Kosmos

Kosmos is a thief and a miracle-worker. He appears one morning in a tiny, snowbound border village where he is welcomed with open arms – on account of arriving just in time to resuscitate a small boy who would otherwise have drowned. Neptün, the boy’s sister, and Yahya, his father, are all too willing to take the stranger under their wing. But Kosmos values his independence too much. He often gives a wide berth to the tea house where they have decided to put him up, and flatly refuses to take on any work there. He queers his pitch still further when he openly declares himself to be in search of love. When it transpires that Neptün is the object of his amorous desire her enraged father burns a hole in Kosmos’ hand with his cigarette. Strangely, the next morning, the cigarette burn has all but disappeared. —Berlinale

Other weird things begin to occur: ever since the stranger arrived, the number of thefts increases; moreover, Kosmos is apparently able to climb the highest of trees effortlessly, and leap from branch to branch like a bird. He and Neptün imitate birdsongs together. Kosmos nonetheless becomes a genuine member of the village community, even though a border conflict claims much of the villagers’ attention.

In the meantime Kosmos brings about more miracles: he manages to heal a teacher’s migraine, and a patient’s asthma and soon anyone with a complaint is in hot pursuit of Kosmos. But the mood turns sour for the stranger when, after first having healed a mute boy, he trudges for hours through the snow with him and the boy’s health deteriorates rapidly … —Berlinale Film Festival