WORLD CINEMA

FILM:

$9.99 introduces us to the residents of an Australian apartment building: a melancholy father (Anthony LaPaglia) worried about his two grown sons—one an unemployed dreamer, the other smitten with his supermodel girlfriend; a lonely pensioner who has befriended a cranky angel (Geoffrey Rush); a cheerful young idealist and his piggybank; and a man torn between his love for his fiancée and his stoner “friends.” Their stories are funny, sad and poignant, mixing reality with fantasy. But perhaps the most remarkable aspect of $9.99 is that it is in stop-motion, a labor-intensive method of animation, which results in a stunning array of emotion and movement. $9.99 was written by short story author Etgar Keret and directed by Tatia Rosenthal, both Israeli, and shot in Australia. -Jacqueline Spafford

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Germany in the 1970s: Murderous bomb attacks, the threat of terrorism and the fear of the enemy inside are rocking the very foundations of the yet fragile German democracy. The radicalised children of the Nazi generation lead by Andreas Baader, Ulrike Meinhof and Gudrun Ensslin are fighting a violent war against what they perceive as the new face of fascism: American imperialism supported by the German establishment, many of whom have a Nazi past. Their aim is to create a more human society but by employing inhuman means they not only spread terror and bloodshed, they also lose their own humanity. The man who understands them is also their hunter: the head of the German police force Horst Herold. And while he succeeds in his relentless pursuit of the young terrorists, he knows he's only dealing with the tip of the iceberg.

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Judith, a successful professional woman stinging from a recent divorce, meets hustler Marco in a park. What starts as a practical arrangement gradually becomes much more than that. Discreet weekly dates lead to a deeper connection and eventually to the involvement of family members. Judith's sister, Irène, has strong opinions on her sibling's choices, while Marco works hard but ultimately in vain to keep his means of income hidden from his wife, Fanny, and her family. Nathalie Baye shows us Judith's wounds as well as her desires, and Eric Caravaca portrays Marco as a cuddly, kind and appealing husband and reluctant gigolo. Writer and director Josiane Balasko (who also plays Irène) gently weaves comedy and drama together as this original story unfolds with unexpected twists and turns. -Jacqueline Spafford

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On an everyday family outing Maria Larsson wins a camera in a lottery and, over the course of the next ten years, changes her life forever. As her family grows larger, life becomes more and more challenging. Her husband has a nasty drinking habit, cheats, and is abusive. On top of a workers' strike, the Great War breaks out and Maria must do everything she can to keep her family together and happy. Under the guidance of a local photographer, Maria learns to master her camera, producing beautiful, haunting images of every aspect of her daily life. Swedish auteur Jan Troell presents a memorable, compassionate snapshot of an ordinary family and the life-changing things that can come from the most ordinary of places. -Ryan Hedge

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GOMORRAH effortlessly weaves together five stories of various Italian citizens and their involvement with the brutal Camorra mafia. Franco learns the trade of mob waste management; 13-year-old Toto joins after hiding a gun from the police; Don Ciro pays the families of prisoners amidst a violent management change; tailor Pasquale risks everything by hiring Chinese competitors; and Marco and Ciro steal a stash of weapons and decide to make a name for themselves. American films may glamorize the mob, but Matteo Garrone's depiction of the world's most notorious mafia group is easily the bleakest and most affecting ever put to film. Based on the groundbreaking book of the same name, these stories have led to real-life arrests and death threats from the Camorra.Winner of the Grand Prix at Cannes 2008Italy's Foreign Language submission-Ryan Hedge

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Former Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti's storied career has been made notorious by numerous criminal accusations. Most famously, he was linked to alleged mafia involvement and a role in the assassination of journalist Mino Pecorelli in 1979. In IL DIVO, the story of this polarizing and complicated man is told with sophistication, wit, fairness, and nuance. Amidst a crumbling career, Andreotti seems to become only more stoic, resigned, and serious in his public denials of criminal involvement. The sordid events surrounding “Belzebù,” his associates, his family, and his detractors are captured in a stark visual style and backed with a brave and distinctive soundtrack. This timeless biographical film, in its balanced study of Andreotti's enigmatic personality, moral obligations, and philosophical conflicts, delivers an elegiac statement about the nature of political power. -Joe Stussi

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FILM:

Léon Doré is a troubled little boy. After almost accidentally committing suicide for the third time, he learns that his mother is moving to Greece, leaving him and his brother Jerome behind. Léon is prepared to do anything to kill the pain and reunite with his mother, and he acts out by robbing houses, inventing elaborate lies, and hurting himself. Along with Léa, an equally troubled girl from the neighborhood, they hatch a plan to steal money and buy a ticket to Greece, but problems arise and they are forced to separate. IT'S NOT ME I SWEAR is a quirky film, where the comedy often teeters on the edge of tragedy, as two emotionally fragile children learn to overcome the pain of growing up while feeling abandoned. -Ryan Hedge

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FILM:

