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This wide-ranging overview of contemporary international cinema provides a sampling of essential new films from around the world. We trust the movies to be found in this section will provide a richer and more comprehensive sense of how cinema—and indeed the world—is progressing as we move through these early years of the 21st century.
France, 2005, 95 min.
Hoping for a quick payout, an amiable roofer intercepts a letter addressed to his delinquent employer. What he has taken instead is an invitation to hell, and one with paying spectators. Not for the meek, writer/director Gela Babluani's ingenious feature debut is a thriller that contains a truly swe …
Spain, 2005, 112 min.
Reminiscent of the Almodovar style and grounded by an amazing performance by Mónica Cervera, this bittersweet musical comedy is about a narcoleptic transvestite prostitute who longs to rid herself of the 20 centimeters hanging between her legs. She finds a refuge in her dreams where she is transform …
Canada, 2005, 124 min.
Parallel stories set in China, South Africa and Canada look at HIV testing and transmission from a variety of social and moral points of view. Chloe Sevigny, Lucy Liu, Stockard Channing and Sandra Oh star in this moving call-to-arms from director Thom Fitzgerald (The Hanging Garden). …
Argentina, 2005, 90 min.
In a Buenos Aires apartment devoid of furniture, four very different women are drawn together to share secrets, find support and overcome their “fear of life.” Director Santiago Loza’s intimate, bittersweet approach creates magic from some deceptively simple elements. …
Spain, 2005, 86 min.
With a 48-hour pass from juvenile detention to attend his brother’s wedding, Tano indulges in drinking, drugging, stealing and making love. The brief leave becomes a compulsory journey toward maturity when he realizes everything he thought he knew about his old neighborhood, his family and friends h …
Iraq, 2006, 110 min.
Three patients are confined to a Baghdad asylum during the ongoing war, each with a searing tale to tell. Filmed under truly hellish conditions—including repeated kidnappings of cast and crew by both insurgent and American forces—writer-director-cameraman Mohamed Al-Daradji’s debut is a mature, visually stunning triumph. …
Spain, 2006, 90 min.
Still haunted by the tragic ending to a childhood romance, a middle-aged man gets swept into a passionate encounter with his housekeeper only to discover that she has some demons of her own. Director Gerardo Herrero keeps the tension high and puts the gorgeous coastal Spanish setting to breathtaking …
Serbia, 2005, 136 min.
It begins at the end: disillusioned liberal professor Miki climbs out of his own grave. The Americans have just begun their 1999 bombing campaign over Serbia and he’s come home to recriminate his father, in this scathing indictment of Balkan generation gaps and the deep wounds they inflict. …
France, 2005, 115 min.
Emmanuelle Seigner (And They Lived Happily Ever After) stars as a pop diva who brings a star-struck young female fan into her life. They fashion a strange, mutually parasitic relationship that treads a middle ground between celebrity obsession and a hormone-fueled attraction, in this fascinat …
Canada, 2005, 103 min.
Director Sturla Gunnarsson () brings enormous visual panache and psychological depth to the epic tale of a fearless Viking warrior enlisted to rid the Danes of a rampaging and murderous troll. With Stellan Skarsgärd and Sarah Polley. …
France, 2005, 80 min.
The setting is war-torn Algeria during the early 1970s. When he discovers evidence that would seem to indicate a close confidant’s treachery, a sympathetic French lieutenant in the occupying forces is compelled to make decisions likely to cause ethnic tensions to erupt into violence, in this elegant …
Singapore, 2005, 90 min.
Love in the 21st century is not easy. Three Singaporeans from different generations deal with love, loneliness and hope. Confirming the remarkable talent of Eric Khoo, Be With Me combines fiction with documentary to create a moving poem about urban solitude and melancholy with practically no …
France, 2005, 100 min.
Powerful media CEO Raphael got his start as a youthful idealist at a pirate radio station. He responds to his brother damning autobiography by inviting old friends from the radio station and his brother for a weekend getaway on his birthday. His gift to them? Revelations, cruelty and unexpected gene …
South Korea, 2005, 118 min.
Sun-woo is an ice-cold perfectionist who spends his days as a hotel manager. On the side, he’s a Mr. Fix-It for his mobster boss. When he misinterprets an ambiguous command involving the boss’ attractive girlfriend, he wreaks bloody havoc on all concerned, in this stylish revenge drama. …
Argentina, 2004, 100 min.
The suicide of a fellow soldier, who served with him the 1982 Falklands War, sends 40-year-old Esteban back to his days as a young combatant, where courage and friendship were tested in turn. Inevitably, he’s compelled to return to the Islands to face his past and close old wounds. …
South Korea, 2005, 119 min.
In this imaginative, period detective thriller, a series of gruesome murders takes place on medieval Dongwha Island, apparently fulfilling a shamanist prophecy. Lavish costumes and vivid production design grace this riveting story of what later centuries will call forensics. …
Philippines, 2005, 100 min.
