Bottle Shock (USA 2008)
Director: Randall Miller

Bill Pullman and Chris Pine

Despite the deficiencies and simplified national stereotypes, the story is a good one that lends itself to a movie. Rickman could carry a worse film than this to a decent final product. A good selection with which to end SIFF 2008, and the Napa Valley wine community will have good reason to expect increased sales as a result.

PA Guide 7/10

Alan Rickman: Steven Spurrier
Bill Pullman: Jim Barrett
Chris Pine: Bo Barrett
Rachael Taylor: Sam
Freddy Rodríguez: Gustavo
Eliza Dushku: Joe
Miguel Sandoval: Mr. Garcia
Bradley Whitford: Professor Saunders
Joe Regalbuto: Bill
Hal B. Klein: Shenky
Kirk Baily: Loan Officer/Bankarbeiter
Philippe Bergeron: Pierre Tari

Frozen River (USA 2008)
Director: Courtney Hunt

Review by Mike Caccioppoli

Melissa Leo and Misty Upham

“Frozen River” is independent filmmaking at its best, both vital and timely. Writer/Director Courtney Hunt shows how otherwise law-abiding people can be driven to do some shady things when there are no other options; it shines a light on a dark corner of our nation, one that is an unfortunate result of a useless immigration policy and a failing economy.

PA Guide 8/10

Melissa Leo: Ray Eddy
Misty Upham: Lila
Michael O'Keefe: Trooper Finnerty
Mark Boone Junior: Jacques Bruno
Charlie McDermott: T.J.
James Reilly: Ricky
Dylan Carusona: Jimmy
Jay Klaitz: Guy Versailles
Michael Sky: Billy Three Rivers
John Canoe: Bernie Littlewolf
Nancy Wu: Chen Li - Chinese Girl

Opium - Diary of a Madwoman (Hungary 2007)
Director: János Szász
Original Title: Ópium: Egy elmebeteg nö naplója

It’s not often that you begin a review with the phrase "drama smoldering with sexual tension set in a Hungarian woman’s mental asylum". But given that the film begins with a sexual encounter between Dr. Brenner (Ulrich Thomsen) and an anonymous stranger, it soon becomes evident that sex will never be far from the surface of this movie. Dr Brenner is a 1913 Hungarian psychiatrist whose methods are before their time (which may be mostly because the era’s methods seem to entail either torturing patients or stripping them naked).

An opium addict, he keeps a journal of his entire life but has reached writer’s block and his pen has run dry. Encouraged by the easy access to morphine that the job will provide, Brenner volunteers to work at Dr Moravcsik’s asylum, where a combination of nuns and doctors combine to make the inmates’ lives generally miserable. There he meets the troubled Gizella Klein (Kirsti Stubø). She is an obsessive writer who has been in the asylum for over a decade, and her writings contrive to bring them closer. Luckily for Dr Brenner, she’s also very attractive.

The plot is moved forward by each of them narrating their thoughts, but in trying to explore the innermost thoughts of both characters, the film falls short twice . As a didactic tale of the battle between forward thinking and backward medicine, it is also incomplete, although this issue spurs a rare outbreak of emotion from Brenner. Overall the acting is good, and there is probably something in “Opium” for those who like films about issues affecting mental illness or who enjoy Hungarian cinema in general.

PA Guide 6/10

Ulrich Thomsen: Dr. Brenner
Kirsti Stubø: Gizella
Zsolt László: Dr. Moravcsik

Apollo 54 (Italy 2007)
Director: Giulivi Giordano

This overly long spoof of 1950’s space operas has some genuinely funny moments. Mysterious television signals are turning the world population into zombies and interstellar explorer Bobby Joe is determined to stop them. Silvano Bertolin puts in a sound comedic performance as the pompous ship captain who embarks on a mission to find out where they are coming from. Accompanied by sidekick Jim Bob, who has shades of Chico Marx about him, they build a spaceship for their mission to save the world. Sci-fi films of the 1950s look cheaply made to us these days and the set is deliberately made to replicate that.

Giordano manages to land a decent blow on most of the clichés of that era, but after an initial period of laughter at the creative genius of it all, you’ll soon realize it’s been a while since you last laughed. Had Giulivi kept this to somewhere between a short film and an hour, we might well be hailing this. Sadly the last half hour seems to be more or less spurious and the character of Anselmo (Luca Silvani) is probably the most irritating and unamusing role you will see in an Italian movie.

For an hour Apollo 54 reminds you of Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. After that, it will remind you that you forgot to feed the cat.

PA Guide 6/10

Silvano Bertolin: Bobby Joe
Duccio Giulivi: Jim Bob
Luca Silvani: Anselmo
Giordano Giulivi: Apelle

Ask Not (USA 2008)
Director: Johnny Symons

Review by Amie Simon

This well-intentioned but unfocused documentary centers on the ineffectiveness and unfairness of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy approved by former President Bill Clinton in 1993.

The film profiles both veterans (including Rear Admiral Alan M. Steinman, co-founder of the Puget Sound Chapter of the American Veterans for Equal Rights), and young homosexuals who want to serve our country, but can’t because of “the law”. The director also peppers in footage of Clinton signing the policy, subsequent appeals to Congress, and a series of harsh statistics that splash somewhat randomly across the screen.

Starting with the Call to Duty Tour, which is helmed by Adm. Steinman, we follow a group of young men who stop at universities across the country in order to open up fresh debate about a policy that denies our military useful, productive soldiers when we need it most. Recruitment numbers aren’t being met during the Iraq War, they point out, yet we’re discriminating against people who are healthy, able-bodied, and mentally sound simply because they are not heterosexual. Moving on to the Right to Serve Campaign, we learn about openly gay people who try to sign up for military service, hoping to enact change. When denied, they stage a protest by staying inside or in front of recruitment offices until they are arrested.

At one point, an interesting comparison arises between the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy and the integration of African Americans into military service. The argument is made that homosexuality is no different than being of a different race or gender. Unfortunately, the old “you have a choice” argument rears its ugly head, and the comparison is not recognized as valid by military leaders who hold to the idea that some soldiers' discomfort with homosexuality will prevent the troops from operating as a “close-knit unit”.

You can tell that the director wanted to pull the audience in with an emotional response, but never quite gets there. The closest moment was the story of a young anonymous Army Recruit “Perry”. Because he’s currently enlisted, “Perry” can’t reveal his true identity. Footage and updates after he’d served in Iraq for 7 months start to show both the impact of the war and of hiding his true personality, but unfortunately the film ends before the story is fully explored.

Overall, the documentary was very informative, just not very compelling. It's worth a viewing if you’re interested in more information on the history of the policy, or you want to learn about the various efforts being made to try to get the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” ban lifted.

PA Guide 6/10

Everything Is Fine (Quebec 2007)
Director: Yves-Christian Fournier
Original Title: Tout est Parfait

Director Fournier brings a very personal experience to his first feature film. Four of the main character’s friends have committed suicide, and it is clear very early in the film that Fournier’s passion and deep-rooted sentiment about this subject is very real. He is said to feel very strongly that too many movies romanticize suicide and may cause others to consider it. It is fair to say his film cannot be accused of that.

Set in an economically derelict part of rural Quebec, the young people of the town are in a permanent struggle to find something to do. One youth, who is commissioned to paint graffiti on a wall, is seen as lucky. For the others, drugs, petty crime and sex fill up the day. Nonetheless, this is not seen or used as a justification for the suicides of four friends which starts the drama. Josh (Maxime Dumontier) finds one of the bodies, that of his friend Thomas Dagenais (Maxime Bessette). His first act is to alert the boy’s father (Normand D’Amour), a former golf professional, who now merely watches it on television with an obligatory can of beer in hand.

Josh then sulks his way through the film, and the initial tendency to pity a boy who has lost four of his friends dissipates as he rebuffs offers of help and refuses to recognize anyone else’s suffering and pain. If Fournier’s desire was to strip surviving friends of even their martyrdom, he has done an excellent job.

What Fournier hides for over an hour then reveals starkly is the appalling grief of the boy’s parents. Although they don’t get many lines, their grief and helplessness is well acted and juxtaposes perfectly with Josh’s seeming indifference. Only the attentions of Mia (Chloé Bourgeois), the girlfriend of the now-deceased Sasha, bring Josh out of his introspective mood.

While the only characters you get to know are not really likeable, it may be part of Fournier’s plan to strip the scenario of any feel good factor. In that he succeeds. And to be fair, he does put a twist in the tail, which makes sense of much of the preceding action.

PA Guide 6/10

Sébastien Bergeron-Carranza: Simon
Maxime Bessette: Thomas
Chloé Bourgeois: Mia
Pierre-Luc Brillant: Francis
Normand D'Amour: Henri Dagenais
Martin Dubreuil: Réal
Maxime Dumontier: Josh
Claude Legault: Dominic, (Josh’s Father)
Anie Pascale: Sacha’s Mother
Jean-Noel Raymond-Jetté: Alex
Niels Schneider: Sasha
Marie Turgeon: Stéphanie (Josh’s Mother)

The Last Mistress (France 2007)
Director: Catherine Breillat
Original Title: Une vieille maîtresse

Asia Argento

Local gossips Le Vicomte de Prony (Michael Lonsdale) and Comtesse d’Artelles (Yolande Moreau) persuade Hermangarde’s guardian and grandmother La Marquise de Flers (Claude Sarraute) to investigate her future grandson. He duly appears before her to explain himself.

She seeks assurance that the rumours of his philandering are not true. He then begins to tell the story of his 10 year affair with the film’s star attraction Vellini (Asia Argento). Vellini, the illegitimate daughter of an Italian countess and a Spanish matador, was married to an elderly Englishman, Sir Reginald (Nicholas Hawtrey). Ryno and Vellini were introduced by a mutual friend, and their affair is deep, sexual and graphic. It’s everything you would expect from a French film, especially a Catherine Breillat film. And as you would also expect Asia Argento steals the show. This narration and re-creation of their affair makes up not only the largest part of the film but by far the best.

Breillat’s 12th film, the first since her massive cerebral haemorrhage at the age of 55, “The Last Mistress” has all the ingredients to inspire, but the bookends of the film don’t quite live up to the middle bit. Nevertheless, it was screened as part of the 2007 Cannes Film Festival and is worth seeing for the parts of it that are done well.

PA Guide 7/10

Asia Argento: Vellini
Fu'ad Ait Aattou: Ryno de Marigny
Roxane Mesquida: Hermangarde
Claude Sarraute: La marquise de Flers
Yolande Moreau: La comtesse d'Artelles
Michael Lonsdale: Le vicomte de Prony
Anne Parillaud: Mme de Solcy
Jean-Philippe Tesse: Le vicomte de Mareuil
Sarah Pratt: La comtesse de Mendoze
Amira Casar: Mademoiselle Divine des Airelles
Lio: La chanteuse
Isabelle Renauld: L'arrogante
Léa Seydoux: Oliva
Nicholas Hawtrey: Sir Reginald
Caroline Ducey: La dame de Pique

Go in Peace Jamil (Denmark 2008)
Director: Omar Shargawi
Original Title: Gå med fred Jamil - Ma salama Jamil

Dar Salim

Jamil (Dar Salim), a Sunni, is caught up in this war. Urged by his fellow Sunnis to avenge the death of his mother, yet conscious that the cycle is neverending, he wants to ensure that his infant son Adam (Elias Samir Al-Sobehi) does not get sucked in. However, the killing of his best friend Omar (played by the director himself) forces his hand and increases the pressure on him.

