In the standstill of the pandemic summer, a young couple wants to start anew and move from Hanover to Berlin. To say goodbye, they are throwing a farewell dinner. But good friends cancel — and uninvited guests show up. Soon, secret longings, misunderstandings and human abysses of the privileged dinner guests are revealed. Here, everyone is fighting only for themselves: a “bubble” that seems to have everything and yet threatens to despair of itself.

The heads of Wall Street’s biggest investment banks were summoned to an evening meeting by the US Treasury Secretary, Hank Paulson, to discuss the plight of another – Lehman Brothers. After six months’ turmoil in the world’s financial markets, Lehman Brothers was on life support and the government was about to pull the plug. Lehman CEO, Dick Fuld, recently sidelined in a boardroom coup, spends the weekend desperately trying to resuscitate his beloved company through a merger with Bank of America or UK-based Barclays. But without the financial support of Paulson and Lehman’s fiercest competitors, Fuld’s empire – and with it, the stability of the world economy – teeters on the verge of extinction.

Immortalised as one of the most scintillating and uplifting Christmas songs, ‘Carol of the Bells’ adapted from a popular and loved Ukrainian folk melody, came to represent the spirit of brotherhood and unity all over the world. The peaceful and neighbourly existence of three families, Polish, Ukrainian and Jewish, sharing a large house, musical evenings and merriment in the city of Stanislaviv in the years preceding and post war, is shattered. First in the Soviet occupation and the persecution of the Polish family, then, by the Nazi occupation of Ukraine, and the decimation of the Jewish family. Sacrificing their lives the Ukrainian family manage to save their neighbours’ children and their own daughter. Death and loss come to these families, but the healing power and joy , and a promise that the Future Will Not be Cancelled which “Carol of the Bells’ evokes will be everlasting.

Tomorrow is Christmas at Vincent and Beatrice Barand’s house. Vincent is happy, it’s his favorite day. Unfortunately, the whole family cancels at the last minute. Result: no children, no grandchildren… While Beatrice is looking forward to this intimate evening, he is overwhelmed and can’t imagine a Christmas together. So he decides to go to a retirement home to invite a lonely resident to join them and share the Christmas spirit. Monique, 85 years old and obsessed with death, arrives… soon followed by Jeanne, a former prison guard with no filter. For all four of them, this December 24th promises to be as explosive as it is unexpected!

Once upon a time … Angie, an aging star reluctantly goes on one last shoot for a seedy Producer, on location, in an enchanting old cabin deep in the shadowy forest. While on the shoot the cast and crew encounter Henry, and his little sweet sister Patti, two strange and mysterious children who seem to live in the woods. A violent attack on the second evening of shooting sends Angie and the rest of the crew into a frighten frenzy. They lock themselves into their secluded cabin and find themselves trapped and surrounded by an unknown assailant. Could these two children be responsible for these vicious attacks?

In Bucharest on a winter’s morning, a couple make love. Adina wants to move in with her boyfriend Radu as soon as possible. He, on the other hand, is slightly more reluctant but appears to simply tolerate her plans. Today is New Year’s Eve and Radu and Adina have a lot to do: the two have planned a visit to Adina’s parents followed by a party with friends. While buying last-minute gifts at the supermarket, Radu thinks he spots ex-girlfriend Nadja, who he has never forgotten. In one small moment, Radu’s insecurities about Adina come bubbling to the surface. No sooner have the corks begin to pop, the relationship comes to an abrupt end. This is followed by the perfectly timed offer from Radu’s friend Alex to hit the town with him and his friends. Radu accepts the offer in the hope that Nadja is also out. Director Paul Negogescu draws a portrait of Radu with precision and subtle irony – and captures the atmosphere of a New Year’s evening with great authenticity.