© 2026 The Couch Critic
In a Kinshasa house, a visit unfolds between two couples where everything seems in place, yet something is slightly off. At the center, Pamela navigates the expectations of love and the roles imposed on her. Fragments of a recent event begin to surface, unsettling the present.
"Vieyra, The Innovative Pioneer" imagines a virtual encounter between pioneering Senegalese filmmaker Paulin Soumanou Vieyra and his grandsons during a visit to a museum retracing his life, highlighting his childhood, his encounters, his studies, and his work.
A criminal on the run attempts to break into a house for hiding. He realizes his escape will be far more difficult than originally planned.
A pair of astronauts on a rescue mission discover a strange signal coming from deep space.
Kadija, a young Senegalese woman, narrates a recurring dream she’s been having. Loaded with spiritual implications, its meaning is to be interpreted rather than understood.
A film about third-generation artists with Indonesian roots who embrace their cultural heritage in their work. Director Claire Pijman portrays Nusantara Beat, the popular band that sings in Bahasa Indonesia and Sundanese. Vanja van der Leeden, a culinary artist who looks beyond the ‘rijsttafel’. Myrthe Groot & Romee Mulder of fashion atelier Guave, who design clothing made from batik. And Sekan, DJ / photographer / founder of record label Jiwa2, who is putting Indonesian pop music from the ’70s and ’80s back on the map. All artists collaborate with artists from Indonesia, allowing the viewer to also be taken into present-day Indonesia.
A Nightclub owner ventures home, not knowing of the two men waiting to kill him. They attempt to work out a negotiation, whilst also trying to stay unknown to their target.
A baby boy is born, and eight years later, he holds a firework for too long. A dizzying, explosive Purge-like tradition unfolds across decades of New Year’s in Berlin. People dance, kiss and vomit on the streets. Dogs tremble in bathroom corners. A planet fades into oblivion. But how much longer can this once-chaotic city of fun and freedom keep the fire going?
In the coastal town of Shakotan, Hokkaido, Nozuka Elementary School prepares to close after 134 years as the region's population declines. Taiyo, a quiet second grader, is one of the final four students to pass through its halls before the school shuts its doors.
Eva, an architecture student sensitive to different people, is confronted with racism, indifference and cynicism, but also with her own psychological problems.
In the not too distant future, a man without hope attempts to save the life he was hired to end with HELPER, a world changing technology that allows anyone to possess another's body at the host's request.
After a young peasant is spurned by her vampiric lover, she embarks on a blood-soaked odyssey that spans centuries.
Daniel has worked at a motel for years. He has seen a range of strange guests enter and leave; these four have been the strangest.
A newspaper gremlin chases someone, straight up.
