Alucina, Javier Cutrona (Equador, 2024): A young woman with amnesia goes in search of her missing lover and uncovers more and more parts of her forgotten past. The film contribution from Ecuador reveals a moving, dramatic story and mixes dream-like images with earthly reality. In places, this reminded me of AMELIE, albeit with a clearly gloomy undertone.
Escape From the 21st Century, Yang Li (China, 2024): Exaggerated action, crazy camera shots and fireworks of special effects. In Chinese blockbuster cinema, a couple of teenagers sneeze 20 years into the future and back again. Best cinema entertainment.
Exorcismo, Alberto Sedano (Spain, 2024): The documentary about Spanish film history during and after the Franco dictatorship is presented by the Brugger Dokumentarfilmtage. There are a few bloody and explicit film excerpts, but this should be manageable in the educational context of the film.
King Baby, Kit Redstone, Arran Shearing (UK, 2024): A king and his squire live alone in a castle ruins and play Kingdom. When a queen appears in the form of a wooden doll, her illusory world really comes apart. Minimalistic, weird, funny but also profound independent cinema.
Black Hole (Must Auk), Moonika Siimets (Estonia, 2024): A collection of short stories becomes the weirdest BRUGGGORE contribution to the Official Competition 2025. Director Moonika Siimets unleashes bodybuilders, vacuum-cleaner salesman and aliens on us, creating a consistently entertaining mix of genres with a socio-critical undertone.
Them!, Gordon Douglas (USA, 1954): Strictly speaking, you should of course be afraid of the mutant giant ants. But after more than 70 years, hardly anyone will have sleepless nights anymore. An iconic piece of film history with an almost philosophical twist. Movie quote: “When man entered the atomic age, he opened a door into a new world. What we'll eventually find in that new world, nobody can predict.”
Bonus tip for the brave:
Donnie Darko, Richard Kelly (USA, 2001): The vision of a human-sized hare and gloomy prophecies plague Donnie Darko, a suburban teenager. Mysterious, oppressive and sometimes a bit creepy, the film captivates you with fantastic music and a gripping story. This can certainly also work for brave cineastes who usually avoid horror films.