A gay pre-teen in a Manila slum falls in love with the handsome cop next door, causing his family of petty criminals no small amount of grief. This dynamic debut transcends its indie budget with humor, gritty drama and charm. …
Mexico, 2006, 140 min.
A chance encounter in a disco spins an established gay couple into an erratic, dangerously decaying orbit. Exhibiting breathtaking command of the medium, director Julian Hernandez presents a near-wordless love triangle between three attractive young men. …
United Kingdom, 2005, 90 min.
Entertaining fake documentary about conjoined twins Tom and Barry Howe, plucked from obscurity and groomed to become punk rock idols. Grasping at the truth from an array of unreliable accounts, the duo negotiates love, artistic rivalry and the suppression of their unique voice(s). …
France, 2005, 90 min.
A regular Joe launches into an explosive rage against the impassive corporate machine—his passive-aggressive boss in particular—after his best friend is let go without warning. Utilizing a nifty array of flashbacks, debuting director Fabienne Godet delivers a taut, occasionally grisly slice of white …
USA, 2005, 47 min.
A young man is charged with sorting out the estate of his much-whispered-about uncle. What he discovers includes mysterious cults, long-buried civilizations, and a malevolent galactic beastie or two. The unimaginable, tentacle-intensive horrors of H.P. Lovecraft receive an impressively faithful, …
South Africa, 2005, 126 min.
A carefree worker in a cigarette factory sets her sights on a straight-laced policeman, with fateful consequences. Set in the South African township of Khayalitsha and sung entirely in the regional language of Xhosa, this vibrant update of Bizet’s enduring opera breaks free of the work’s stage origi …
Mongolia, 2005, 90 min.
This simple story of a young girl’s struggle to adopt a stray dog against her father’s wishes provides a riveting entrée into the everyday lives of Mongolian nomads. With her follow-up to The Story of the Weeping Camel, filmmaker Byambasuren Davaa has created another visually and dramatically …
Israel, 2006, 90 min.
Two young Israeli women with completely different temperaments are assigned to patrol the streets of Jerusalem as part of their military service. Even under the strain of politics and borders they live their lives with all the crushes, breakups and family issues that go with them. …
France, 2006, 110 min.
In a return to form for the great Claude Chabrol (La Cérémonie), Isabelle Huppert stars as a magistrate whose investigation into a fraud case uncovers some powerful secrets. When she chooses to wield that knowledge for personal gain, however, she learns that there are limits to her power. …
USA, 2005, 83 min.
Man (Aaron Eckhart) meets Woman (Helena Bonham Carter) at a wedding, with verbally dexterous, table-turning results. Set over the span of a single night, director/editor Hans Canosa fashions a genuine conversation piece by splitting the screen and providing a novel spin on the whole concept of “he s …
Canada, 2005, 129 min.
A huge hit in its native Canada, this poignantly observed gay coming-of-age story follows young Zac and his family through the first two decades of his life in suburban Quebec. Beautifully acted and filled with moments of remarkably inventive humor and visual lyricism, C.R.A.Z.Y. is a crowd-p …
Italy, 2005, 146 min.
Set on the gritty streets of 1970s Italy, three juvenile delinquents plot and claw their way to full mob-hood. As the leading investigator obsesses over bringing them to justice, he finds himself compromised by his love for the girlfriend of one of the criminals. …
Romania, 2005, 154 min.
A retired engineer spends what could be his last night on Earth being shuttled through a nightmarish series of hospitals in an attempt to actually get treatment. Presented almost in real time, this grimly humorous, marvelously insightful film has been a critical favorite ever since its ecstatically …
Burkina Faso, 2005, 90 min.
A rash of deaths in a West African village leads to a beautiful young dancer being exiled to a mysterious community of witches. Based on true events and skillfully utilizing a supporting cast of non-actors, this is an intriguing look at the persistent power of superstition. …
Russia, 2005, 90 min.
It’s 1957 and the USSR has just launched its first satellite into space. In this time of paranoia, Konyok, a gullible cook living in a restricted zone, meets an enigmatic stranger who was formerly a political prisoner now secretly obsessed with defecting. …
Guinea, 2006, 75 min.
A raw and critical story rooted in the economic exploitation of Africa, Early in the Morning follows Yaguiné and Fodé, schoolboys who try in vain to find work to help their poor families. Lured by the symbols of Western affluence and power that surround them, the two stow away on a flight to …
Spain, 2005, 108 min.
Two stalwarts of Spanish language cinema, China Zorrilla and Manuel Alexandre, play aging widowers Elsa and Fred. A visit to the Trevi Fountain in Rome, the landmark from Fellini's La Dolce Vita, rekindles their passion for love in this touching romantic comedy. …
Canada, 2005, 92 min.
