Brazilian director Karim Aïnouz’s latest film, Rosebush Pruning, premiered in competition at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival on Feb. 14, 2026, where it was nominated for the Golden Bear. The satirical tragicomedy thriller, written by Efthimis Filippou, uses a wealthy American family’s disintegration to eviscerate privilege, patriarchy and the absurdities of the super‑rich.
Set almost entirely in a Spanish villa, the ensemble cast—Callum Turner as Ed, Riley Keough as Anna, Lukas Gage as Robert, Jamie Bell as Jack, Elle Fanning as Martha, Tracy Letts as the blind patriarch dubbed “The Father,” and Pamela Anderson as the deceased mother—delivers a darkly comic portrait of opulence gone hollow. The film draws loosely on Marco Bellocchio’s 1965 satire Fists in the Pocket, re‑imagined for a contemporary audience.
From pandemic script to Berlin premiere
Aïnouz began writing the screenplay during the COVID‑19 pandemic, seeking a “contained” story that would unfold mainly within a single house. He said the pandemic’s isolation sparked his interest in portraying a privileged white family—a demographic he had not explored before.
Producer Michael Weber suggested Bellocchio’s Fists in the Pocket as a structural template. Aïnouz added influences from Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Teorema (1968) and William Friedkin’s Killer Joe (2011), adapting the original’s mother‑centric plot to focus on a patriarchal figure, thereby probing “privilege, patriarchy and isolation” that wealth can engender.
He told The Hollywood Reporter that the film’s “savage take on privilege and patriarchy” aims to “burn down the house.” The opening line of the film—“People are roses. Families are rosebushes. Rosebushes need pruning.”—encapsulates the director’s metaphor for dismantling entrenched power.
Casting, rehearsal and the Spanish villa
Aïnouz assembled a “stellar” cast both for its draw and because the material demanded actors willing to immerse themselves in the family’s volatile dynamics. He praised Letts for his theatrical background, Bell for his “extraordinary path,” and Fanning for her “refined sense of humor.” Turner, he noted, brings a “sense of mystery” that keeps the audience guessing.
Keough was chosen for Anna after Aïnouz recognized her ability to portray “unhinged yet vulnerable” intensity. The director also highlighted the importance of a collaborative rehearsal process: the cast lived together in the Spanish house, rehearsed in costume and even shared meals to foster intimacy, a method he likened to staging a play.
Filming on location in Spain allowed the ensemble to blur the line between performance and reality, creating the “sense of intimacy” Aïnouz sought for the family’s fractured relationships.
Influences and the spirit of 60s cinema
Beyond Bellocchio, Aïnouz cited the experimental vigor of 1960s cinema as a guiding force. He referenced Oliver Laxe’s Oscar‑nominated film Sirat as an example of contemporary works that echo that era’s radical storytelling. “I just turned 60. I have nothing to lose. I aim for to play. I want to experiment,” he said, emphasizing a desire to revive the risk‑taking ethos of that decade.
The director also positioned Rosebush Pruning within a growing “genre” of films critiquing wealth disparity, naming Parasite, Triangle of Sadness and The White Lotus as recent touchstones that examine the super‑rich.
What Aïnouz hopes to achieve
Even as the film offers a scathing look at the elite, Aïnouz insists it also carries “a real sense of hope.” He believes satire and absurdity are the most effective lenses for audiences to confront uncomfortable truths about “the cycle of violence” that can accompany wealth. The pruning metaphor, he explains, suggests that families—like rosebushes—sometimes need decisive, even violent, intervention to break destructive patterns.
He deliberately avoided naming specific political figures, noting that the patriarch’s character functions as an “autopsy” of the powerful men who dominate headlines, whether they are heads of state or billionaire magnates.
Production details and next steps
Rosebush Pruning is an international co‑production involving The Apartment Pictures, Match Factory, Mubi, Kavac Film and Rai Cinema, among others. The film’s runtime is 97 minutes, and This proves presented in English. According to its Wikipedia entry, the movie will be distributed by Mubi in the United Kingdom and Vision Distribution in Italy.
The next confirmed public appearance will be its theatrical release following the Berlin screening, with distribution plans announced by the involved companies. Audiences can look for further updates from the film’s official channels and participating distributors.
Karim Aïnouz’s bold satire invites viewers to consider how far the “pruning” of entrenched privilege can head—and whether humor can indeed be the catalyst for change. Share your thoughts on the film’s approach to wealth and power in the comments below.