Ostensibly a modern day tale of honour and revenge, viewers should ready themselves for some pretty lurid violence. The film does not concern itself with the interaction between Danish society and their Islamic culture, and few Danes are actually seen in the film. We never see the Danish police involved despite the open and public displays of crime. That and the aforementioned complex network of friendships between the main players ensured that the story line lacked a little credibility at some points. We never really get to grips with who is friends with whom across the religious divide and why they are so intent on murdering each other.

Nevertheless, this is Shargawi’s debut on the big screen, and "Go in Peace Jamil" is a promising beginning. There may be a bright future for this 33-year-old son of a Palestinian father and a Danish mother. Some of the scenes are well shot and some of the arguments between differing views are acted very convincingly. Hopefully we will see this director again on screens in Seattle.

PA Guide 6/10

Dar Salim: Jamil
Elias Samir Al-Sobehi: Adam
Khalid Alssubeihi: Mahmoud
Salah El Koussa: Salah
Hassan El Sayed: Egyptian
Fouad Ghazali: Husam
Amira Helene Larsen: Yasmina
Omar Shargawi: Omar
Samir Al- Sobehi: Sam
Munir Shargawi: Abu Jamil

Mermaid (Russia 2007)
Director: Anna Melikyan
Original Title: Rusalka

Review by Amie Simon

Mariya Shalayeva

Six year old Alisa Titova has an active imagination, spending hours in her sleepy seaside shack dreaming of being a ballerina and rushing out to meet arriving ships in hopes that the father she’s never met will be among the sailors. Her charm and enthusiasm are undeniable, but the most unusual thing about Alisa is that she has the ability to control weather and grant wishes – at a high cost.

After her family’s house burns down, Alisa decides to remain silent forever, and we pick up her story again when she is 17 years old. Opportunity for a new life strikes in the form of a hurricane, and the family moves to the big city of Moscow. Love with a stranger named Sasha sparks her ability to communicate, but everything is not as it seems. Alisa’s purpose in life is much grander than she realizes.

Director Anna Melikman deftly applies an uplifting spin to the multiple tragedies that occur, and both actresses (Anastasia Dontsova as the 6-year-old and Mariya Shalayeva as the 17 year old) bring Alisa to adorable, brightly shining life. Comparisons to "Amelie" are inevitable, but this brilliant Russian film stands out on its own.

PA Guide 8/10

Mariya Shalayeva: Alisa
Yevgeni Tsyganov: Sasha
Mariya Sokova: Mama
Anastasiya Dontsova: Young Alisa

Máncora (Spain 2008)
Director: Ricardo de Montreuil

Review by Mike Caccioppoli

Twenty-two year old Santiago (Jason Day) has just lost his once famous pop singer father to suicide. Struggling to figure out his own life he decides to head out of the big city of Lima and to his childhood retreat of Mancora, a picturesque beach town just north of Peru. However before he can leave he receives a visit from his step-sister Ximena (Elsa Pataky) and her husband Inigo (Enrique Murciano). Having decided that he’s going on his trip anyway, the couple agrees to go along with him. On this journey Santiago will have to decide what he wants to do with his life while also dealing with some deep seeded issues involving Ximena and their past. Inigo meanwhile has his own issues regarding monogamy that will be tested as well.

Director Ricardo de Montreuil delivers a well photographed, solidly acted road movie of sorts that deals with some difficult topics that range from incest (depending on your definition) to the inability to accept responsibility for one’s situation in life. Jason Day is a revelation as Santiago, his angst is palpable and we are drawn into his situation. However we can’t help but feel as though we’ve seen this all before and while Mancora is easy to watch it never really adds up to the sum of its parts. What is Montreuil trying to say? Sometimes the screenplay is too vague and for no good reason. The best example of this is the needlessly ambiguous ending that is neither illuminating nor profound even though the film certainly thinks it is.

PA Guide 6/10

Jason Day: Santiago Pautrat
Elsa Pataky: Ximena Saavedra
Enrique Murciano: Iñigo
Phellipe Haagensen: Batú
Liz Gallardo: La mexicana

Late Bloomers (Switzerland 2006)
Director: Bettina Oberli
Original Title: Die Herbstzeitlosen

Stephanie Glaser, Heidi Maria Glössner,
Annemarie Düringer and Monica Gubser

The elderly Martha Jost (Stephanie Glaser) has been mourning her husband for nine months. She is failing to run his small grocery store on her own and her son Walter (Hanspeter Müller), who happens to be the village’s minister, is urging her to do something else. Meanwhile local politician and bigwig Fritz Bieri (Manfred Liechti) is trying to use an upcoming church choir concert in Trub to bolster his own career.

When he realizes that the village’s flag is in a state of disrepair, he asks Martha (who was once was a seamstress) to fix it. Martha, Lisi Bigler (Heidi Maria Glössner) and two friends set off to Berne to buy material. There they discover Martha’s seamstress past, half a century ago, has a hidden side. She used to make lingerie. Urged on by the rebellious Lisi, Martha decides to give up her grocery store and open a lingerie boutique in the small conservative village. Fritz and Walter are unsurprisingly outraged and Manfred Liechti especially carries off the role as pompous busybody to excellence.

Running across this simple tale of conservatism and propriety against lingerie are issues of ageism and sexism. Trub’s population seems to be fairly elderly and the struggle to find a role in society in a culture that values youth is not ignored. But in “Die Herbstzeitlosen”, the elderly are for once not the butt of the joke. Nor are the young. It’s that middle generation who usually seem to escape the satirist’s pen. Additionally, Switzerland’s rural cantons are not known for their progressivism; so Martha and Lisi are also fighting entrenched ideas of what is and is not proper for women to do. But this is in no way a feminist film. The women want to make lingerie after all! And you'll find yourself rooting for them.

Said to be one of the best films ever to come out of Switzerland, it will never achieve Hollywood greatness nor are any of its stars likely sex symbols. Nevertheless, “Die Herbstzeitlosen“ is one of the reasons why we are grateful Seattle has such a large and international film festival. Gentle, funny, and the wonderful cinematography and superb acting will only reflect credit on the Alpine nation’s film industry. “Die Herbstzeitlosen“ is Switzerland's Official Submission to the Best Foreign Language Film Category of the 80th Annual Academy Awards (2008).

PA Guide 8/10

Stephanie Glaser: Martha Jost
Hanspeter Müller: Walter Jost (as Hanspeter Müller-Drossaart)
Heidi Maria Glössner: Lisi Bigler
Lilian Naef: Vreni Jost
Annemarie Düringer: Frieda Eggenschwyler
Monika Niggeler: Shirley Bigler
Monica Gubser: Hanni Bieri
Manfred Liechti: Fritz Bieri
Peter Wyssbrod: Ernst Bieri
Ruth Schwegler: Silvia Bieri

Kiss the Bride (USA 2007)
Director: C. Jay Cox

There is plenty to say about "Kiss the Bride". It is not unremittingly bad, although don’t be surprised if some film critics struggle to find the good things. It starts like a poor episode of Will and Grace and from that beginning any film would struggle not to improve. To say that it’s a formulaic gay-interest movie redolent with lazy clichés and poorly drawn characters would be unkind. Sadly, it would not be untrue.

PA Guide 5/10

Tori Spelling: Alex
Philipp Karner: Matt
James O'Shea: Ryan
Joanna Cassidy: Evelyn
Garrett M. Brown: Gerald
Tess Harper: Barbara
Robert Foxworth: Wayne
E.E. Bell: Dan
Amber Benson: Elly
Steve Sandvoss: Chris
Michael Medico: Sean
Jane Cho: Stephanie
Ralph Cole Jr.: Barry
Brooke Dillman: Virginia
Dean McDermott: Plumber

The Secret of the Grain (France 2007)
Director: Abdellatif Kechiche
Original Title: La Graine et le mulet

Review by Mike Caccioppoli

“The Secret of the Grain” is a detailed, intimate portrait of an extended family living in the southern French seaport town of Sete. Habib Boufares is Slimane, a Tunisian immigrant who has worked on the docks for 35 years. He finds out that his hours are being cut in half so he decides to try a new career. He renovates an old boat and turns it into a fish couscous restaurant, and it helps that his ex-wife makes the best couscous in town. However he must go through much red tape as well as some drama from his girlfriend who has resentment towards his ex-wife and children.

Director Abdellatif Kechiche has such a personal, unique perspective that we are immediately drawn into this family and their everyday lives. It’s as though we become part of the family, and as with great films like “The Godfather” we actually care about each character and by the end feel as if we’ve known them forever. And in our own way, we have.

PA Guide 8/10

Habib Boufares: Slimane
Hafsia Herzi: Rym
Alice Houri: Julia

Newcastle (Australia 2008)
Director: Dan Castle

Review by Amie Simon

Every second of surfing footage in this film is so mind-blowingly gorgeous, you won’t want to take your eyes off the screen. Which is good, because almost nothing else is going to grab your attention.

The Hoff family has three brothers: Jesse (Lachlan Buchanan) , a 17 year old wanna-be surfer, living in the shadow of former surf champion and half-brother Victor (Reshad Strik), whose life is in ruins due to a knee injury and a drinking problem; and Fergus (Xavier Samuel), who dies his hair purple, wears nail polish and Clash t-shirts, and is in the midst of discovering that he might be homosexual.

Opening with tryouts for a surf competition that would catapult the winner into the International circuit, the film meanders through the various struggles of the three boys and their friends, broken up by those gorgeous surfing shots mentioned earlier (and speaking of gorgeous, it’s worth noting that every young person in this movie is extremely good looking, and often nearly naked as well).

A turning point is reached when the teenagers decide to lie to their parents and take a camping trip on the beach to do what typical teenagers do: smoke pot, drink, have sex – and surf, of course. When Victor winds up at the same beach and finds Jesse practicing in order to be the next champion, egos rise and a fierce competition results in (highly predictable) tragedy.

Director Dan Castle has crafted a coming-of-age story that, while formulaic, could have been a decent effort, except for one rather large error: two of the three main characters (Jesse and Victor) are completely unlikable. Because of this, by the time the story makes a plea for the audience to sympathize with Jesse, it’s just too late. And unfortunately the only brother you connect with, Fergus, hasn’t been focused on enough to elicit a strong emotional reaction.

This is definitely worth a look if you’re into watching beautiful boys surf, but if you’re looking for a solid film about teenage discovery or family connections, it’s not recommended.

PA Guide 5/10

Lachlan Buchanan: Jesse
Xavier Samuel: Fergus
Reshad Strik: Victor
Anthony Hayes: Danny
Shane Jacobson: Reggie
Barry Otto: Gramps
Joy Smithers: Flora
Gigi Edgley: Sandra
Ben Milliken: Nathan
Israel Cannan: Scotty
Debra Ades: Debra
Rebecca Breeds: Leah
Jaymes Triglone: Billy

My Effortless Brilliance (USA 2008)
Director: Lynn Shelton

Written by Shelton herself and the performing cast, "My Effortless Brilliance" is an examination of a troubled friendship between Eric Lambert Jones (Sean Nelson) and his friend Dylan (Basil Harris). Eric is a writer and in the words of Dylan ‘a terrible friend’. Nelson’s portrayal of Eric as a socially oafish, self-absorbed loner is so convincing that you may wonder how he ever had any friends in the first place.

When writer’s block finally forces him to call Dylan, Eric is caught unaware that his friend has given any thought to the nature of the friendship and even more caught unawares by Dylan’s conclusion. Jones eventually after a two year gap wants to make things right and on a trip to Walla Walla stops by uninvited by Dylan’s woodland house in Eastern Washington.

