Buñuel. Wenders. Kiarostami. Loach. Von Trier. Makavejev. Costa-Gavras. – these are just a few of the directors whose films have been reissued on DVD over the last few weeks. Add to that some fresh talent from Belgium, Portugal, Israel, Italy and you’ve got a wide variety of interesting cinema from overseas to choose from…
France/Belgium:
Death In the Garden (La mort en ce jardin) (1956) - Amid a revolution in a South American mining outpost, a band of fugitives are forced to flee for their lives into the jungle, where they wander desperately lured by one deceptive promise of salvation after another. From director Luis Buñuel. (France/Mexico) – [imdb]
Fear(s) of the Dark (Peur(s) du noir) (2007) – A wildly inventive and visually dazzling collection of fearful tales by six of the world’s most renowned comic and graphic artists – Blutch, Charles Burns, Marie Caillou, Pierre Di Sciullo, Lorenzo Mattotti, and Richard McGuire. (France) – [imdb]
Left Bank (Linkeroever) (2008) - When a professional runner moves into her new boyfriend’s high-rise apartment, she discovers that his perfect home holds strange powers and even darker secrets. (Belgium) – [imdb]
The Moon In the Gutter (La lune dans le caniveau) (1983) - In an urban netherworld, a despondent man (Gerard Depardieu) roams the streets, hunting for the perpetrator who raped his sister. (France/Italy) – [imdb]
Z (1969) – (France) – A pulse-pounding political thriller from Greek expatriate director Costa-Gavras. Following the murder of a prominent leftist, an investigator tries to uncover the truth while government officials attempt to cover up their roles. (France) [imdb] – Criterion Collection!
Germany:
Wings of Desire (Der Himmel über Berlin) (1987) – Wim Wenders directed this enchanting fantasy about an angel who, while wandering unseen through West Berlin, falls in love with a beautiful circus performer and decides to become human. (Germany) – [imdb] – Criterion Collection!
A Woman In Berlin (Anonyma – Eine Frau in Berlin) (2008) – Set in 1945 during the Red Army invasion of Berlin, a woman who fears for her life looks for an officer who can protect her and develops a complex symbiotic relationship with a Russian soldier. (Germany) – [imdb]
Spain/Portugal:
Fados (2007) - Director Carlos Saura (Flamenco, Tango) explores Portugal’s most emblematic musical genre–fado. (Portugal) – [imdb]
Italy:
Il Divo (2008) - In what is called The Trial Of The Century, Italy’s most powerful, feared and enigmatic politician Giulio Andreotti will stand accused of corruption, collusion and murder. (Italy) – [imdb] – click here to read our review!
Tickets (2005) – This triptych from acclaimed directors Abbas Kiarostami, Ken Loach, and Ermanno Olmi weaves together three interrelated stories about passengers on a train to Rome, who meet each other in passing but are linked by deeper themes and issues. (Italy/UK) – [imdb]
Northern Europe:
Fighter (2007) - A Turkish immigrant living in Copenhagen does her best to meet mom and dad’s high expectations while simultaneously staying true to her passion for kung fu. (Denmark) – [imdb]
Medea (1988) - Lars von Trier‘s brilliantly original exploration of the dark passions of a woman scorned unfolds in shimmering North Sea marshlands and gloomy subterranean passageways. (Denmark) – [imdb]
Sauna (2008) - Brothers Knut and Erik commit a terrible sin as they leave a young girl to die a horrible death, and must find a way to atone when she returns to haunt them. (Finland/Czech Republic) – [imdb]
Eastern Europe/Russia:
Dusan Makavejev: Free Radical (Man Is Not a Bird/Love Affair, or the Case of the Missing Switchboard Operator/Innocence Unprotected) (1965-1968) - The first three films from Yugoslavia’s Makavejev are a tonic mix of earnestness and playfulness. – [imdb]
Australia/New Zealand:
Jack Brown Genius (1994) - A monk, doomed to spend eternity in hell for accidentally committing suicide, tries to save his soul by proving that man can fly. (New Zealand) – [imdb]
Middle East:
Lemon Tree (Etz Limon) (2008) - A lonely Palestinian widow who tends her family’s West Bank lemon grove clashes with the new Israeli Defense Minister and his wife, who demand that the trees be uprooted when they move in next door. (Israel/Germany) – [imdb] – click here to read our review!
Asia:
Blood: The Last Vampire (2009) - A half-human, half-vampire samurai stands between the forces of darkness and light. Based on the cult hit anime series. (Hong Kong/Japan) - [imdb]
The Butcher (2007) - Emerging South Korean filmmaker Kim Jin-Won directs this first-person shocker centering on a group of sadistic snuff-film producers and the unwilling stars of their most recent production. (South Korea) – [allmovie]
(Thanks to Imdb, RottenTomatoes, AllMovie and MetaCritic for help with these synopses)