This article appeared in the August 22, 2025 edition of The Film Comment Letter, our free weekly newsletter featuring original film criticism and writing. It’s like you’ve just confessed that you were raised by a family of woodland elves, or that you live in Summerisle or Brigadoon. Take, for example, Sophy Romvari’s delicately devastating Blue Heron, which played in the Cineasti del Presente competition for emerging directors. Of course, there is no real way to capture incidents and feelings exactly as they happened, after the moment has passed. Jessica Kiang is a freelance film critic and a member of the Berlinale selection committee.