Ramon Zürcher: THE STRANGE LITTLE CAT (2013)

Probably the most admired debut film of the Berlinale. Dennis Lim described it for the NY Times: "The Strange Little Cat, which originated in a seminar with Béla Tarr, the director of The Turin Horse, revolves around the well-worn scenario of a family gathering but defies convention at every turn. The domestic environment in the movie, with its hyperactive children and pets, short-circuited cross-talk and roaring kitchen appliances, is at once highly choreographed and buzzing with life; everyday actions and conversations take on a syncopated strangeness and a balletic grace."

It's more often compared to Jacques Tati than Béla Tarr. But Tati was French. Zürcher is Swiss, living in Berlin. His familial Twittering Macine works like clockwork. It's more smooth and ingenious than quirky and funny.