The bulk of the film takes place in and around the house as Eric hamfistedly tries to re-bond with an old friend he has clearly, at least in his own mind, left behind intellectually. Our failed author is trying so hard to connect that it is sometimes agonising to watch in the same way as a road accident, which must be Shelton’s intention. Initially surprising assistance comes from Jim, Dylan’s hunter buddy, as Eric painfully allows the two country dwellers to ridicule him. Their communal bonding reaches its peak during Eric’s hilarious diatribe about his brief introduction to Liv Tyler’s ass and it seems he is finally able to communicate and socialize. But as the drink flows, everyone’s ability to control and vet what they are saying lets them down, and a last gasp attempt to find a bonding activity results in chaos.

The film rejects the temptation to go on longer than it needs to and ends with nothing really resolved. It’s a study rather than a story, but the dialogue is well written, and the film is enjoyable. Nelson just about manages to keep the level of pomposity of the lead character within believable margins despite the obvious temptation to play him like a cross between Oliver Hardy and Noel Coward.

A worthwhile project and another tribute to the increasing strength of film making talent in Washington State.

Prost Amerika Interviews Lynn Shelton

PA Guide 7/10

Basil Harris: Dylan
Jeanette Maus: Jayme
Sean Nelson: Eric Lambert Jones
Calvin Reeder: Jim

Magnus (Estonia/UK 2007)
Director: Kadri Kousaar

Review by Mike Caccioppoli

"Magnus" has something to say about love, parenthood, sex and suicide but not necessarily in that order. The problem is that its pretensions get in the way of us caring about its characters and really understanding what it’s trying to accomplish. The title character is a lonely, confused teenager (played by Estonian pop star Kristjan Kasearu) who has attempted suicide at least twice. His father (Mart Laisk) is a popular pornographer (think an Estonian Ron Jeremy) who never paid much attention to Magnus when he was a boy. The same goes for his mother who’s in the modeling business. After his latest suicide attempt, his dad recommends that Magnus come live with him for a while so they can finally bond. Magnus however seems set on finally killing himself but he wants to find the right time and place.

Much of the film centers around us watching Magnus as he wanders aimlessly through life, doing drugs with his dad, going to a brothel, asking his sister to have sex with him, etc. He seems totally bored and disinterested most of the time and while this may be part of his condition, it becomes contagious and we begin to feel the same way. One of the problems lies with the performance of Kasearu, who while extremely handsome is also mostly expressionless and never allows us into Magnus’ head or heart. The other issue is with writer/director Kadri Kousaar’s pretentious style which involves unnecessarily avant-garde camera angles and opaque lighting that quickly put us into an intellectual and emotional stupor. "Magnus" is a film that’s so caught up in its own ‘ideas’ that it ends up leaving us cold.

PA Guide 5/10

Mart Laisk: Father
Kristjan Kasearu: Magnus

Fantastic Parasuicides (South Korea 2007)
Directors: Seong-ho Kim, Soo-yeong Park and Chang-ho Jo Original Title: Fantastic Ja-sal So-dong

Review by Amie Simon

Three new South Korean directors helm this strange but entertaining film that explores a series of uncompleted suicides.

In the first segment, “Hanging Tough”, a student jumps off a roof with seemingly no consequences and then struggles through a series of strange events with two teachers and an odd admirer – all of whom are obsessed with death.

The second story, “Fly Away Chicken”, is the most unusual of the three. It shows us a solider haunted by battle who arrives on a beach and has a meaningful conversation with a trapped chicken. After checking into the nearby Hotel Parasdiso, he witnesses a possible injustice and enacts his revenge.

The last story, “Happy Birthday”, was the most enjoyable. A man wakes up and tears off a calendar page to see a birthday greeting. Excited for the day, he waits for friends to surprise him, but everyone seems to have forgotten. While attempting to jump to his death, he saves another man from an oncoming train and has the adventure of his life.

The stories don’t always make total sense, but the end result is a lot of smiles for a subject you wouldn’t expect to be laughing about.

PA Guide 7/10

Elite Squad (Brazil 2007)
Director: José Padilha
Original Title: Tropa de Elite

On the face of it, another South American film about the war against drug dealers might not appeal, but this is far better than anything else in that genre. The dialogue is sharp, and narrative and dialogue are skillfully mixed to keep a constant high tempo to the drama.

It is 1997 and Rio’s notorious favelas (slums) are beset with drugs and under the control of the gangs who distribute them. Rather than conduct a full scale war with them, the local police force has reached an accommodation and is itself awash with corruption. The State Police Special Operations Battalion (BOPE) are the elite squad of law enforcement, and it is against this backdrop of police complicity that they must fight the drug war.

Padilha succeeds in keeping a rapid pace to the action and just about keeps the graphic violence manageable, given the subject matter. A strong supporting cast of bent cops and villains keep this superb drama gripping right to the very end.

This film won the Golden Bear award at the 2008 Berlin film festival.

PA Guide: 8/10

Wagner Moura: Capitão Nascimento
Caio Junqueira: Neto
André Ramiro: André Matias

Emmanuel Jal: War Child (USA 2008)
Director: Christian Karim Chrobog

Review by Mike Caccioppoli

Emmanuel Jal

“Emmanuel Jal: War Child” also shows a side of the “conflict” in Sudan and Darfur that we haven’t seen on the news. There are interviews with Jal as a young boy of only eight or nine (he doesn’t know exactly when he was born) and even at that early age we can see how he would become such an important figure. Towards the end of the film we watch Jal as he returns home to visit his grandmother and his father, whom he hasn’t seen in nearly twenty years. Torn apart by war, they are now very proud of him but his homecoming is bittersweet to say the least. He wants to help make life better for the kids there so he decides to help build a school. This is what Jal’s life has become, passing on what he’s been through and using his resources to give back.

Director Christian Karim Chrobog has made an eye-opening and inspiring film. It’s good to know that there are still people like Jal in the world and he’s the perfect subject of a documentary: you simply can’t make stories like this up.

PA Guide 8/10

Mongol (Kazakhstan 2007)
Director: Sergei Bodrov

Tadanobu Asano

That apart, there is some fantastic storytelling here and some of the friendships Temudgin makes show him to be more than just the violent sadist European history has portrayed him.

Tadanobu Asano, although a native of Japan, performs the role of older Temudgin in fluent Mongolian. Odnyam Odsuren is equally impressive as the nine-year-old Temudgin whose father Esugei (Ba Sen), the khan at the time, drinks milk from enemies because it is Mongolian tradition so to do. When he dies from it, the young Temudgin has to learn to survive a violent world. On the journey he acquires a wife, Borte (Bayartsetseg Erdenebat/Khulan Chuluun), and a blood brother, Jamukha (Amarbold Tuvshinbayar/Honglei Sun).

Honglei Sun’s Jamukha is cunning and devious and for a while threatens to steal the scenes they share. The character comes across as having a powerful persuasive personality which is perhaps what we may have expected Asano’s Temudgin to bring to the screen.

The film dwells extensively on some periods Temidgin's his early life and then hurriedly skips towards his leadership of the Mongolian people with little explanation. If the stories of a sequel are true, then the best part of the Genghis Kahn story may still remain to be told. If it done as lavishly as Bodrov tells the events here, then it will be eagerly awaited. It’s fair to say that Mongol leaves you wanting more for both positive and negative reasons.

Prost Amerika's interview with Sergei Bodrov

PA Guide 7/10

Tadanobu Asano: Temudgin
Odnyam Odsuren: Young Temudgin
Khulan Chuluun: Börte
Bayertsetseg Erdenebat: Young Borte
Honglei Sun: Jamukha
Amarbold Tuvshinbayar: Young Jamukha
Aliya: Oelun
Tegen Ao: Charkhu
Ying Bai: Merchant with golden ring
Bao Di: Todoen
Deng Ba Te Er: Daritai
You Er: Sorgan-Shira
Sai Xing Ga: Chiledu
Ba Yin Qi Qi Ge: Temulun
Ba De Rong Gui: Young Taichar
Sun Ben Hon: Monk
Zhang Jiong: Tangut Garrison Chief
Amadu Mamadakov: Targutai
He Qi: Dai-Sechen
Li Jia Qi: Mungun
Bu Ren: Taichar
Su Ya La Su Rong: Girkhai
Ba Sen: Esugei
Ba Te: Khasar
Ba Ti: Dzhuchi
Ba Tu: Altan
Ji Ri Mu Tu: Boorchu
Tunga: Sochikhel

Before the Rains (India/USA 2007)
Director: Santosh Sivan

Linus Roache and Nandita Das

The affair's cultural inappropriateness reveals itself in a variety of ways, not the least being her marriage, but things are soon to get even worse for Moores. His wife and child are about to arrive from England. Realizing that the affair is doomed to failure and that he loves his wife, he attempts to cover his tracks. But every attempt at a coverup fails and his problems just continue to escalate as events conspire to bring his affair with Sanjani to the attention of the villagers. It’s at this point that the film lets itself down and just fails to achieve greatness. Although Moores is a nasty piece of work and callously dismissive of human life, he just doesn’t grab you as the screen villain. He’s not easy to hate and you neither find yourself feeling passionately that you want him to get caught, or hoping that he gets away with it.

In truth, it is at this point that, as far as you had any emotional investment in the outcome, it switches to T.K., to whom both Moores and Sajani turn for help. He gets caught in the middle of the drama and the best part of the film revolves around his conflicting loyalties. Sajani is a childhood friend, Moores is his boss, and of course the villagers, although in his mind quite backwards, are his people. He has a modern view of the world and career ambitions which are closely invested in the continuance of English rule, and thus the success of the road. His inner torment provides the dramatic peaks of this film and Rahul Bose carries it well. T.K. must finally resolve his inner conflict as the two competing forces, tribal law and the colonial police force, close in.

Munnar, a remote region of Kerala’s lush countryside, provides a lavish backdrop as the drama unfolds. The film is rich with the awe-inspiring beauty of the southern states and the scenery is continuously breath taking with waterfalls, forests, lakes and sacred coves. It touches the difficult subject of the cultural divide of the British rule and the rural, historic and traditional powers that ruled this country for such a long time. Sivan’s English language debut manages to get most things right but lets itself down by perhaps leading the audience to emotionally invest in the wrong character at the beginning. Nonetheless, it was an official selection for a variety of film festivals including Toronto, Tribeca and Pusan.

PA Guide 7/10

Leopold Benedict: Peter
Rahul Bose: T. K. Neelan
Nandita Das: Sajani
Jennifer Ehle: Laura Moores
Indrajit: Manas
Lal Paul: Rajat
Linus Roache: Henry Moores
John Standing: Charles Humphries
Thilakan: Father
Ejji K. Umamahesh: Inspector Sampath

Up the Yangtze (Canada, 2007)
Director: Yung Chang

Modern and ancient China collide in Yung Chang’s impressive documentary about the controversial Three Gorges Dam. More than two million people are being forcibly relocated as the Chinese government attempts to harness the power of the Yangtze. The flood waters up will eventually rise to 175 meters, engulfing many villages. In one of these, Chang finds the family of the shy Yu Shui. Her family are peasants and facing relocation. They are unable to afford an education for her, and she is sent to find employment on one of the cruise ships obscenely exploiting the tragedy by offering westerners trips to see the soon-to-be-extinct villages. There she encounters the cocky and arrogant Chen Bo Yu, one of China’s ‘Little Emperors’; that is to say a single son. There are many such children as a result of China’s one child policy which fined parents who gave birth to a second child.

