Several Perspectives on Home and Family Values
At the 33rd European Film Festival Palić, critic Jana Bébarová finds a common thread running through the Official Competition: films that examine home, family, and belonging from markedly different perspectives. From political allegory to intimate family drama, the selection reveals how contemporary European cinema continues to interrogate the meaning of domestic life.
The main competition section of the 33rd European Film Festival Palić, held in the northern Serbian town of Subotica from 18 to 22 July, featured a select group of eight European titles. Programmed into four evening double bills at the atmospheric open-air cinema situated in the local lake park, the line-up was bound by a shared theme: home and family values examined through distinct creative lenses.
Below, I will focus on the four competition titles that resonated with me the most—all of which, coincidentally, centre on a female protagonist.
Sitting right at the top is the Hungarian debut Feels Like Home (Itt érzem magam otthon, 2025) by Gábor Holtai (see review by Michael Phillips), which my fellow jury critics, Michael Phillips and Božidar Zečević, and I unanimously selected as the recipient of the FIPRESCI Prize (see our statement here). The story of a kidnapped woman (Rozi Lovas) held against her will inside a sprawling apartment inhabited by a bizarre family with a strict hierarchy chillingly reminded us of the oligarchic statecraft practices we are increasingly witnessing in contemporary Europe (and beyond). Through the gradual evolution of its main character, the film further exposes the consequences of long-term manipulation, the erosion of personal freedoms, the suppression of identity, and so-called systemic brainwashing. Despite the film’s obvious nod to Viktor Orbán’s ultra-conservative Hungarian reign of terror, it works flawlessly as a universal, easily relatable metaphor.
Another pressing issue for European society (and the world at large) is tackled by the Greek debut Elena’s Shift (2025) by Stefanos Tsivopoulos. Set in Athens in 2013, it chronicles the daily struggles of Elena (Maria Dragus), a young Romanian woman seeking asylum in Greece. Through the story of this single mother, the film highlights the plight of exploited labourers while balancing its heavy social commentary with a deeply sensitive, intimate portrait of Elena’s personal and romantic relationships.
An intense deep dive into complex family dynamics is delivered by the drama The Good Daughter (La Buena Hija, 2025) by Spanish director Júlia de Paz Solvas. Seen through the eyes of high-school student Carmela (Kiara Arancibia Pinto), it depicts the brutal emotional fallout of domestic violence, a messy parental breakup, and a manipulative father determined to turn his daughter against her mother at any cost. The film’s greatest strength lies precisely in this tight focus on the point of view of an emotionally distressed teenager re-evaluating her relationship with both parents in the wake of a harsh reality check.
Finally, the German feature The Miserable Mother (Die miserable Mutter, 2026), the second directorial effort by Susanne Heinrich, sharply captures the suffocating disillusionment, frustration, and anxiety of a first-time mother (Rosa Landers) with pitch-black comedic precision. Its striking production design and stylised performances—reminiscent of brightly coloured plastic dollhouses—lean more towards theatricality than cinema. Consequently, I found its greatest value in its punchy, necessary feminist statement.
Jana Bébarová
© FIPRESCI 2026