Eve is a little girl with an overactive imagination, caught between her family’s Buddhist traditions and a newfound interest in Catholicism. With the help of her elder sister, Eve creates a faith for herself that uniquely blends the two belief systems, in an enlightening look at cultural and religio …
Sweden, 2006, 97 min.
In this wry comedy, two brothers try to deal with rocky relationships as they navigate their increasingly complex extended family of divorced parents and their new live-in partners, not to mention girlfriends past, present and future. …
Canada, 2005, 102 min.
Are we bound to walk in our parents’ footsteps or free to forge our own identities? This confident, energetic feature film debut gets down to basics on the question, as 14-year-old Marguerite attempts to deal with her mother, a free-spirited aerobics instructor with an inconvenient addiction to gamb …
Iran, 2006, 96 min.
Returning to his hometown for the first time in 25 years, Aziz finds that his former family home is now a thriving restaurant run by four spirited, independent women, one of whom is a former lover. Emotions run high in this colorful jewel of a film as the conflicting parties seek a resolution. …
Sri Lanka, 2005, 108 min.
A Sri Lankan community deals with the daily rigors of the decades-long civil war surrounding them. Displaying a painter’s knack for landscapes, first-time director Vimukthi Jayasundara crafts a visually dazzling, nearly dialogue-free exploration of the precious grace moments within perpetual conflic …
France, 2006, 100 min.
An eccentric spinster’s will leads to an unusual alliance between her last surviving relation (the stunning Isabelle Carre) and a two-bit con man on the prowl, in this nimble, multi-layered romantic farce set against the buttery backdrop of Cannes. …
Russia, 2005, 110 min.
It’s 1914 and World War I is looming, but brothers Andrey and Nikolai have more interest in playing soccer on the streets of St. Petersburg than following current events. When war finally breaks out, their lives take a turn toward turmoil in this film about the end of youth and of an era. …
Iran, 2006, 81 min.
Mohmoud learns that his mentally unstable wife has gone missing, so he leaves his factory job and goes to Tehran to find her. When he arrives home the entire neighborhood has different accounts of her whereabouts. A runaway wife is a terrible humiliation, but gradually he understands the underlying …
Macedonia, 2004, 90 min.
An epic coming-of-age saga of friendship and betrayal that follows the destiny of Lem and Isak, two 12-year-olds who meet in an orphanage in 1945. A veritable history of post-war Macedonia, based on Zivko Cingo's acclaimed novel, THE GREAT WATER is at once vivid and dreamlike, astonishingly real but touched with elements of the supernatural. Producer Suki Medencevik scheduled to attend June 5 …
United Kingdom, 2005, 104 min.
A devoted dog refuses to leave his master’s side, even after the latter shuffles off his mortal coil. Adapting a 19th century Scottish folktale, this heartfelt, family-friendly weepie tells an inspired and lovingly detailed true story of loyalty. …
USA, 2006, 99 min.
A week before his wedding, Paulie (Edward Burns) reunites with his groomsmen to reminisce and rejuvenate. With an anxious fiancé (Brittany Murphy) and a baby on the way, cold feet prevail and Paulie looks to his childhood friends for strength as he embarks on his journey into a brave new world. …
United Kingdom, 2005, 98 min.
This multi-sided story about racism, immigration and a forbidden lesbian relationship is contained within the straight-laced framework of a working class British community. The first British Dogme film, writer/director Jan Dunn’s gritty debut is balances a provocative attitude with deeply-felt compa …
Germany, 2006, 97 min.
Actress Meret Becker is outstanding as a blaspheming, fire-spitting vixen—the embodiment of an urban Tasmanian devil—in a wry but entertaining story that follows various characters as they stumble around Berlin, faltering but finding their way towards each other in the never-ending quest for love. …
France, 2005, 105 min.
French filmmaker Laurent Cantet (Time Out) returns with another devastating look at the psychological fears and desires reflected in a commercial trade, in this case prostitution in 1970s Haiti, where three middle-aged women compete for the possession of a local gigolo. …
France, 2005, 98 min.
Three sisters, traumatized by a violent incident from their childhood, reunite for the chance to come to terms with their past, in a script originally intended for Krzysztof Kieslowski and now masterfully realized by Oscar-winning director Danis Tanovic (NO MAN’S LAND). …
Japan, 2005, 132 min.
A lowly samurai (Masatoshi Nagase, MYSTERY TRAIN) rescues a woman from her abusive husband. An unspoken love blooms between them as the samurai's loyalty to his feudal overlord is called into question in this, the second film in a trilogy whose first installment was the Oscar-nominated THE TWILIGHT …
Italy, 2005, 115 min.
