Berlinale 2026: Prosecution
2026 Berlin Film Festival
The impartiality of the legal system, ensuring that every person is equal in front of the law, is a fundamental tenet of democracy. But how well do these systems work in protecting individuals against racism, when racially motivated attacks and violence (both verbal and physical) are increasingly normalised?
This is the question at the core of Prosecution, winner of the Panorama Audience Award for the best feature film at the 76th Berlinale. Director Faraz Shariat, assisted by the tight screenplay by Claudia Schaefer, dives into an exploration of how the seemingly objective German legal system still struggles to come to terms with its past and the resurgence of Nazism, and the contradictions inherent in many modern democracies.
From the very start, the audience is introduced to the almost clinical environment of a court of law, where tensions play out following a strict rulebook and objectivity is something one should pride themselves on. The film focuses on young German-Korean Seyo Kim (Chen Emilie Yan), who is just starting out a promising career as a prosecutor and displays a sharp legal mind and steely determination.
All her certainties are upended when Seyo herself is a victim of a brutal attack and, suddenly, the system she so strongly upheld starts to feel too fragile. Defying orders from her superiors, Seyo takes matters into her own hands, starting an unofficial investigation with chilling results. The film loses some of its groundedness in the second half, leaning heavily into the growing pressure. The courtroom scenes with their pointed legal arguments contrast heavily with the reality outside of them, where the rule of law starts to feel dangerously evanescent. Yet, despite the lack of any high-octane action scenes (the majority of which involve painstaking research among forbidden files in locked basements that Seyo should not be in), the tension becomes palpable, thanks in no small part to the nerve-wracking soundscape.
A tight-paced legal thriller/courtroom drama, Prosecution brings a timely reflection on what happens when the global institutions and systems we collectively place our faith in seem to be failing in their mission, and whether it is still possible to achieve justice by relying on them. Individual and collective responsibility collide and mesh with each other as the line between right and wrong becomes increasingly blurred, and the stakes keep rising