LOSS interweaves the lives of six people struggling for meaning in Lithuania, a country with the highest suicide rate in the world. Valda, a penniless young woman, moves to Ireland to build a better life for her son, whom she leaves behind in an orphanage. She works for a priest still haunted by a dark secret in his past, while her son is adopted by Nora, a childless businesswoman. Nora’s ex-husband, Ben, is a deranged boozehound betrayed by technology – he got caught with his cell phone’s “little black book” of mistresses. Fueled by a brooding, award-winning soundtrack, LOSS illustrates the fragmentation of modern life and shows that no matter how lost we feel, we are all still human. Lithuania's entry for Best Foreign Language Film for the 2009 Academy Awards.-Christy Zwicke

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Director Benoît Pilon could be positing that family, community and a feeling of belonging are the necessities of life. In this story that takes place in 1950s Canada, the Inuit hunter Tivii (played by Inuit actor, filmmaker and sculptor Natar Ungalaaq, who has also been seen in THE JOURNALS OF KNUD RASMUSSEN and ATANARJUAT: THE FAST RUNNER) is sent to a sanatorium near Quebec City after contracting tuberculosis. A long voyage and an even longer stay in the hospital where everyone (except him) speaks French leaves Tivii despondent, and wanting to die, he refuses to eat. The remedy is companionship. Sympathetic sanatorium nurse Carole (Éveline Gélinas) arranges for the transfer of also-ill young Inuit orphan Kaki (Paul-André Brasseur). Kaki speaks both French and Innu, helping Tivii navigate his life. Tivii begins carving sleds, bears and other images of Inuit life for Kaki, and the two of them form a heartwarming familial bond. --Felicia Marie Tomasko

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Odd Horten is a quiet man. A train engineer about to retire, he is facing this life-changing moment with some trepidation. After getting locked out of the apartment building where his friends have gathered to celebrate his career, he begins a wild, often surreal journey into a world unknown to him, free of the routine and strict schedule Odd cherished so deeply. Around every corner is a new surprise, alternately ridiculously humorous and affectingly poignant. Where his life goes from here is anyone's guess, but the small changes he makes to his life would be comforting and affirming to anyone who has gone through a major transition. O'HORTEN is a quiet, hilarious, and emotionally resonant film that takes you places you would never expect.-Ryan Hedge

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OCEAN is a moving and subtle film with a window to people who live in a society where big dreams are rarely realized. Joel, the oldest brother in a traditional fishing family in a small village, falls deeply in love with Maricel, a beautiful village girl with more sophisticated aspirations. Returning from a fishing trip, Joel discovers that Maricel has married someone else. Distraught and heartbroken, he decides to try his luck in Havana and build a new life. But the dark side of the city engulfs unknowing Joel and he wises up too late to the urban street games. Beautiful, lush visuals of Cuban life, music with a Latin beat, and raw and passionate characters drive this feature debut from Russian director Kosyrev-Nesterov. -Candace Schermerhorn

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Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (HALF NELSON) again explore new territory in their latest film. SUGAR tells the story of baseball player Miguel "Sugar" Santos (Algenis Perez Soto) who is recruited from his home in the Dominican Republic to play on a U.S. minor league team. The story starts as Sugar masters the very difficult “knuckle curve” pitch, bringing him sufficient attention to send him to a U.S. training camp and eventually to play in Iowa. We nervously watch him learn about the American Heartland, Denny's, the vagaries of English, and other aspects of the immigrant experience. We also ache to see how his ambitions and destiny shift in unexpected ways. This is an introspective film with Soto as its heart, a man who navigates life's knuckle curves with dignity.-Jacqueline Spafford

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Is selective perception the path to enduring family strife? Turkish auteur Nuri Bilge Ceylan won Best Director at Cannes for THREE MONKEYS, an elegant domestic noir. It tells the story of Eyüp, a driver for a politician in Istanbul, his son Ismail, and his wife Hacer. To preserve the political ambitions of his boss (Servet), Eyüp agrees to take the fall for an accident in return for compensation that will support his family. Impatient, Ismail demands immediate payment, while Hacer develops a romantic obsession in Eyüp's absence. When Eyüp is released from prison, the traumatized family must deal with alienation, guilt, suspicion, violence and loss. To varying degrees, all refuse to see, hear or talk, playing the monkeys that the title suggests. Meticulously weaving strands of moment and character, THREE MONKEYS is unconventionally structured and paced, serving the director's distinctive vision.-Mahil Senathirajah

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FILM:

Young Asa has just completed his military service and wishes to return home and start the nomadic life of a shepherd. Living with his sister and brother-in-law, he must get married before he begins his new life. His only hope is the daughter of another shepherd family, the beautiful Tulpan, and she doesn't like him because she thinks his ears are too large. Not letting her perception of his ears get in the way of his dream, Asa continues to pursue her and the shepherd's life. TULPAN tells the charming story of people who not only survive a harsh life, they actually delight in it. Director Sergei Dvortsevoy paints a beautiful landscape of the barren steppe and endless sky in this remarkable film that is simultaneously comedic and breathtaking. -Jeremy Jackson

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