Max is an up-and-comer in the competitive world of nuclear physics who works at a research institute inside San Grasso Mountain. When colleagues catch him using an unethical procedure he spirals into crisis, eventually finding himself on his own in the mountains, in the most basic of situations. …
Poland, 2005, 100 min.
An eleven-year-old boy lives in an abandoned riverboat and dreams of being a poet. He makes friends with a girl his same age from a wealthy family who is secretly drunk most of the time. Impeccably acted and photographed, I AM’s complex emotional empathy never falters. …
Spain, 2005, 99 min.
Celebrated director Carlos Saura (BLOOD WEDDING) engages Spain's most celebrated actors, dancers and singers in this extraordinary tribute to Isaac Albéniz's “Iberia” suite on its hundredth anniversary. The film tracks each piece from its initial conception to the final performance, with documentary …
Belgium, 2005, 84 min.
After surviving a night in an industrial freezer, a harried housewife becomes upset with her family who failed to realize she never made it home, to say nothing of a newfound attraction to all things sub-zero. Chock full of French physical comedy delivered with deadpan Kaurismäkian cool. …
Chile, 2005, 85 min.
A sexy two-hander in which Daniela and Bruno meet at a party, end up in bed, then slowly reveal themselves to one another over the course of one night. Against the background of an intense relationship drama, IN BED uses the casual encounter as a contemplation of life, love and sex. …
Hong Kong, 2005, 108 min.
A laid-back tofu deliveryman gets thrust into the illicit world of street racing, quickly becoming king of the heap. Adapted from a popular Japanese manga, this is a tricked-out, frequently flabbergasting roadrunner from the directors of INFERNAL AFFAIRS. …
Hong Kong, 2005, 91 min.
As if a corruption charge and the prospect of the incoming Chinese government isn’t enough to depress Macau police officer Shing, his bachelor habits are turned upside down by the unexpected arrival of the daughter he never knew he had, in this beautiful elegy to times past and chances lost. …
France, 2005, 87 min.
A small-time thief, recently released from prison, goes on the lam after a witnessing a murderous case of mistaken identity. A crackerjack thriller in its own right, director Christophe Otzenberger’s taut drama also serves as a damning indictment of the French judicial system. …
Indonesia, 2005, 84 min.
A cocky film canister delivery boy makes a bet with a beautiful woman that he can assemble the perfect viewing experience for her one reel at a time, even as his clock-racing quest to make it back to the theater hits a series of hilarious snags. …
Canada, 2005, 110 min.
After attempting suicide, Ken (Matt Smiley) is sent to visit his uncle in rural Japan in this deceptively simple story. A master potter, Ken’s uncle quietly advises his young nephew in the ways of clay, life and love, instructing him in the painstaking, exhilarating art of Kamataki. …
USA, 2005, 95 min.
A young sailor named Elvis (Gael García Bernal) returns to his Texas home and quickly envelops a local minister (William Hurt) in a terrifying metaphysical debate on man’s ability to forgive evil. Noted documentarian James Marsh’s first narrative feature is a tricky, philosophical horror story. …
France, 2005, 75 min.
The young hero of the marvelous KIRIKOU AND THE SORCERESS (SIFF 1999) is back and displaying his life-saving wits against both supernatural and environmental foes. Four stories derived from traditional African folk tales have been strikingly animated, with just enough scares to keep small eyes glued …
Norway, 2005, 83 min.
When the body of an immigrant Iraqi is found in a roadside drift, a genial snowplow driver is suspected of manslaughter. A doctor avoiding her own painful past throws herself into the case and becomes involved with the dead boy’s parents and the suspect, in this touching examination of grief and gui …
Ireland, 2006, 100 min.
After being reluctantly sold to the Duke of Rudling (Peter O’Toole), a beloved collie is determined to find her original family and treks across Scotland in hopes of reunion, in this heartfelt revamp of a true children’s classic. …
Sebastien Rose's precision-tooled, Montreal-set tragicomedy follows two feuding brothers forced to live under the same roof once their ailing, bon-vivant father returns to the family home. Funny and poignant, suffused with humanist wisdom, LIFE WITH MY FATHER creates a subtle plea for the acceptance …
Japan, 2005, 114 min.
Days before a crucial festival appearance, aspiring teenage rock stars Kei, Kyoko and Nozomi find themselves without a band when their guitarist injures her finger and their singer quits. Now, their only chance for superstardom lies in a new vocalist who has never been in a band and barely speaks Ja …
United Kingdom, 2006, 180 min.
Adapted from the Booker Prize-winning novel by Alan Hollinghurst, this richly textured gay coming-of-age story penetrates deep under the skin of ’80s Britain. Amidst the euphoria of first love, sex, champagne and high society parties, a young graduate witnesses political scandal, deception and hypoc …
China, 2005, 92 min.
In the early years of Communist-run China, an irrepressible kindergartener starts a revolution of his own against his tyrannical teacher. A delight from the get-go, Zhang Yuan’s film is a hilarious, all-ages ode to individualism. …
Greece, 2005, 95 min.
