly made descent into every parent’s worst nightmare
Streaming: the best Ukrainian films past and present
The embattled nation’s cinema is rich and distinctive, from 1929’s milestone Man With a Movie Camera to Sergei Loznitsa’s pitch-black comedy Donbass
The Last Journey review – Solaris-style sci-fi takes on astral body with Earth issues
French parable features a ‘red moon’ that provides Earth with fuel, but our last hope refuses a mission to destroy it
Rūrangi review – uplifting transgender tale set in rural New Zealand
A transgender activist returns to his farming community after a decade away, in a drama driven by the magnetic Elz Carrad
Gangubai Kathiawadi review – gutsy Indian true crime drama
The hard-hitting story of a sex worker who rises through the ranks of 60s gangland Mumbai is powered by a magnetic performance from Alia Bhatt
La Mif review – remarkable teenage care home drama
A cast of non-professionals give exceptional performances as fact meets fiction in this compelling drama with shades of The Class and Rocks
The Long Walk review – inventive Laotian horror of ghosts and time travel
A magnetic central performance from Yannawoutthi Chanthalungsy anchors Mattie Do’s excellently spooky tale of destructive hubris
La Mif review – girl power triumphs in dynamic care home drama
A cast of nonprofessional newcomers captivate in a realist drama reminiscent of Sarah Gavron’s Rocks
Women dominate Berlin film festival awards as Alcarràs wins Golden Bear
Best director prize, both acting awards and two of the three best film prizes were won by female film-makers, led by the Catalan-language drama
Human Factors review – tense and unnerving break-in drama
The brilliant Sabine Timoteo stars as an ad exec in Germany whose husband agrees to work for an anti-immigration party
Nine Days in One Year review – enduringly powerful Soviet nuclear power drama
Mikhail Romm’s dense tale of love – for people and for country – has lost none of its cold war potency in the 60 years since it was first released
Nobody’s Hero review – French sex satire is unsatisfying, flavourless romp
This weird social satire has various themes which director Alain Guiraudie seems unable to take seriously and be funny about