Berlinale 2025: Films On Sisterhood

Do you know what it means to be a true sister to other women? Can you say that you are one? Raised in more or less patriarchal societies, many of us still struggle to answer these questions with our whole hearts. We've been told for centuries that women are rivals, not friends. That they’ll betray, steal, hurt. That it's safer to stand alone. But in reality, loneliness only makes us easier to control.

So, perhaps it’s time to rethink what sisterhood really means. And the films recently presented at the Berlin International Film Festival provided a powerful lens to do just that. 

Dreams in Nightmares

Directed by Shatara Michelle Ford, this film unfolds in the American Midwest. Following a classic road movie structure, Dreams in Nightmares explores the priorities and values of three queer Black femmes as they set out to find a missing friend. In each city, they face challenges that force them to reconsider everything they thought they knew about themselves. But rather than breaking them, each hardship deepens their determination to fight for their dreams.

Sunshine

A Filipino film directed by Antoinette Jadaone tells the coming-of-age story of Sunshine, a young and talented gymnast who unexpectedly discovers she is pregnant just before a top-level competition. This news puts all her dreams and ambitions at risk. Desperate, Sunshine seeks out an underground abortion pill dealer, but along the way, she meets a girl who bears an uncanny resemblance to her. This unexpected encounter forces her to confront her deepest fears and long-held dreams.

Akababuru: Expression of Astonishment

Vibrant and rooted in Indigenous South American mythology, this movie immerses us in a world of ancient legends and traditions. The film follows Kari, a young Embera girl afraid to laugh. One day, she encounters a young mestiza woman named Kera, who shares with her the legend of Kiraparamia—a woman whom, according to the elders, the gods punished for laughing at her husband. But is it truly a punishment or an act of liberation? That is the question Kari must uncover.

Girls on Wire

This Chinese film by Vivian Qu follows the intertwined lives of two cousins, Tian Tian and Fang Di. Raised like sisters, they were eventually separated due to family conflicts. As an adult, Fang Di becomes a stuntwoman, while Tian Tian finds herself entangled with the local mafia. Their paths cross once again when Tian Tian escapes to the big city, seeking her cousin to face their challenges together.