On the very night of handsome Dimitris’ engagement party, a beautiful Russian named Liubi enters his middle class home as the hired companion for his ailing mother. Sparks fly and a passionate cross-cultural affair ensues; though Dimitris is a prisoner of his family circumstances, which may ultimate …
Romania, 2005, 39 min.
A strange dream, forgotten in the morning, is making Liviu look with resignation at the world he lives in. It shows how many deep, powerful intertwining themes (love, sex, the new rich, racketeering, corrupted authorities and immigration) all combine for one moving, coherent story of a "lost" charac …
Romania, 2006, 85 min.
Alex and Kiki meet at the university and become fast girlfriends. Enter Sandu, tormented with jealousy. Is he Kiki’s brother or her jealous lover? LOVE SICK is remarkable for its matter-of-fact attitude towards love without rules. …
Brazil, 2005, 100 min.
Two best friends from the mean streets of the “lower city” of Salvador are minor league thugs who get by on small-time schemes who find their lives turned upside down when they befriend a smolderingly sexy prostitute. …
Germany, 2005, 94 min.
A teenage boy veers down a dangerous path when he claims responsibility for accidents he did not cause. With a great ear for dialogue, director Christoph Hochhäusler has crafted a disturbing yet compelling film that incited great controversy at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival. …
France, 2005, 112 min.
Richard Dembo's final film (he died while editing) focuses on an orphanage outside Paris established to help Holocaust survivors whose parents are likely dead. As World War II comes to a close, Nina (played by filmmaker Agnès Jaoui) runs her “house of hope” on meager resources and a big heart. …
Spain, 2005, 115 min.
Ana helps refugees, Mikel is obsessed with finding his former cellmate (and lover) and Carlos is an exiled Cuban who sells illegal cigars. When bad times come, good times follow in this engrossing, beautifully woven tapestry of three lives struggling to overcome past trauma and establish meaningful …
Poland, 2005, 110 min.
Fired from the circus for drunkenly letting all the animals out of their cages, a Russian knife-thrower known as “The Master” travels the Polish countryside putting on a one-man show. As he moves on to ever-stranger places, the movie lyrically shifts back and forth between fantasy and reality. …
Donald Trump could learn from the Grönholm method, created to separate the weak from the strong in the corporate world. In THE METHOD, several highly competitive candidates are up for a single high-level position at a multinational corporation. How far are they willing to go? Omarosa would be eaten …
Germany, 2006, 84 min.
An Irish lass travels to Poland looking for a former one-night-stand, armed only with his first name, the area he’s from and the fact that he works in a coal mine. Her wild goose chase becomes a journey of self-discovery. …
Finland, 2005, 111 min.
During World War II, ten-year-old Eero is sent by his mother to Sweden for his protection (recalling the 80,000 children sent out of the country during the war). MOTHER OF MINE depicts the emotional confusion of childhood and the difficult choices of women who try to do what is best. …
Poland, 2004, 100 min.
Based on a true story, Nikifor (played brilliantly by octogenarian Polish stage actress Krystyna Feldman) was an outsider artist who was homeless for most of his life. Accepted into fellow artist Marian’s studio, he stays for nearly seven years as his fascinating past is explored, much to the detrim …
Iran, 2005, 85 min.
An aging Turkish tailor, just released from an Iranian jail, sets off with a 12-year-old companion in search of his Anatolian home only to find the village has vanished without a trace. The quest gives an evocative glimpse of an age-old world filled with traditions, faith and history. …
New Zealand, 2006, 96 min.
Widowed Nana Maria (Ruby Dee) shares her ramshackle house with two grandkids and she wants to throw a traditional Fijian pig roast so she can name her successor—and inheritor of the house, No. 2—in this warmly observed portrait of a discordant family trying to pull itself together. …
Argentina, 2005, 104 min.
A French woman’s desperate quest to adopt brings her into contact with both the Argentinean black market baby trade and a penniless single mother trying to stave off a hellish decision. Renowned short filmmaker Juan Solanas registers a striking feature debut with this taut, realistic drama. …
France, 2005, 93 min.
A 50-year-old bailiff, Jean-Claude long ago abandoned the idea that life could give him pleasure. On a whim he joins the tango club across from his office and meets Françoise. Music and dance awaken his desires and provide the couple with a spiritual meeting place, in this touching May-December roma …
Netherlands, 2005, 86 min.
On the six-month anniversary of 9/11, a disturbed 59-year-old bus driver took hostages in Amsterdam's Rembrandt Tower. The media made him out to be a madman. The filmmakers, however, have created a complex film about loneliness and despair. This haunting, intelligent thriller offers a parable about …
USA, 2006, 73 min.