Chen Bo Yu is spoiled but loves playing to the gallery of westerners on the cruise shops. Tall, good looking and proficient in English, he is perfect for the cruise work and as he comes from a prosperous family, he is everything Yu Shui is not.

This appealing documentary traces their first few months working for the pleasure of western tourists in the new China against a backdrop of forced relocations, corrupt and violent officials, and a country where protesting either can land you in jail. Look out for some funny moments as the cruise ship trainees are taught what not to talk to westerners about.

Nominated at Sundance, Montrealer Chang’s film is a patient and thoughtful examination of how the modernization of China is both enriching and impoverishing its inhabitants.

PA Guide 7/10

The Red Awn (China 2007)
Director: Cai Shangjun

“The Red Awn” is about a man who returns to his hometown after a five year absence only to find that his wife is dead and his son has officially declared him dead. It has some quietly effective moments that mostly center around the relationship that the father must try to repair while the son rebels on an almost daily basis. The two have plenty of time to try and bond since their family business is harvesting wheat and the son must be taught the tricks of the trade. We watch as they drive their combine from one farm to another trying to get as much business as they can before the season is over. The son wants to go to college and the father must repay a debt which we learn about later in the film.

“The Red Awn” has to be given credit for being subtle with a sub-genre that has been covered in many films before it (“I Never Sang for My Father”, “Life is Beautiful”, etc) and not always nearly as restrained as here. However its methodical pacing is also a detriment because we never really feel the strife that has made these two men grow so distant from each other and many of the issues that have taken place in the past, not only with father and son but with the father’s deceased wife, remain unclear by the film’s end. This is one of those films that we can admire but are never drawn into and the result is that we pretty much forget it once it’s over.

PA Guide 6/10

Yao Anlian: Soonghai
Lu Yulai: Yongtao
Shi Junhui: Yongshan

Seachd: The Crimson Snowdrop/Seachd: The Inaccessible Pinnacle (Scotland 2007)
Director: Simon Miller
Original Title: Sgùrr Dearg

The Inaccessible Pinnacle of the primary title is the very first feature film made in the Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig), which is a shame as its lyrical almost mystic tone possesses a magical quality present in few modern languages. The term “The Inaccessible Pinnacle” refers to a ridged pinnacle that sits on top of Sgurr Dearg, one of the Munro peaks of the famous Cuillin mountain range on the Isle of Skye. It is a treacherous climb and is the only peak never actually attempted by Sir Hugh Munro who gave his surname to the collection of 300 Scottish peaks over 3,000 feet.

Làn fhìrinn na sgeòil is an old Scottish saying meaning 'the truth is in the story', and it is in the stories of grandfather Seanair (Aonghas Pàdraig Caimbeul ) that most of this film unfolds. Young Aonghas visits him in hospital seeking answers to unresolved questions about the death of his parents and the truth behind his grandfather's collection of ancient stories.

Not only is the art of storytelling still alive in this culture, but having the treasure trove of Scottish music to draw on gives Miller an added advantage creating that ambience. The wealth of Scottish musicians is well known, but there are just 60,000 Gaelic speakers left in modern Scotland and they have unearthed some formidable acting talent from that small pool.

The film's main story takes place in modern Scotland, but the stories Seanair tells cover the whole swathe of Gaelic history, from medieval Scotland through the 16th Century dashing of the Spanish Armada on the rocks of Scotland, to the 19th Century Highland clearances and the islands of the 1920s.

Each story is acted out against the stunning scenery that is the Isle of Skye. If you have a hunger for Celtic mythology or culture, then this film is right up your alley.

To clear up a point of confusion: The film has been mystifyingly renamed the Crimson Snowdrop for international purposes. The story of the Crimson Snowdrop was originally told in the 2005 Scottish Gaelic short film, Foighidinn and is just one of the short stories told by Seanair in the film.

PA Guide 7/10

Aonghas Padruig Caimbeul: Seanair
Padruig Moireasdan: Aonhgas - aged 7
Crisdean Domhnallach: Donnchadh - aged 9
Winnie Brook Young: Mairi - age 11
Dolina MacLennan: Grandmother
Coll Domhnallach: Aonghas - age 20
Daibhidh Walker: Eardsaidh
Aonghas MacDhomhnaill: Am Mac Bu Shine
Annie NicLeoid: Ciara Gunnach
Martainn Mac an t-Saoir: Athair Ciara
Toby Robertson: An Diuc
Scott Handy: Patrick Loch
Vidal Sancho: The Spaniard
Iain MacRae: Domhnallach
Calum MacFhionghain: An Draoidh

Huddersfield (Serbia 2007)
Director: Ivan Zivkovic
Original Title: Hadersfild

Based on the play "Hadersfild" by Ugljesa Sajtinac, which is still running in Belgrade, this movie is short on laughs but very long on superb acting. Goran Susljik takes the lead role as Rasa, a thoroughly unlikeable and unhappy thirty-something who gets by with a radio show and teaching at home. Self-opinionated and with some troubling racial views, he claims to live on "suffering and freelancing." He is surrounded by characters that just reinforce his view that the world is a hopeless place. His father Otac (Josif Tatić) is an overweight bullying drunkard and his girlfriend Milla (Suzanna Lukic) is one of his students. Her youth is hinted at though it is never explicitly stated that she is underage.

The film and play take their title from the English town of Huddersfield. Rasa’s childhood friend Igor (Damjan Kecojević) has been living there for eleven years. It is his homecoming that serves as the catalyst for the action as much of the storytelling centers around informing him what he’s missed.

However, it is the incredibly powerful performance of Rasa’s neighbour Ivan (Nebojsa Glogova) that steals the show. Ivan is a former mental patient still seemingly struggling with delusions despite the variety of drugs and treatments he’s been put through. Living with his mother, he is a frequent visitor to Rasa's apartment, desperately seeking Rasa’s approval for both his poetry and his half-baked theology. Rasa with his eternal disdain for the rest of the planet treats Ivan with a mixture of thinly veiled contempt and patronization.

Rasa’s homespun philosophy and frequent quoting of Hamlet mark him out as educated in this Serbian small town where overtones of their futile wars to force neighbouring lands to stay in Yugoslavia litter the script. Partly due to a failed relationship, Rasa has given up on life; one of his few remaining pleasures is destroying the optimism of anyone who hasn’t.

The film reaches its zenith when the three angry young men, Rasa, Igor and another friend Dule go on a drinking spree. The outward machismo and aggression soon dissipates into drunken questioning of each others’ values. Into that combustible mix walks Ivan for the film’s showstopping scene.

PA Guide 7/10

Vojin Cetkovic: Dule
Nebojsa Glogovac: Ivan
Damjan Kecojevic: Igor
Suzana Lukic: Milica
Miki Manojlovic: Pesnik (as Predrag Miki Manojlovic)
Sanja Popovic: Klaviristkinja
Jelisaveta Sablic: Majka (as Jelisaveta Seka Sablic)
Goran Susljik: Rasa
Josif Tatic: Otac
Milan Tomic: Radnik na otpadu

About Water (Austria 2007)
Director: Udo Maurer
Original Title: Über Wasser

This fascinating examination into how the absence or glut of water affects three communities took five years to complete and shows the problems of too much water in Bangladesh, the sorrow of no more water at the Aral lake in Kazakhstan, and the fight for just a little water to survive one more day in a slum in Nairobi.

In the first part, Maurer talks to Sanowar Hussein, a framer from Chandina Island in the Jamuna Delta region whose house and livelihood have been wrecked by the fury of the monsoon season. The brittle nature of the existence of the islanders in the world’s most densely populated country is sympathetically observed.

In the second part, Maurer visits the Aral Sea area of Kazakhstan where the lake has dried up and demolished the fishing community. In some ways sadder due to its permanence, no effort has really been made to fill the void either in the lake basin or in the lives of the people.

Lastly, Maurer visits the Kiberi slum, Africa’s largest where Barack Obama toured in August 2006. The reliance on water is just as great but corruption and bureaucracy add to the challenges facing the locals.

If you will pardon the pun, "About Water" is less dry than Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” but just as telling. Maurer brings an incisive touch to his investigation and perfectly balances the debate between western concerns about the global environment and the day to day struggle for survival of those in the affected regions.

PA Guide 7/10

Continental – A Film Without Guns (Quebec 2007)
Director: Stéphane LaFleur
Original Title: Continental, un film sans fusil

A man wakes up alone on a bus in the middle of nowhere. In this black comedy, his sudden and unexplained disappearance affects the lives of four people: Lucette (Marie-Ginette Guay) his wife, Louis (Réal Bossé) a traveling salesman, Chantal (Fanny Mallette) a bored hotel receptionist and Marcel (Gilbert Sicotte) a failed gambler. Their stories are told separately but eventually intertwine.

This film begins promisingly and has some funny lines in the opening 20 minutes but never quite hits those heights again. Quebec cinema set a high standard at SIFF last year and Continental doesn’t quite leap over it scriptwise although the acting is of a very high quality.

The name refers to a line dance popular in North America where each dancer evolves alone. In the dance, you do your own thing aware that others are nearby.

This film was an Official Selection at Venice and Toronto's festival in 2007.

PA Guide 5/10

Marie-Ginette Guay: Lucette
Gilbert Sicotte: Marcel
Fanny Mallette: Chantal
Réal Bossé: Louis
Marie Brassard: Neighbor - Diane
Gary Boudreault: Policemanr
Denis Houle: Neighbor - Denis
Marika Lhoumeau: Young Mother (Mireille)
Dominique Quesnel: Chambermaid (Manon)

Edge of Heaven (Germany/Turkey 2007)
Director: Fatih Akin
Original Title: Auf der anderen Seite

If you see one thing at SIFF this year, make it Fatih Akin’s follow-up to Head-On. Rarely does a room full of film critics emerge sagely nodding their heads in approval, and even more rarely does a film of this length leave you wanting more. Akin brings his own personal experience of living in both cultures to produce a story of lives criss-crossing both each other and cultures to great effect.

Set in both Germany and Turkey, with both languages and some English in use, the film divides itself into three parts, each interconnected with the others but possessing its own dynamic. The first part is entitled “Yeter’s Death”, and Akin cleverly signifies that the death is not so much the conclusion of this part of the tale, but a catalyst. We expect the death, and therefore our attention is freed up to notice other things going on.

It starts with an unusual proposal as Turkish widower Ali Aksu (Tuncel Turkiz) makes an indecent proposal to Turkish prostitute Yeter (Nursel Kose). He wants her to move in with him and to become her sole client. His son, Nejat (Baki Davrak), a university professor, is understandably skeptical and disapproving but her charm and kindness to her estranged daughter in Turkey wins him over.

At the same time, Yeter’s daughter Ayten (Nurgul Yesxilcay) is getting into her own drama due to her political activity in Turkey. Cleverly avoiding making us either sympathetic or unsympathetic to her cause, the film’s middle piece centers on the humanity of her plight as she tries to evade Turkish justice. However, like Ali she isn’t terribly likeable and after two of the three stories, you’re sitting fascinated as if watching a thriller unfold rather than anxious for the fate of a lead character. Ayten is adopted by German student Lotte Staub (Patrycia Ziolkowska) and as the second segment is entitled "Lotte’s Death", the viewer knows better than to pin his or her hopes to Lotte. However the brilliant Hanna Schygulla as Lotte’s mother, Susanne, is hovering in the background. You don’t know it but Akin already has you in the palm of his hand and there’s nothing you can do but sit back and enjoy it.

