2001-2010

Nominated for eight Crystal Lions (the Czech Republic’s equivalent of the Oscars), and a substantial domestic hit, war film “Tobruk” reps a solid work of craftsmanship in every department. Story of a bunch of grunts who get shipped out during WWII to the North African frontline in Tobruk, Libya, doesn’t score many points for originality, but the pic tells its tale well, without sentimentality, and features vigorous, intense action sequences. In a healthier economic climate, writer-helmer Vaclav Marhoul’s sophomore feature might have flown the Czech flag in cinemas offshore, but these days its best shot is in ancillary pickups.Read More »

Synopsis:
An Israeli ex-soldier who participated in a revenge operation where two Palestinian policemen were murdered seeks forgiveness for what he has done. His girlfriend does not think it is that simple, she raises issues he is yet not ready to address. The soldier willingly testifies for camera as long as his identity is not exposed. While the filmmaker keeps looking for the proper solution for concealing the soldier’s identity he questions his own political and artistic conduct.Read More »

Doctor Rainville, an old country doctor who has a deep attachment to his patients, is about to retire and is looking for a successor. Jeanne Dion, an emergency doctor from Montréal, agrees to come to Normétal to replace him for a few weeks, without considering staying any longer than necessary in the remote Quebéc village. Normétal is a town in decline whose only large employer, a mine, closed three decades ago. Life is hard there, and a doctor’s relationship with his patients is much closer than Jeanne is used to after her experience in a large hospital’s emergency ward. When the old doctor dies, Jeanne must decide whether to stay and accept a responsibility that comes with much more commitment than she had planned on.Read More »

Quote:
From a very young age, children begin to work in the Mexican countryside. The Inheritors is a journey through their lives and their daily struggle for survival. These children’s realities echo those of their ancestors. One generation after another remains caught up in a perpetual cycle of inherited poverty.Read More »

“Amour de Femme” is one of those rare movies that are moody, subtle, and yet powerful all at the same time. A French film with English subtitles, “Amour de Femme” tells the story of Jeanne, a 35-year-old masseuse living in Paris, who has spent her entire life making other people feel better. Attending a party with David, her husband of seven years, Jeanne instantly connects with Marie, a dancer performing at the party. They spend the evening conversing about their love of dance, something Jeanne used to do, but has given up as her life took a different turn. Vowing to begin dancing again, Jeanne decides to take one of Marie’s classes, and rediscovers not only the passion that’s been missing from her life, but that she has feelings for this mesmerizing woman.Read More »

The story of Buick Riviera is told through fates of two men, both Bosnian (ex Yugoslavian) emigrants, belonging to the two different religious groups that fought for the city of Sarajevo during the War. One fateful night, these two emigrants meet on a deserted road in the middle of America, with some unexplainable force bringing them together and the next 24 hours they spend together, mentally sabotaging each other and trying to figure out who is guilty of what, they change their lives forever without proving anything, just like the war itself.Read More »

Songs of Love and Hate is a sinister drama about the power that children have over their parents – and the power of parents over their children. A universal story about temptation, lying, persuasion and truth.Read More »

Quote:
This poetic feature film is based on a Doris Lessing story, “Diary of the Good Neighbor”. With great clarity, the filmmaker presents a difficult, but not unusual situation: the sad and lonely life of a frail old woman with very limited means, living in a shabby apartment. Yet when a successful and attractive forty–something businesswoman encounters the old woman, at first appalled by her situation, and then enters her world, the result is a poignant relationship between two very different people. An important film that deals with the very timely issues of caregiving, responsibility, and aloneness.Read More »

Synopsis (allmovie.com)
An emotionally devastated war veteran sets out to spread happiness across Bosnia after his friends spark a melee that leaves all but him dead in first-time Sarajevan director Antonio Nuic’s deliberately-paced comedy drama. Every day Goran (Rakan Rushaidat) pass the time by drinking their worries away in the local watering hole. When a bitter dispute arises and Goran proves the sole survivor of the deadly fight that follows, he sells his parent’s home, purchases a refreshment truck, and sets out to provide free soft drinks and grappa to anyone who asks. Goran’s pledge never to spend two nights in the same town is soon challenged, however, when the grieving veteran falls for a pretty woman (Natasa Janjic) who has also been scarred by a tragic loss.Read More »