Two old friends from Portland, Oregon spend a weekend in the woods searching for a remote hot spring and the easy rapport they once shared. A shrewd exploration of what can happen when two guys lose themselves in nature, Kelly Reichardt’s festival favorite features alt-country superstar Will Oldham …
Italy, 2005, 118 min.
A 13-year-old boy from a wealthy Italian family is lost at sea and rescued by a boat full of illegal aliens. His journey back to his old life forces him to confront hitherto unknown expectations, rejections, hopes and disillusionments in director Marc Tullio Giordana’s follow-up to his remarkable TH …
Mexico, 2006, 114 min.
A desperate Brazilian student accepts a ride from a handsome stranger (Diego Luna) to pick up a replacement passport in Mexico City. As the miles and mutual attractions pile up, she learns that their meeting may not have been entirely coincidental. The road movie goes mystical in this savvy romanti …
Lebanon, 2005, 88 min.
Claudia’s husband was one of 17,000 people who disappeared during the Lebanese war. 15 years later the courts are finally ready to declare him dead, but she’s not ready to say goodbye, even as her narcoleptic 26-year-old son starts pulling away from her overprotective embrace. …
By all accounts, Albert Pierrepoint was a proper English gentleman with a devoted mum, loving wife and a perfectly normal home life. He also, in the service of The Queen, executed over 500 people. Timothy Spall plays the contradictions perfectly in this absorbing, fact-based character study. …
Hungary, 2005, 75 min.
Based on three fairytales by the Hungarian fabulist Ervin Lázár, the earthy, lovable farmers of PORCELAIN DOLL live by their own laws, at least until they come up against the laws of the surrounding world. Resurrections, magical villages, music and bureaucratic bogs ensue. …
Tunisia, 2005, 96 min.
A tapestry of brilliant imagery and Sufi music unfolds as a blind old sage and his spirited granddaughter wind their way to a rumored gathering of dervishes. Are the travelers they meet along the way real or just manifestations of ancient legends and fables? …
Spain, 2005, 113 min.
Two street PUTAS working a tough downtown barrio have a mutual sympathy that gets them through their hard days. Fernando Léon de Aranoa’s follow-up to MONDAYS IN THE SUN avoids all the clichés about prostitution and features revelatory performances from its two actresses, not to mention great music …
Japan, 2005, 120 min.
This stylish visual phantasmagoria—with a flair for the ridiculous—follows a banished prince who falls in love with a mystical princess (Zhang Ziyi). A musical unlike anything you’ve seen before from cult auteur Seijun Suzuki (BRANDED TO KILL), who is stronger and stranger than ever at 82. …
Australia, 2005, 104 min.
In this brutal and uncompromising Australian western written by Nick Cave, Irish outlaws Charlie and Mikey Burns are captured by newly appointed lawman Captain Stanley, who then offers Charlie a simple proposition: find and kill his older brother Arthur within ten days or Mikey will be executed. …
USA, 2005, 85 min.
A squabbling young couple hit the interstate in a quest to purchase a puffy chair, and the comedic roadblocks quickly pile up. The debut film by the Duplass brothers is a no-budget, high-energy delight with fantastic ensemble acting and a smart, funny script. …
Spain, 2005, 107 min.
The ultimate gay wedding film. Five headstrong mothers cope with their own desires, prejudices and histories as they prepare for their sons’ participation in Spain’s first mass gay wedding ceremony. Action-packed and abounding with humor, QUEENS features Spain’s biggest female stars in a joyous cele …
USA, 2006, 90 min.
As she approaches her sweet 15th birthday, Magdelena is expelled from her religious home when they find out she’s pregnant. Taken in by her great-granduncle and her tough (but gay) CHOLO cousin Carlos, they form a makeshift family unit in the rapidly changing L.A. neighborhood of Echo Park. …
Germany, 2006, 93 min.
A strict Catholic girl starts to hear voices when she goes off to college. Is it mental illness or demonic possession? 2004 Emerging Master Hans-Christian Schmid (DISTANT LIGHTS) takes the same German source material used for THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE to craft a harrowing yet somber story. …
United Kingdom, 2006, 95 min.
The true story of four British Muslim men who go to Pakistan for a wedding and end up in Cuba as tortured prisoners of the U.S. government. This powerful docudrama masterfully combines edge-of-your-seat storytelling (the spectacular early scenes were filmed in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran) with t …
Russia, 2005, 107 min.
A Russian con man finds long-lost relatives for foreigners, and when he can’t find them (which is most of the time) he organizes replacements. Lungin (Taxi Blues) gives his film an over-the-top flair that proves he understands the sensibility of Odessa, city on the Black Sea famous for its hu …
In this thriller, a young boxer is looking for his shot at the big time despite trouble in his personal and professional life. On the verge of eviction and encouraged by his girlfriend, he falls in with a bank-robbing swindler. After one successful job, they go for a major heist. …
France, 2005, 125 min.
