Best & Worst Films at the 2017 Berlin International Film Festival
One of international cinema's most prestigious annual events, the 67th Berlin International Film Festival (commonly known as the Berlinale) wrapped up this weekend, with Hungarian drama On Body and Soul earning the top award from a jury led by director Paul Verhoeven.
Below, we sample the reactions from film critics to that and other notable films premiering at this year's festival (including the upcoming X-Men film Logan, new features from Oren Moverman, Sally Potter, and Agnieszka Holland, and more).
Aki Kaurismäki’s follow-up to his 2011 film Le Havre is another refugee story from the Silver Bear winner for best director. Returning to his native Helsinki, the director has produced another deadpan delight that chronicles the friendship between Khaled, a Syrian refugee, and Wikström, a local restaurant owner. CineVue’s Patrick Gamble calls it a “funny, heartfelt story,” while David Ehrlich of Indiewire finds it “winsome, sweet, and often very funny.”