FOREIGN FILM FEATURE – July 2009
Since our last Foreign Film Feature, eighteen new and notable films have made their way to our rental shelves – and here are details on all eighteen (be sure to check out our staff reviews of Last Year at Marienbad, Waltz With Bashir and Cherry Blossoms if you haven’t already!)…
France:
Diary of a Suicide (Le journal d’un suicidé) (1973) - A tour guide becomes infatuated with an Interpreter, and at her request tries to entertain her by telling stories, until his tales begin to take on a life of their own. (France) – [imdb]
Dragon Hunters (Chasseurs de dragons) (2008) - A little girl enlists the help of a couple of would-be dragon hunters in order to save the world and bring peace to the land. (France) – [imdb]
Ernesto Che Guevara: The Bolivian Diary (1994) - Guevara’s diary, a detailed, personal account of his futile 11-month attempt to foment revolution in Bolivia, is the basis of this moving portrait. (France/Switzerland) – [imdb]
Last Year at Marienbad (L’année derniere á Marienbad) (1961) - Director Alain Resnais’ haunting investigation into the nature of memory. (France) – [imdb] – click here to read our review!
Nénette et Boni (1996) - Two estranged teenage siblings reconnect and bond through their attempts to manage their difficult circumstances and disjointed upbringings. (France) – [imdb]
A Song of Innocence (La ravisseuse) (2005) - In 1877, a wealthy family employs a young peasant as a live-in wet nurse. When an affectionate relationship develops between the two women, the master of the house becomes increasingly angry and alienated. (France) – [imdb]
Subversion (1979) - This symbolic political drama focuses on a blind, paralyzed president who nevertheless is able to rule his country with an iron fist thanks to his remarkable hearing–and his slavishly devoted daughter. (France) – [imdb]
Tokyo! (2008) - A cinematic triptych of three Tokyo-set stories, with directors Michel Gondry (Be Kind Rewind), Leos Carax (The Lovers on the Bridge), and Bong Joon-ho (The Host) each contributing a segment. (France/Japan/Germany/South Korea) – [imdb]
Germany:
Cherry Blossoms (Kirschblüten – Hanami) (2008) - A German man nearing retirement tries to fulfill his recently deceased wife’s dream of seeing Mount Fuji in Japan. (Germany) – [imdb] – click here to read our review!
Earthquake in Chile (Erdbeben in Chili) (1975) - When a young tutor falls for a beautiful rich girl, the pair soon begin an imperiled romance. With the Catholic Church barring their path toward happiness, an earthquake intervenes to set their lives tumbling in all directions. (West Germany / Spain) – [imdb]
Northern Europe:
The Butterfly Tattoo (2008) - Based on a novel by Philip Pullman (THE GOLDEN COMPASS), this dark romantic thriller follows two English teens who fall in love only to find themselves torn apart by the criminal dealings of the adults in their lives. (Netherlands) – [imdb]
Eastern Europe:
Stara Basn: The Old Fairy Tale – When the Sun Was God (2003) - Director Jerzy Hoffman brings one of Poland’s most famous legends to the screen with this tale of a cruel prince determined to hold onto power, and a brave young warrior who longs to marry a beautiful princess. (Poland) – [imdb]
UK/Ireland:
High Hopes (1989) - Director Mike Leigh dissects the barriers of class in this daring and compelling black comedy set during Thatcher’s England. (UK) – [imdb]
Mexico/South America:
Nicotina (2003) - Diego Luna stars as a computer hacker who teams up with two amateur criminals to pull off a simple caper, until he becomes distracted by a beautiful woman and everything goes awry. (Mexico/Argentina/Spain) – [imdb]
Middle East:
Waltz With Bashir (Vals Im Bashir) (2008) - An Israeli film director interviews fellow veterans of the 1982 invasion of Lebanon to reconstruct his own memories of his term of service in that conflict. (Israel) – [imdb] – click here to read our review!
India:
Goddess (Devi) (1999) - A rich and handsome man falls in love with a charming, beautiful woman… but he doesn’t realize that she is the snake goddess Devi in disguise. (India) – [imdb]
Asia:
Kaidan (2007) - After a young man inadvertently causes the death of his wife, her jealous ghost comes back to haunt him. From director Hideo Nakata (Ringu, Dark Water). (Japan) – [imdb]
The Sky Crawlers (Sukai kurora) (2008) - From Mamoru Oshii, the acclaimed director of Ghost in the Shell, comes an award-winning story of an exciting but endless war with heroes too young to understand the meaning of their battles. (Japan) - [imdb]
(Thanks to Imdb, RottenTomatoes, AllMovie and MetaCritic for help with these synopses)
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