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The 2006 Edinburgh International Film Festival has premiered an array of high quality feature films, imported from around the globe. However, there will always be a few bad eggs that manage to slip through the festival's cinematic net. 'The Prodigy' is not so much a bad egg, as a scavenging rat that has the ability to close down the most reputable of London restaurants. Previously well received in the United States, William Kaufman's gangster flic resembles a B-movie, as it follows tough-guy 'Truman' around the blood-stained streets of Dallas, Texas, attempting to track down a psychopathic assassin who has kidnapped a local mob-boss' nephew. Too often than not, the dialogue is mind-numbingly boring and the pitiful performances are enough to tip a suicidal man over the edge. A truly terrible film.

A curiously haunting Spanish film, which, in terms of genre, refuses to be pigeon-holed. The story begins as a mysterious thriller when Felix allows a stranger into his home to use the telephone. Fear and paranoia set in when the visitor inexplicably disappears, leaving Felix to suspect that the man is still lurking within the house. The eerie noises from upstairs eventually become too much for the spooked Felix, and he seeks sanctuary in a neighbour's house. The narrative then unexpectedly changes direction and goes down an incomprehensible and voyeuristic road that confuses as well as questions one's morality. Guillem Morales' impressive, if ambiguous, debut feature film will, at least, prompt baffled viewers to press rewind, after the credits role, to make sense of a film that may be too clever for its own good.

This is dirty, filthy and frenzied cinema, with an array of cataclysmic characters, hell-bent on creating a modern cult classic. The foul-stench of comical entertainment pollutes the air, but smells of fresh originality. The film's five ludicrous story lines brings the viewer close encounters of the worst kind of Berlin inhabitants, including Satan worshippers, sexually-frustrated teenagers, a drunk lottery winner and a foulmouthed tour guide. The vulgarity of it all will prompt the odd nauseous belch from audience members, but the humour outweighs the crudeness and Oliver Rihs' black and white film blinds with comic crudity and colour. Black Sheep may not break the bank at the Box-Office, but it is almost certain to cause a stir in DVD sales.