Half a decade after spending a year together in Barcelona, a group of friends reunites at a Russian wedding. Their student days are now behind them and they’re forced to deal with more weighty career and relationship issues, in Cedric Klapisch’s follow-up to L’AUBERGE ESPAGNOL. …
Switzerland, 2005, 93 min.
Forced by an oppressive father to act as the son he never had, 16-year-old Ryna is nonetheless blossoming into a headstrong, forceful young woman with interests outside those of her father. Caught between traditional values and modern, materialistic dreams, Ryna finds that the price of preserving he …
Hyun-jung (Moon So-ri, Oasis) transforms from a carefree young girl to an emotionally complicated woman after her fiancé capriciously dumps her, leaving her vulnerable to the advances of a deceptively pleasant young man. …
Italy, 2005, 120 min.
A successful businesswoman encounters an innocent young girl, who turns out to be a grifter of no small ability. Thus begins director Ferzan Ozpetek’s (SIFF Emerging Master 2004) absorbing, consistently tricky exploration of dual natures, which delights in finding twins at every turn. …
Hong Kong, 2005, 144 min.
From HK action king Tsui Hark (PEKING OPERA BLUES), this lush period piece sees a village beset by a cruel military official. Realizing they’ll need help if their community is to survive, two young men set off in search of Master Shadow-Glow atop the mystical Mount Heaven. …
Bangladesh, 2005, 110 min.
During the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, a group of helpless Banglan citizens flees the ruthless Pakistani army, searching desperately for Shaymol Chhaya—The Land of Peace. The group continues on towards the liberated zone despite mounting fears of failure and the turbulent tide of events and r …
Japan, 2005, 101 min.
In hopes of ending centuries of feuding, two warring Samurai clans choose their top warriors—including two star-crossed lovers—to duke it out in a final, no-holds-barred battle. ROMEO AND JULIET goes blissfully chop-socky gonzo, featuring ninjas as far as the eye can see. …
Japan, 2005, 82 min.
Aimed square at the tradition of films about triumph in the face of adversity, this entertaining mockumentary follows the life-long quest of the Japanese Professor Harada to get his invention—the unlikely sport of pairs ski-jumping, as pioneered by his twin sons—accepted as an official Olympic sport …
Austria, 2006, 100 min.
Rich slacker Sebastian’s favorite sport is slumming in Vienna’s seedy bars in search of quirky characters to toy with. One victim is a homeless street poet out on a drunken binge. When he drops the drunk over the Czech border, what began as a joke ends up changing the lives of everyone involved. …
Canada, 2006, 112 min.
Englishman Alex was already on a sad personal mission to Canada when he gets drawn into the life of Linda, a borderline autistic, after her daughter is killed in his car. Ultimately, this is a film about finding warm relationships in the coldest of places. …
Iran, 2005, 115 min.
An arrogant neurologist must examine the meaning of his life when his son is diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. His trek through the desert to catch up with his son’s astronomy field trip leads him to encounter a number of seemingly ordinary people who challenge his views and values. …
Belgium, 2005, 98 min.
A close-knit suburban village is affected by the hit-and-run death of a child. As witnesses come forward and the reliability of what they claim to know is pulled apart, misgivings and suspicion hang over everyone, in this fine debut feature. …
Czech Republic, 2005, 102 min.
In this tale of two friends brought together by crisis, the search for love and contentment seems possible only in dreams of faraway places. Set on the somber fringes of life in the Czech Republic, this wry, affecting prizewinner of a film confirms the promise of Slama's earlier THE WILD BEES. …
Argentina, 2005, 80 min.
Daniel, a journalist plagued by a family history of people taking their own life, is assigned to investigate a recent suicide. Working in tandem with uncommunicative photographer Marcela, the two push the boundaries of their relationship in a desperate search for the meaning behind the death. …
France, 2006, 91 min.
After a teenage boy dies in a freak soccer accident, his best friend works his way into the bereaved family, all the while penetrating deeper into the secrets of the community where pain, sorrow and envy lay just below the surface, in this subtle, meticulous and increasingly complex debut film. …
Romania, 2006, 39 min.
German and Romanian troops are retreating in the face of the unstoppable Red Army. In a deserted school, a Romanian military unit has set up its headquarters and the bottom-of-the-pile recruits wait and wait for orders, in this political parable set during the end of World War II. Plays with LIVIU’S …
Italy, 2005, 105 min.
The provinces of northern Italy are as boring as rural Texas, or so say the twentysomething slackers who live there. But scandal replaces boredom when one of them begins an affair with a married schoolteacher (Valeria Golino). …
Puerto Rico, 2005, 114 min.