It’s only with the third act, "Edge of Heaven", that Akin sucker punches you. Susanne, having kept a deliberate distance, accompanied by a social disdain for what was going on in her house, slowly and gracefully emerges. Schygulla is no novice and is a well-known actress, particularly for her collaborations with Rainer Werner Fassbinder.

But there really isn’t a weak link in the cast, nor in the plot and “The Edge of Heaven” may well be the best thing you see at SIFF 2008. It won awards for Best Screenplay at both Cannes and the Europeans in 2007 and Germany's Official Submission to the Best Foreign Language Film Category of the 80th Annual Academy Awards.

PA Guide 9/10

Nurgül Yesilçay: Ayten Öztürk aka Gül
Baki Davrak: Nejat Aksu
Tuncel Kurtiz: Ali Aksu
Hanna Schygulla: Susanne Staub
Patrycia Ziolkowska: Charlotte 'Lotte' Staub
Nursel Köse: Yeter aka Jessy
Yusuf Kaba: Flute player
Yelda Reynaud: Emine
Lars Rudolph: Markus Obermüller
Andreas Thiel: Consular Official

Katyn (Poland 2007)
Director: Andrzej Wajda
Original Title: Post mortem. Opowiesc katynska

Review by Mati Bishop

In the Katyn forest of Poland in 1940 Soviet troops executed over 20,000 Polish citizens and disposed of the bodies in mass graves that were discovered by the Germans in 1943 during their occupation of the region. Upon the defeat of the Germans and subsequent Soviet re-occupation of Poland, the Soviet Union put the blame for the massacre solely on the shoulders of the Germans and persisted their propaganda campaign until finally admitting involvement in the incident in 1990, a year after the end of the Soviet control of Poland.

Director Andrzej Wajda begins his 2007 film about the massacre with a simple look at the plight of the Polish people, caught between the German and Russian war machines in 1939. A mother and daughter visit a captured Polish officer, briefly begging their husband/father to find a way to elude the Soviet guards and return home with them and struggling to understand how he can place his duty to his country over his commitment to them.

After the trains filled with 8,000 Polish officers leave to take them to the camps where they would await their gruesome fate at Katyn along with another 12 to 15 thousand Polish citizens, the film wanders through a series of loosely interconnected personal tragedies suffered during and after the war by the officers’ families.

Every possible hero in the film disappears, creating a hopeless vacuum. The defeat of the Polish people is captured and replicated in the heart of the audience by one tragedy after another. Hopelessness, confusion and despair reign and characters willing to air the truth that the viewer can see so clearly in retrospect are quickly dashed away, never to be seen again. When all is lost, the story returns to the Polish officers and concludes with a brutal reenactment of their calculated and efficient extermination.

The film is more an effort to help along the healing process of the Polish people, rather than an expose of the atrocities committed in the Katyn Forest intended for the world to see. The actions of the Soviets are horrifying, but without taking a deeper look at why the massacre at Katyn happened, the film lacks a lesson to be learned by international viewers and locks itself away as an important and intensely personal portrayal of Polish history. The Katyn massacre is a subject matter that even now deserves to be brought to greater attention in the world, but this film may have missed a big opportunity to do so effectively.

PA Guide 6/10

Boy A (England 2007)
Director: John Crowley

Adapted from a novel by Jonathan Trigell, this absorbing drama takes place mostlty in Manchester, England. Andrew Garfield stars as a juvenile criminal, Jack Burridge, who is given a new identity prior to his release back into society. Jack was found guilty of the senseless murder of a child when he himself was too young to be tried as an adult. Since that verdict, he has been in juvenile detention but as the film begins, he is set to be released into a world he has never known.

As if that were not daunting enough, for his own safety he has to adopt a complete new identity. The only person who shares his secret is grizzled but idealistic social worker Terry (Peter Mullan). At first things look promising for Jack as he begins to form interpersonal relationships both platonic and romantic. However, this presents additional difficulties as others grow closer to him. The challenges of keeping his dark secret grow along with the level of dishonesty such a challenge entails.

Andrew Garfield is outstanding in the lead role as Jack Burridge. On his cinematic debut, there is a general agreement in his native England that a fruitful career awaits. Mullan is as excellent as he always is although his gritty Glaswegian accent may pose some initial difficulty so listen carefully.

Garfield and Mullan are supported by a surprisingly strong cast, especially Katie Lyons as the far from token love interest Michelle and Shaun Evans as colleague Chris. Jeremy Swift also provides a fun cameo as Dave, the boss. It’s a strong cast, a strong story and it’s set in a bleak but realistic world. The ingredients are there for a very good movie and that’s exactly what you get.

The film won a jury prize at the Berlin International Film Festival and also received plaudits at Tribeca, Toronto and London. Originally screened on television in England, it was one of the hits of SIFF 2008.

PA Guide 8/10

Andrew Garfield: Jack Burridge Katie Lyons: Michelle
Peter Mullan: Terry
Siobhan Finneran: Kelly
Alfie Owen: Eric Wilson
Victoria Brazier: Teacher
Skye Bennett: Angela Milton
Madeleine Rakic-Platt: Schoolgirl
Josef Altin: Bully
Dudley Brewis: 2nd Bully
Leigh Symonds: Eric's Dad
Maria Gough: Eric's Mum
Taylor Doherty: Philip Craig
Jeremy Swift: Dave
Shaun Evans: Chris
Carlene Hansom: Waitress

Call Me Troy (USA 2008)
Director: Scott Bloom

In what could not be better timing for SIFF, the California Supreme Court just ruled that homosexual couples have the legal right to get married in that state. One of the plaintiffs and driving forces behind the case is Troy Perry, a 40 year veteran of gay rights campaigning and an ordained Christian minister. Whether you support his causes or not, it is impossible not to admire Troy Perry both for the incredible strength of his convictions and the courage to go out and fight for them in an often unsympathetic public arena.

A truly remarkable man, he founded the Metropolitan Community Church, designed to bring gay people to Christianity when the faith was doing its best to turn them away. With a heady mixture of civil rights rhetoric and references to god, it’s hard not to be reminded of Martin Luther King, albeit the circumstances are very different. In fact, his style of preaching seems to owe more to the black churches than the more sedate mainstream alternatives. As well as preaching, Perry’s resume of action is impressive. He performed the first public same-sex wedding in the U.S., and in 1970 he filed the first-ever same-sex marriage lawsuit.

Perry talks extensively on camera about his early sexual experiences and his feelings of relief at the revelation that he wasn’t the only gay person on the planet. It’s hard not to smile and feel his emotional reaction coming through the screen. Obviously homophobia is a recurring theme yet Perry never seems to get bitter and even non-believers may think him a better advert for religion than many of the alternatives.

Parts of this film are incredibly moving. Bloom covers the arson attack on their church in a way that should genuinely disgust the viewer, but the documentary unleashes its most incredible power when the chronological line reaches the early days of the AIDS crisis.

Perry’s church now has 300 congregations in 22 countries. Not everyone will warm to religion as the best way to promote equality, but you cannot fail to warm to Perry himself, a man totally worthy of being the subject of a documentary. This film, although gay themed, has a crossover appeal to all those who value individual tenacity, human equality or seeing America as it really is, and as it really can be.

PA Guide 8/10

The Pope's Toilet (Uruguay 2007)
Director: César Charlone/Enrique Fernánde
Original Title: El Baño del Papa

On the face of it, the premise has all the ingredients of good comedy. The small village of Melo sits on the Uruguayan side of the Brazil border and is naturally the scene of a good deal of cross-border smuggling. A petty low level war exists between the villagers led by Beto (César Troncos) and the authorities represented by border policeman Meleyo (Nelson Lence).

In a grim economic environment, a glimmer of light is shining. The Pope is coming. Estimates abound and perpetuate about the number of visitors this will encourage to visit Melo, especially visitors from more prosperous Brazil. The villagers see an economic opportunity, and many begin to buy and cook food in bulk to set up stalls for the expected avalanche of hungry tourists.

But Beto, with his famous thinking cap on, comes up with another idea – a modern pay toilet so that the visitors can relief themselves. The combination of the pope, greed, cunning villagers and a lavatory has the potential to lead to hilarity, but there is an inherent sadness to this film as events conspire to frustrate Beto’s scheme.

Beto is the living embodiment of a picaresque hero, roguish and selfish, but boy do you root for the guy! The supporting cast is also strong, especially his long suffering wife Carmen (Virginia Méndez). Not a great film but nonetheless the enjoyable staple stuff of a good film festival.

PA Guide 6/10

César Troncoso : Beto
Virginia Méndez : Carmen
Mario Silva: Valvulina
Virginia Ruiz: Silvia
Nelson Lence: Meleyo
Henry De Leon: Nacente
Jose Arce: Tica
Rosario Dos Santos: Teresa
Hugo Blandamuro: Tartamudo

The Fall (USA/India/England 2006)
Director: Tarsem Singh

In this often delightful film, Singh attempts to revive the art of storytelling through film. Inspired by the 1981 Bulgarian movie "Yo ho ho", "The Fall" is about a manipulative and self-pitying stuntman Roy Walker (Lee Pace) who is convalescing in hospital after a suicide attempt brought on by his girlfriend ditching him for the leading man in a silent movie. Set in California in the 20s, the outer story revolves around his friendship with young Alexandria (Catinca Untaru), an eight-year-old Romanian girl.

In between, he tells Alexandria amazing tales of heroism and skullduggery as five superhero type characters take on the evil Captain Odious.

The film was shot on 26 locations over 18 countries.

PA Guide 7/10

Lee Pace: Roy Walker
Catinca Untaru: Alexandria
Justine Waddell: Nurse Evelyn / Sister Evelyn
Kim Uylenbroek: Doctor / Alexander the Great
Aiden Lithgow: Alexander's Messenger
Sean Gilder: Walt Purdy
Ronald France: Otto
Andrew Roussouw: Mr. Sabatini
Michael Huff: Dr. Whitaker
Grant Swanby: Father Augustine
Emil Hostina: Alexandria's Father / Bandit
Robin Smith: Luigi / One Legged Actor
Jeetu Verma: Indian / Orange Picker
Leo Bil: Charles Darwin / Orderly
Marcus Wesley: Otta Benga / Ice Delivery Man

Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (USA 2008)
Director: Alex Gibney

It can’t be easy to make a dull documentary about Hunter S. Thompson, and Gibney achieves nothing of the sort. Not only does he profile the controversial journalist and author, but he also finds the time to investigate Thompson’s position and influence on the events on which he reported.

Prost Amerika has always been fond of Gibney's work; in fact we will be putting on a local showing of his great film "The Trials of Henry Kissinger" in June.

Johnny Depp, who famously portrayed Thompson in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, reads and narrates the film. It’s far from a homage but the subject often courted unpopularity, so it is hard to imagine he wouldn't have appreciated it.

Nominated for the Grand Jury Prize Film Festival Sundance 2008, this film is a fitting tribute to Thompson. Neither a hatchet job, nor a cover-up, Gibney has produced the finished product in a way we can only guess Thomspon would be proud of.

PA Guide 8/10

Bigger, Stronger, Faster* (USA 2008)
Director: Christopher Bell

Review by Mike Caccioppoli

This is a brilliant documentary made by bodybuilder Christopher Bell, who once took steroids and doesn't understand why he still feels so guilty about it when his brothers take steroids and don’t feel any shame at all. Bell not only interviews his parents about their feelings about their boys using steroids (is it their fault?), but also talks to politicians, doctors, scientists, other bodybuilders and their families, and even his boyhood hero, Arnold Schwarzenegger.

