© 2026 The Couch Critic
Overview TBA.
Majd and Shahfaisal live together in a residential group for unaccompanied refugee minors in Germany. Here, in the protected environment of the group, for the first time after fleeing, they should be able to live a life true to who they really are: teenagers who are just developing a personality, have dreams and are looking for their place in society. But how is this supposed to work if they are not even part of this society due to their refugee status?
The night before school photos, a spirited young girl attempts to recreate the perfect hairstyle.
After two middle class teenagers commit a horrific crime, their parents debate whether they should protect their loved ones or let them face the consequences for their actions.
In a near future in rural Britain, Mustafa and his deaf sister Amna are torn apart by immigration vigilantes and their far-right policies. Amna escapes to search for her brother, only to witness a tragic event.
A young waiter goes through his daily routine, shaped by haste, indifference, and a sense of disconnection from the world around him. Throughout the day, a series of small encounters: at work, on the street, and within his own community; reveal his inability to truly engage with the people around him.
Tessel moves through Berlin, searching.
In this deeply personal documentary, Arlieta has gone against all popular advice and quit her day job to care for her father, Milton. She has to learn how to laugh in the midst of a disease that is not very funny, using improv to affirm and validate his experiences. Inspired by her father’s own artistic career, Arlieta turns to comedy to process her emotions. It’s challenging for her and her “bonus mom” Charmaine to watch Milton decline, but they support each other and find healing through laughter.
Through contemplation of our place within the universe, (in)significant is a mixed-media film that finds beauty in simple moments, anchored in the warmth of the sun on a nostalgic summer day.
The father fought against the dictatorship in East Germany using his typewriter. His son took active measures. Two forms of resistance and an abyss of silence. Götz Schauder uses video messages to build a bridge between the two men. A painful struggle for the truth begins.
After Charel kills his mother's favorite fish, he runs away from home.
Kakizaki Yuji’s period film is not like the jidaigeki films we are used to. While it deals with themes of seppuku, duty, and loyalty to one’s masters and the shogun, we see very little in terms of action. Instead, the film focuses on the inner thoughts and struggles of the protagonist—who is ordered to perform a ritual suicide—his wife, and their entire household, all leading up to the final moment.
Through personal reflections, Kyrgyz girls speak about everyday expectations and social roles they grow up with.
Based on a story by H.C. Andersen, with new magical heroes, terrifying “woodpunk” robot dogs, real puppet theater, songs & dance numbers. Little Hans, a kind itinerant storyteller, opens his magic box, takes out his puppets, and, together with his spectators, creates a new fairytale. But not every character obeys the puppet master’s strings. The truth of the fairytale breaks everyday rules: here loyalty and friendship make miracles; love destroys the strongest magic spells; and a song wins a war!
Adapted from comicbook with the same title, set in Batavia that follows the rebellion of outlaws against the Dutch colonizers, led by figures like Si Pitung.
A man in a seemingly stable relationship hides a private world of fantasy that slowly takes over his life. When a third presence appears, he is forced to confront what his addiction has done to intimacy, love and his own sense of self.