Corruption has exploded in Puerto Rico over the last 15 years. In compelling parallel stories, THIEVES AND LIARS follows three families as the older generations helplessly watch the deterioration of truth and justice in their society’s youth. …
Taiwan, 2005, 120 min.
Three exquisite love stories from the hand of Taiwan’s great cinematic master. Each jewel-like vignette features a couple played by Shu Qi (MILLENNIUM MAMBO) and Chang Chen (CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON), who display acting skills equal to or better than any other actors working in Asia today. …
France, 2005, 85 min.
A cocky Parisian fashion photographer's carefree lifestyle is destroyed with the discovery of a swiftly progressing tumor. A chance encounter with a waitress, however, gives him a chance to leave a legacy. Setting aside his usual narrative gamesmanship, director François Ozon (Swimming Pool) …
Germany, 2006, 98 min.
When his mom is kicked out by her rich lover, a 15-year-old kid from a posh suburb has to carve out a life for himself in one of Berlin’s grungy immigrant districts. Cracking dialogue, along with director Buck’s trademark humor and swagger, set this in-your-face street drama a notch above the rest. …
Georgia, 2005, 107 min.
Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, 1990s. Two young men make a trip to buy drugs and end up in a war zone. Lost in the chaos, they are first kidnapped by Azerbaijanis, then by Armenians. A rare and personal glimpse of the people in the Caucus conflict. …
USA, 2005, 94 min.
After the accidental death of his twin brother, Jacob must navigate the prickly surroundings of his suburban neighborhood. Uneasy infatuations, revenge fantasies and the use of weight loss as a passive-aggressive weapon are just a few of the mines in this jagged, tragicomedic warzone of adolescence, …
Portugal, 2005, 101 min.
A highly eccentric, gender-bending melodrama about a supermarket worker who becomes obsessed with becoming impregnated by a deceased gay man, much to the displeasure of the corpse's grieving lover. Shot with a dreamy romanticism, it features "Moon River" like you've never heard it before. …
USA, 2006, 82 min.
The second feature from Seattle filmmaker Andrew McAllister (SHAG CARPET SUNSET) tells the bittersweet story of a quiet and detached teenager who, in the six years since his mother’s death, has been living with his father in a small motel amid the landscape of abandoned buildings, old signs and crac …
India, 2005, 114 min.
A beautiful dance instructor returns to her childhood village and renews ties with her first sweetheart. Unfortunately for the couple a once-thwarted, insanely jealous suitor still lurks there. Almost indecently gorgeous to behold, poet Sumathy Ram’s knowingly old-fashioned directorial debut is bols …
South Africa, 2005, 99 min.
Richard E. Grant (Withnail and I) steps behind the camera for the first time for this semi-autobiographical dramedy about English colonial life in Swaziland. Teenage Ralph’s resentment towards his family brews during two years of boarding school, only to come to a head on his return when he m …
Unfolding over the course of three years, THE WEST WITTERING AFFAIR jumps around in time to recount the various partnerings and escapades of its four main characters. Created from improvised workshops, it is a consistently clever, often side-splitting and occasionally devastating take on the harsh t …
Israel, 2005, 104 min.
Israel’s 2005 Oscar entry is about the difficulties foreign workers experience in contemporary Israel. Thai laborers, human traffickers, a Filipino couple, an overweight farmer, a depressed old man and an ex-cop who doesn’t know how to swim: the common theme connecting their stories is a need for hu …
An intellectually and sexually precocious 13-year-old lad, raised and home-schooled by hippie parents in rural Nova Scotia, goes to public school for the first time. Knowing nothing about “inappropriate behavior” and blissfully ignorant of society’s norms, he develops a disruptive crush on his male …
USA, 2006, 93 min.
Logan is a soft-spoken, lonely thirteen-year-old boy with a crush on Rodeo Walker, the coolest kid in school. Unconventional and fresh, this beautifully photographed and well-crafted story is an ethereal exploration of the moody world of teenage isolation, perfectly capturing the confusion and pain …
Argentina, 2005, 100 min.
Patagonian sheep farmer Frank Osorio (the great Federico Luppi) travels to Buenos Aires to tell his granddaughter Alina about her mother's death. A fish out of water in the big city, Frank has two secrets: the identity of Alina's father, and a past crime for which he wants to atone. …
France, 2006, 97 min.
A recently widowed farmer needs someone new to cook and clean for him, and he finds a lifeline in the form of a Romanian single mother. He is as surprised as anyone when pragmatism turns to courtship. Actress Isabelle Mergault makes a strong directorial debut with this charming, small-scaled comedy. …
Sweden, 2005, 103 min.
Left orphaned by the Lebanese civil war, young Zozo’s determined to join his grandparents in Sweden. Once he arrives, his adjustment is complicated by cultural barriers and haunting memories. Directed by the Lebanese-born, Swedish-based director Josef Fares (JALLA! JALLA!). …