What begins as a documentary about his brothers and their body obsession becomes a study about our culture's desire to win at all costs and about the hypocrisy that goes along with that mindset. Bell, unlike our current media, asks the tough questions that go along with the subject. By the end of the film, Bell has implicated all of us and our way of life, while also exonerating his parents from their guilt.

Prost Amerika's interview with Chris Bell

PA Guide 9/10

A Wink and a Smile (USA 2007)
Director: Deirdre Timmons

Miss Indigo Blue

Deirdre Timmons followed ten recruits to a Seattle Burlesque training school on their journey, asking each what motivated them to want to take their clothes off. The answers are varied and interesting although some did seem to feel the need to justify it rather than explain and others tried to over-feminise the decision. But this can only prompt further debate about how these ladies see the position of women in society; do they now feel the need to pander to a feminist perspective of how women should behave, rather than that of the male-dominated media? Does everything a lady does have to now be ‘empowering’? If one of Timmons’ aims was to stir further debate about the place of women in possibly America’s most liberal city, then she has succeeded.

That aside, the segments on the training informed us about what it takes to be a burlesque performer, and their teacher, Miss Indigo Blue, illuminated the film with her depth of knowledge on the subject. Any viewer who has seen burlesque will be fascinated by the inside look and this film is sure to spark further interest.

Note that there is a large amount of female nudity in this film. Timmons neatly intersperses these shots with the dancers informing the camera of their rationale for doing it. Will the male viewer resent being told the whole show is not really for him or does he just not care as long as he gets to look at the women? "A Wink and a Smile" might prompt men to ask a few questions of themselves too.

A final note has to be addressed to those who do not think that burlesque is art. In one scene in the film, Lily Verlaine does an act called Picasso. It is artistic, beautiful and sexy. Burlesque is in Seattle and is here to stay.

PA Guide 6/10

Performers: Miss Indigo Blue, Lily Verlaine, Waxie Moon, Shanghai Pearl, Swedish Housewife, Tamara the Trapeze Lady, Babette la Fave, Vienna Le Rouge, Miss Inga Ingenue, Ernie von Schmalz, Kitten la Rue

Students: Diane Bruch, Casey Ellison, Janie Hanson, Megan Keller, Amy Klar, Vicky R, Moczi, Christi Jo Petrucelli, Sara Robinson, Rachel Shimp, Tami Veralund

Interview with Deirdre Timmons

Next showing: Saturday May 31 4:00 pm at the Egyptian Theatre, 805 East Pine St.

P.V.C.-1 (Colombia 2007)
Director: Spiros Stathoulopoulos

"P.V.C.-1" is a real-time movie (shot in one continuous take) based on real events in 2000 when Colombian terrorists put a pipe bomb around the neck of a woman in an extortion attempt. Within the limitations of this technique, there are some strong performances and the characterization is solid -- while we never find out the terrorists' cause, they are scary in a believable way. Rather than accede to their demands, the family goes to the police.

The film lasts 85 minutes and chronicles 85 minutes in time. Notwithstanding the incredible feat of fitness this entails (the director also serves as a cameraman during the filming and had to train for three months to get into shape for 85 minutes of continual exercise), it has the effect of both subtracting from the drama on one hand, and making it more realistic on the other. There are a few moments when the characters do something that may seem unrealistic or unhelpful, but in an odd way that adds to the realism. You may ask yourself how you would react.

The story is gruesome enough and it is hard to see too much commercial potential for this, but hardcore film enthusiasts will want to add it to their collection. The single-shot technique is rare and the storyline is gripping. Despite all that "P.V.C.-1" loses by eschewing the tricks of the cinematic trade, eventually you do care about the outcome and you are emotionally involved. "P.V.C.-1" is certainly not the highest budget film you’ll see, but it is different enough to stand out during a large film festival. If you’re a real film buff, you may just want to risk your $10 to be able to say you’ve seen this one.

PA Guide 6/10

Ivonne Cadena: Angelita
Liz Pulido: Rosita
Daniel Paez: Simon
Merida Urquia: Mother
Christian Lamus: Mariano

Dream Boy (USA 2008)
Director: James Bolton

Review by Mike Caccioppoli

This is a promising film that fails to live up to that promise. It’s about two teenage boys in the rural south who are in love. Nathan (Stephan Bender) has just moved to town and has the caught the eye of his next door neighbor Roy (Maximillian Roeg). While they look at each other and smile as Roy drives the bus to school every day, Nathan is too shy to make a move.

One day Roy suggests they study together and soon enough they are sneaking away into the woods to make out. They get away at every opportunity even though Nathan’s mother (Diana Scarwid) and father (Thomas Jay Ryan) are always forcing him to go to church gatherings. While Roy seems to come from a stable household, Nathan often finds himself sleeping in the woods behind his house, trying to avoid his father’s sexual abuse.

When “Dream Boy” focuses on the burgeoning romance between Nathan and Roy it is both subtle and lyrical, as they try to deal with new feelings and must hide their interest for each other. Both Roeg and Bender are perfect, capturing the innocence and purity of their mutual longing. Unfortunately the film doesn’t trust this story enough to play it out without adding a couple of contrived distractions that bog it down in both melodrama and confusion.

The sexual abuse storyline is never fully developed and seems like a cliché (religious father abuses gay son), and as the father, Ryan is given very little to work with; he’s mostly portrayed as a monster in a white t-shirt, lurking around every corner in their house. There is also a bizarre climax in a haunted house which dominates the final twenty minutes of the film and leads to the obligatory “tragic outcome” for a gay character. If “Dream Boy” had only trusted its love story it might have been a special film instead of the confused mess that it is.

PA Guide 6/10

Stephan Bender: Nathan
Maximillian Roeg: Roy
Diana Scarwid: Vivian
Thomas Jay Ryan: Harland

Ballast (USA 2007)
Director: Lance Hammer

Review by Mike Caccioppoli

Ballast, noun. - Something that gives stability (as in character or conduct).

"Ballast" begins with a suicide, but unlike so many of the films we've seen this year that begin this way, it isn't about suicide. It centers mostly on how the twin brother of the victim deals with what happened, and how others around him react or in some cases do not react. Michael J. Smith Jr. plays Lawrence, the surviving brother and owner of a local convenience story in a Mississippi delta town. His young nephew James (JimMyron Ross) was estranged from his father and also has a drug problem, and is often in debt to the local drug dealers. James' mother Marlee (Tarra Riggs) is also a former drug addict and just got fired from her job. They are all connected through Lawrence's brother and the suicide leaves them in limbo not only with their financial issues but their emotional ones as well.

"Ballast" has many virtues, not the least of which is the performances by a cast of relative unknowns who are totally convincing in their roles. It's also well shot (think Gus Van Sant), and directed by Lance Hammer who deals with tough issues in a subtle but unblinking manner. However, it takes nearly half the film before we understand what these characters' relations are to each other and why there is so much animosity between them, and even then the film for some reason holds back information. After a while it becomes not only frustrating but pretentious. We like these characters, but we want to know more about them, their past and why they are here. In the end, we know we've seen a solid piece of drama, but we are left unsatisfied and with too many unanswered questions.

PA Guide 6/10

JimMyron Ross: James
Michael J. Smith Jr: Lawrence
Tarra Riggs: Marlee
Johnny McPhail: John

Derek (England 2008)
Director: Isaac Julien

Derek Jarman was born in 1942 in Middlesex and died of AIDS related diseases in 1994. In between, he created art, film and controversy in his native England. He was one of the first AIDS victims to speak openly about his illness. His first films were experimental 8mm shots and he made gay sexual themes films, music videos and Shakespeare in his varied career.

Tilda Swinton narrates this documentary about Jarman but you’ll ponder why. Her presence adds nothing, and the film is at its highest when Jarman himself is telling the story or footage of England in the 1980s is used. Lingering shots of her facial expressions are cringeworthy although as the two were friends, one can understand her wanting to be involved with this.

That aside, Anglophiles and art-lovers will be as drawn to this film as they were to the man. Jarman is sometimes full of himself and occasionally disparaging about other people’s work, but none of that detracts from his achievements. His open advocacy of the struggle for gay rights in England brought establishment credibility to it and doubtless helped make life easier for others to come. Moved by the social, artistic and economic conservatism of the Thatcher era (which is still positively liberal by American standards), he became more of a political activist in the 80s and surprised many by supporting the more extreme gay organization ‘Outrage’ over ‘Stonewall’.

Fans of his work will not want to miss this. If you’re a fan of Tilda Swinton’s, don’t bother. She’ll do (and has done) much better.

PA Guide 5/10

Stalags - Holocaust and Pornography in Israel (Israel 2007)
Director: Ari Libsker
Original Title: Stalagim – Shoah Ve Pornographia Be’yisrael

"Stalags - Holocaust and Pornography in Israel" is without doubt the strangest holocaust related film you will ever see. In the immediate aftermath of the creation of Israel in 1948, the intimate detail of the suffering was not aired too publicly in Israel, especially in Hebrew. The survivors were often not proficient in the language and those already resident in Israel had an ambivalent attitude according to a few witnesses interviewed here. Then came the trial of Adolph Eichmann. And along with it - Stalags.

Stalags were pocket books whose stories revealed buxom female SS officers sexually abusing camp prisoners. During the Eichmann trial, sales of this pornographic literature broke all records in Israel and hundreds of thousands of copies were sold at kiosks. The books were written under American pseudonyms in the type of Hebrew that insinuates they were translations and not originally written in Hebrew. This popularity ended only when the authors were put on trial for disseminating anti-Semitic pornography.

This film examines this barely believable phenomenon, exposing its creators for the first time. Towards the end, it begins to examine the taboo subject of Israeli attitudes to the holocaust more generally, crediting the Stalags for paving the way for open discussion.

It also examines the role of Eichmann trial witness and author, K. Tzetnik. Tzetnik’s Hebrew testimony at the trial was for many Israelis the most detailed account of the atrocities. His books told of similar sexual atrocities in the concentration camps; however, there are many witnesses who claim this never happened and doubt his veracity.

This is a fascinating film made on a rarely discussed topic. Somewhat pointless use is made of black and white during the interviews but the subject matter is compelling enough to overcome that.

PA Guide 6/10

Heavy Metal in Baghdad (USA/Canada 2007)
Directors: Suroosh Alvi, Eddy Moretti

Review by Mati Bishop

Iraq War documentaries have become standard fare at film festivals, each bringing its own undiscovered “truth” and call for an end to the violence. But none have authentically captured the day to day struggle of ordinary people in Baghdad and the effects the war has had on their lives the way “Heavy Metal in Baghdad” captures the simple truths dictating the circumstances under which the member of the band Acrassicauda have been forced to alter their lives since the introduction of “democracy” to Iraq.

Directors Eddy Moretti and Suroosh Alvi take the audience on a ballsy guerrilla mission into the heart of Baghdad, where for $1,500 a day westerners can get an armed SUV, two bullet proof vests, a driver, a translator and an extra vehicle with two “shooters.” Their purpose is to meet members of Iraq’s only heavy metal band Acrassicauda, Latin for black scorpion, and to share the story of Baghdad’s extremely small population of hardcore metalheads.

The trip uncovers a world where westerners are a great danger to themselves and anyone they may come in contact with. The audience bears witness to the ever-present paranoia in the streets of Baghdad, so intense that best friends and band mates who live 15 minutes apart can put aside a personal visit for six months to avoid unnecessary and unsafe travel through the streets. The grim reality of the situation in the city is explored nightly from a bird’s eye view as the directors sit in on their hotel balcony and film the streets below complete with bombings, fires and firefights. Interviews are interrupted by gunfire; five minutes by the river outside of the armored vehicle is enough to draw a visit from the Iraqi police; and a visit to the rubble of the band’s practice space that was the target of a missile attack is diverted by trouble in the streets.

You don’t have to have a Metallica or Slayer album in your collection to understand the frustration the band members feel at the changes forced upon them by the invasion and occupation of their home. The interviews shine a telling light on the deteriorating situation in Iraq without blatant appeals for help or cheap pulls at the heartstrings. The story of ordinary people who “Just want to Rock,” translates easily to people from all walks of life

You don’t even have to be able to endure more than a few moments of heavy metal music to appreciate the release that the 20 or so concertgoers at the band’s final show in Baghdad, filmed in 2006, find in head banging, moshing and escaping from the violence and pain in the streets - despite the power outages, searches and check points endured just to make the show happen.

The member of Acrassicauda share blunt views about Iraq under Saddam Hussein and post liberation Iraq, the state of Iraqi democracy, and the ability of individuals to improve their lot in life within the occupation. The film gives one of the most honest views of the war seen to date. By focusing on the day to day lives of the musicians and the music they love, Heavy Metal in Baghdad displays the impact of the war in the streets.

PA Guide 7/10

Alone in Four Walls (Germany 2007)
Director: Alexandra Westmeier
Original Title: Allein in vier Wänden

Boys under 14 who have committed offences ranging from theft to rape to multiple murders are sent to juvenile prisons. Alexandra Westmeier’s documentary into life there is both grim and sad. Long interviews with the young inmates themselves soon grate on the viewer as tales of casual and in some cases brutal wrongdoing are retold in a “matter of fact” manner.

It is only when she interviews the mother of a murdered classmate that there is any emotional impact in "Alone in Four Walls". At that point, had you ever given any sympathy to the miscreants, it soon evaporates.

Nevertheless, if you’ve already seen Boy A and had a vibrant debate about rehabilitation of juvenile offenders, this film will be worth considering. Additionally those interested in the dark face of modern Russia will find plenty here to mull over. For everybody else, there are far more gripping documentaries on show at SIFF. This one is simply saddening although competently made.

PA Guide 5/10

Hair, Let the Sun Shine In (USA 2007)
Directors: Wolfgang Held/Pola Rapaport

This documentary examines the impact of "Hair the musical" on the events around it, and the sad fate of many of the original cast members. Testimony is taken in English and in French from one of the original writers, James Rado, and composer Galt MacDermot. Mixed in with the interviews is some excellent footage of the political protests of the time. Ben Vereen and Melba Moore stand out as passionate and authoritative chroniclers of the events, with especial relevance to the effect Hair had on racial issues at the time.

At a little under an hour, Hair is shorter than many documentaries but extensive in its coverage and consistently interesting.

PA Guide 6/10

Strangers (Israel 2007)
Director: Erez Tadmor/Guy Nattiv
Original Title: Zarim

This film starts with a series of coincidences far beyond the credibility threshold of anyone but the most gullible. Two people, an attractive young man and an attractive young woman, sit opposite each other on a Berlin U-Bahn. They both speak English despite not having lived in the UK or USA. So far more than possible? They have identical rucksacks, which they take off their laps and place in front of them; in fact so identical that they then pick up each other's rucksack. It gets worse. Both rucksacks contain cell phones and when they speak to each other, one is an Israeli and the other, yes you guessed it, is a Palestinian. That’s not all. By total coincidence (yes another one), both have come to Berlin where their accommodation plans have fallen through and they are homeless. Oh – and single.

After that it quiets down although there is still the occasional barely believable plot inconsistency. And do hospitals in France really hand children over to an unrelated strange male who doesn’t even know his birthday? Lastly the smoking seems gratuitous and merely left me wondering if a certain tobacco company had paid for the privilege.

That notwithstanding there is some good acting here. But one of the hallmarks of good acting is surely knowing which scripts to refuse. However if you are one of those viewers with the complete ability to suspend his or her sense of reality, you might just get something out of "Strangers".

PA Guide 4/10

Liron Levo: Eyal Goldman
Lubna Azabal: Rana Sweid
Patrick Albenque: Semi Jan
Mila Dekker: Simon
Abdallah El Akal: Rashid Sweid
Dominique Lollia: Samira Shalach

Villa Jasmin (Tunisia 2008)
Director: Ferid Boughedir

Review by Amie Simon

On the verge of becoming a parent himself, Serge returns to his childhood home to explore his Tunisian-Jewish roots in La Goulette – a town covered in the intoxicating scent of jasmine.

Orphaned at an early age and with only a few clues to go on, Serge moves from location to location, interviewing friends of his parents and investigating every piece of information he uncovers in order to find out where he came from, and learn more about himself.

As Serge learns more, the film moves through the 30s and 40s, delving into the impact of the Vichy regime following the defeat of France by Germany during WWII. Problems arise when socialist Serge starts vocally defending Tunisian’s rights and independence.

We’re treated to a few sweet moments between Serge (born Henry) and his wife, Jeanne, but this scenic romance is most interesting when focusing on the story of his parents, Serge and Odette. We get to see the initial courtship of the couple, and some hauntingly beautiful displays of affection.

Complex and emotionally moving, Director Boughedir delivers a film with a deeply layered story of relationships that will resonate with everyone.

PA Guide 7/10

Clément Sibony: Serge fils
Arnaud Giovaninetti: Serge Père
Judith Davis: Jeanne
Eric Laugérias: Raoul Rochas
Elsa Mollien: Odette

Chris & Don – A Love Story (USA/Ireland 2007)
Director: Guido Santi/Tina Mascara

Christopher Isherwood‘s book "The Berlin Stories" was the inspiration for the musical and film "Cabaret". This documentary narrates his life, especially that part of it which concerns his long affair with a younger man, Don Bachardy, an American portrait artist. However, as it is largely narrated and told by Bachardy, there is a strong risk of "Chris and Don – A Love Story" slipping into self-indulgence. Sadly this risk is not avoided, and it slips – far.

They met on Valentine's Day 1953 and the Los Angeles circles they moved in put them into contact with many of the famous and glamorous over the next three decades, all of whom are obligingly name dropped into the narrative by Bachardy. There is also some warming footage of the stars of the time but Bachardy’s recollection of the homophobia he faced sounds self-serving. Many gay viewers will have faced far worse.

As a chronicle of the artistic community during the time period covered, this film does have some historical interest. At the end of the film, a greater emphasis on Bachardy’s art also adds some new interest. It’s another of those documentaries that will grab you if the subject is already a passion of yours, but won't attract new viewers.

Some may find Bachardy’s fake upper class English accent very irritating. The film tells us he’s from Glendale, California and the accent was copied from Isherwood. Overall, the film’s main weakness is that although an interesting person, Bachardy is so aloof and distant that he is hard to identify with.

PA Guide 4/10

The Wrecking Crew (USA 2008)
Director: Denny Tedesco

Review by Amie Simon

As a tribute to his father, Director Denny Tedesco has crafted a detailed and moving documentary about a bunch of guys you’ve probably never heard of – a small group of LA studio session musicians dubbed “The Wrecking Crew”.

The Wrecking Crew became a tight knit group of friends who worked together so well that everyone used them for studio work from the late 50s to the early 70s – from the Beach Boys to Frank & Nancy Sinatra, to Phil Spector – and Elvis Presley.

Denny’s father Tommy Tedesco was known as the king of LA session guitarists, and played with a core group including Hal Blaine, Carol Kaye (the only female member of the Crew), Al Casey, Earl Palmer and Plas Johnson. This extraordinary band of musicians did more than just follow directions during recording sessions; they worked with the bands to help create some of the most iconic hit records ever made.

Shot over a 12-year period, this documentary has more than enough to keep you interested: a killer soundtrack, interviews and personal moments with members of The Wrecking Crew, and testimonials by Brian Wilson, Cher, Dick Clark, Herb Alpert, Glen Campbell, Nancy Sinatra, Mickey Dolenz and more. The memories and the stories that happened behind the music will draw you in. /p>

PA Guide 7/10

Featuring: Lou Adler, Herb Alpert, Glen Campbell, Cher, Dick Clark, Mickey Dolenz, Roger McGuinn, Nancy Sinatra, Brian Wilson

A Man’s Job (Finland 2007)
Director: Aleksi Salmenperä
Original Title: Miehen työ

For some reason, the SIFF selectors always seem to pick winners from Scandinavia. Last year it was Norway and Denmark; so far this year Sweden and Finland have produced winners. "A Man’s Job" carries the Finnish flag and carries it well.

Juha (Tommi Korpela) has been fired from his job but doesn’t dare tell his wife Katja (Maria Heiskanen) and two kids. However, while relying on his friends and former colleagues’ assistance to keep the truth from her, he desperately needs to keep providing the income. So Juha starts doing a few painting jobs. At one of them, a bored middle-aged lady offers him money for a bizarre service. From that, his friend Olli (Jani Volanen) concocts an idea – Juha is to become a male companion for the town’s mature and unloved ladies. As with many men’s bizarre schemes, the reality and the practice are very different.

Salmenperä lures us briefly into perhaps believing that the odd hours, the nature of the work and the continued pretense that he is still at the factory will somehow, just maybe, work out for Juha. It doesn’t, of course, and as his customers become more varied in both background and demands, the pressure on him increases. To add further tension to the movie, Olli (who is driving him to these illicit rendezvous) is the father of one of Juha’s sons and still has strong feelings for Juha’s wife Katja (Maria Heiskanen).

It’s all a little unlikely but fairly entertaining, although at times discomforting. Perhaps not the most original idea for a plot but relatively well carried off and good enough to get out of the house for.

PA Guide 6/10

Tommi Korpela: Juha
Maria Heiskanen : Katja
Jani Volanen: Olli
Konsta Pylkkönen: Akseli
Stan Saanila: Jamppa
Sara Paavolainen: Ritva
Minna Suuronen: Kirsti
Tiina Weckström: Merja
Pirjo Lonka: Anna
Sue Lemström: Leena
Leea Klemola: Katri's assistant
Inka Timgren: Katri
Kaarina Hazard: Customer / doctor
Vilma Juutilainen: Oona
Helmi Kaartinen: Ida

Boystown (Spain 2007)
Director: Juan Flahn
Original Title: Chuecatown

Review by Mike Caccioppoli

Little old ladies are being murdered in Chueca, a gay neighborhood in Madrid. The murderer is a real estate agent who wants to turn their old apartments into new condos that will be bought by gay men who can afford the new luxury buildings. Yes, it sounds absurd, and absurdity is what director Juan Flahn is shooting for in this comedy-caper. And while there are several funny moments in the film, on the whole it’s mildly amusing at best.

Leo (Pepon Nieto) and Ray (Pablo Puyol) are a loving gay couple who happen to live next door to one of the elderly women who are murdered. To their surprise they are informed by the inspector assigned to the case that the deceased had left the apartment to Ray and this might make him a suspect. Rosa Maria Sarda plays Mila, the inspector, as a female version of “Monk” with phobias galore. Her son is also her partner and while he respects her he thinks she needs a long break from the job. To make things more complicated, Ray has invited his mother Antonia (Concha Velasco) to stay in their new apartment but Leo can’t stand her as she’s always bad-mouthing him and trying to break up his relationship with Ray.

“Boystown” wants to be a madcap farce of sorts, and while at times it hits its mark, especially with the constant loud-mouthed banter between Antonia and Leo, it never really takes off. The main problem is that the film’s pacing is too slow, and the plot is predictable. The inspector character, while played to perfection by Sarda, just reminds us how much better the “Monk” series is. That being said, the film is almost saved by the performances of Sarda and Velasco. While this may be a boy’s town, it’s the women that shine the most.

PA Guide 6/10

Pepon Nieto: Leo Pablo Puyol: Ray Rosa Maria Sarda: Mila Concha Velasco: Antonia

They Killed Sister Dorothy (USA 2008)
Director: Daniel Junge

"They Killed Sister Dorothy" will be remembered as one of the best legal dramas of the 2008 Seattle International Film Festival, despite the fact that it is a documentary.

Narrator Martin Sheen guides the viewer through the quest for justice of the family and friends of a 72-year-old nun from Dayton Ohio whose preaching and application of sustainability led to execution-style murder by a local worker.

The reality of environmentalism in the third world is bluntly displayed as Sister Dorothy’s work to create a sustainable land use model for the Amazon runs head on with the powerful interests of the logging and cattle industries. News footage, courtroom scenes and interviews are woven together to show the pursuit of justice through the trials of the gunman, the middle man and ultimately the ranch owner accused of ordering the crime.

Despite seeming at times better suited for the Discovery Channel than the big screen, the film delivers a powerful look at corruption in Brazil and firmly challenges its legal system to react. It’s highlighted by overdramatized, yet real, scenes from the trials and includes some interviews with the defense attorneys that will baffle an American audience with their arrogance and absurdity.

Director Daniel Junge builds to a dramatic courtroom climax that sees a verdict read that will have a real life effect on the power of the renegade ranchers responsible for destroying 10 square miles of rainforest a day. This film is a must see for anyone interested in saving the environment and the real issues that must be faced in the process.

PA Guide 8/10

All Will Be Well (Poland 2008)
Director: Tomasz Wiszniewski
Original Title: Wszystko bedzie dobrze

This heartwarming tale is a fine advertisement for Polish cinema.

Young Pawel (Adam Werstak) loves to run and his school coach Andrzej (Robert Wieckiewicz) is determined to take the school athletics side to Leipzig for a tournament where he desperately wants to beat the German hosts. Unfortunately for him Pawel has something more important to deal with. His mother (Zofia Kwiatkowska) is very ill, possibly terminally. She is in constant pain and with her husband having drunk himself to death and her eldest son Piotr, heartwarmingly played by Daniel Makolski, being a simpleton, there is no one around to take care of her.

But all is not as it seems. Pawel had overheard his mother praying for the death of her husband in return for walking to some Catholic shrine on her knees. Disappointed that his mother should have lied to the Virgin Mary, Pawel decides to perform the task for her, convinced that this will cause his mother's recovery.

The task of accompanying Pawel on his run falls to his coach, and the movie could roughly but fairly be described as a quaint twist on a road movie as the coach, Andrzej, fights his own desperate battle with alcohol.

Strong performances abound and you won't have to be a fan of Polish cinema or child heroics movies to get a real thrill out of "All Will Be Well".

PA Guide 7/10

Robert Wieckiewicz : Andrzej
Adam Werstak: Pawel Kwiatkowski
Daniel Makolski: Piotr Kwiatkowski
Izabela Dabrowska: Zofia Kwiatkowska
Beata Kawka: Reporter Anna
Jaroslaw Gruda: Postman Henio
Janusz Chabior: Doctor
Janusz Klosinski: Priest
Zdzislaw Kuzniar: Wladek

Ben X (Belgium 2007)
Director: Nic Balthazar

Review by Amie Simon

This visually engaging film focuses on Ben, a teenager with a severe case of Asperger’s syndrome. Unable to express his feelings easily, Ben spends most of his time online playing a fantasy game called “Archlord” and chatting with Scarlite, his female co-player (and possible love interest).

Through interviews with family, psychiatrists and schoolmates, we string together bits and pieces of his story. Unsurprisingly, Ben is misunderstood by most of his class and constantly bullied. Two boys, Bogeart and Desmedt, are particularly cruel. After an embarrassing video-taped prank and a savage beating, Ben retreats further and further into his fantasy game world, imagining himself as an armed hero who can slay the demons, win the girl, and complete his ‘endgame’. In addition to a very strong script and beautifully laid out shots, the performances are top notch.

Greg Timmermans is simply amazing, expressing a range of emotion you wouldn’t expect from such a doe-eyed, gentle face. Marijke Pinoy and Pol Goossen are also excellent as Ben’s exasperated mother and father. Overall, this was definitely deserving of the audience award (and more!) it won at the Montreal Film Festival. I look forward to seeing future films from Director Nic Balthazar.

PA Guide: 7/10

Greg Timmermans : Ben
Laura Verlinden: Scarlite
Marijke Pinoy: Mother
Pol Goossen: Father
Titus De Voogdt: Bogaert
Maarten Claeyssens: Desmedt
Tania Van der Sanden: Sabine
Johan Heldenbergh: Religion teacher
Jakob Beks: Metal teacher
Peter De Graef: Psychiatrist
Ivan Boeckmans: Cameraman
Dries Brouwers: Scarlite - game
David Callens: Ben X - game
Ron Cornet School principal
Gilles De Schrijver: Coppola
Cesar De Sutter: Jonas
Wim De Witte: Doctor
Pieter Fret: Bogaert - game
Wim Vandekeybus: Horse man
An Van Gijsegem: Maaike

Stranded: I've Come From a Plane that Crashed on the Mountains (France 2007)
Director: Gonzalo Arijon
Original Title: Naufragés des Andes

On October 12 1972, a Uruguayan rugby team boarded a plane to Santiago for a friendly match. The team was sponsored by the Christian Brothers club of Carrasco and the players were drawn from the well educated and privileged section of Uruguay’s elite. Many had not flown before and the atmosphere was of excitement and youthful hijinks. The flight landed in Mendoza, Argentina due to bad weather, then resumed the next day. When the plane crashed in the Andean mountains, a remarkable story began which created even more explosive headlines all over the world than the crash itself.

On the 10th day, the searches were abandoned. Their food ran out the same day but 16 of the 45 passengers defied nature and biology and survived 72 days with meager rations in freezing conditions. How they did it shocked and in many cases appalled an intrigued world. Arijon is a childhood friend of the players and this allows him to gain their confidence and perhaps gain an access that other journalists would never have been able to establish. One by one, they reveal that moment when they realized the horror of what they would have to do in order to prolong their lives a little longer, not knowing when or if they would be rescued. They also didn’t know if they would ever get the chance to explain it. They risked being found dead and harshly judged by a world which had never heard their story. However, that calculation seemed a far off concern in those desperate days in the freezing Andes.

Eventually in a fit of desperation, Fernando (Nando) Parrado and Roberto Canessa set off on foot to find help, deciding that to be a better alternative than waiting to die in the freezing conditions. Arijon builds up the suspense wonderfully as he switches between the testimony of those waiting at the plane for news and the two who had left. They traveled 70km in the mountains, crossing summits more than 7000m high until they met a disbelieving Chilean shepherd.

Arijon’s brilliant documentary captivates from start to finish as he mixes interviews with the survivors 35 years later with recreations (filmed in super 16mm by Cesar Charlone). His weaving of the two is masterful as no interview seems repetitive despite the men retelling the same events. There are some details which may prove discomforting for the squeamish. If you can deal with those, then you should see this documentary.

PA Guide: 8/10

Interviewees: Roberto Canessa Gustavo Zerbino Adolfo “Fito” Strauch Carlitos Paez Jose-Luis Inciarte Eduardo Strauch

King of Ping Pong (Sweden 2008)
Director: Jens Jonsson
Original Title: Ping-pongkingen

This laid-back and endearing tale from Sweden has some old-fashioned movie values such as an identifiable and likeable lead character. Continuing the theme of excellent performances from the youngsters at this year's festival, Jerry Johansson stars as 16-year-old Rille, an adolescent who loves the sport of ping pong (table tennis). Although a bashful and generally shy child, he runs the ping pong table at his school with an iron fist. He's bullied by kids his own age, and most of the ping pong players are a couple of years younger. He also has appropriated the key to the racket cupboard. But his passion for the game and his love for his younger brother Erik are apparent. He’s harmless. But clearly, he isn’t facing up to the fact he is growing up and is nearly an adult.

The boys live with their mother (Ann-Sofie Nurmi) but their alcoholic father (Georgi Staykov) visits occasionally, and it is during a heated argument between the two that Rille overhears something that forces him to look at everything around him differently. This engenders a change in pace and tone in the film, an change that isn't necessarily done smoothly.

Nevertheless, this is Jonsson's debut in feature films after a career making shorts and he successfully captures some of the bleakness of life in a cold climate without letting it overpower the film's plot. "The King of Ping Pong" recently won both the World Cinema Dramatic Jury and Cinematography awards at the Sundance Film Festival.

PA Guide 6/10

Jerry Johansson: Rille
Hampus Johansson: Erik
Georgi Staykov: Pappan
Ann-Sofie Nurmi: Mamman
Frederik Nilsson: Väg-Gunnar
Alicia Stewen: Anja
Carolina Westman: Josefin
Alf Andersson: Bus driver
Sten Elfström: Passenger
Camilla Larsson: Teacher

Let the Right One In (Sweden 2008)
Director: Tomas Alfredson
Original Title: Låt den rätte komma in

“Let the right one in” refers to an occult rule that a vampire apparently cannot enter someone’s house without an invite. This is not something that we’re too often made aware of in vampire movies.

Based on the bestselling children’s novel from John Ajvide Lindqvist, "Let the Right One In" is a Swedish twist on a vampire story but is incredibly touching nonetheless. The film has a beautiful light touch which allows the actors’ talents to take center stage. From the first scene where you gently become aware there is snow falling at night, to the ending, Alfredson neatly controls the pace at which events develop.

Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant) is a shy eleven year old child who seems to be without friends at school and is the subject of some bullying from older kids. His life begins to change when a mysterious girl Eli (Lina Leandersson) arrives next door. Actually a few lives begin to change. In fact they do more than change; they end.

Alfredson neatly switches between the two stories of a terrified townspeople and a blooming friendship. He cleverly doesn’t neglect the former and although we can get comfortable with the beauty of the ‘two children becoming friends’ aspect, there is sufficient gore and fright to not leave horror fans unsatiated. This evil and terror is well juxtaposed with the continued innocence of Oskar and Eli’s friendship, almost as if Eli does not see the deaths necessary to fulfill her desire for blood as wrong.

In the end, despite the isolationist similarities between being a loner at school and a teenage vampire in a world that looks down on it, the two can never be friends. Or can they?

Alfredson’s film is well worth watching for a variety of reasons: the acting is sound, the snow is used intelligently, the adults intrude just the right amount and there is the gentlest touch of humour. You won’t get nightmares from “Let the Right One In”, but you may get a warm glow from it while keeping a slightly more watchful eye on what the children are up to. There is some blood and gore but is generally good for older children.

PA Guide 8/10

Kåre Hedebrant: Oskar
Lina Leandersson: Eli
Per Ragnar: Håkan
Henrik Dahl: Erik
Karin Bergquist: Yvonne
Peter Carlberg: Lacke
Ika Nord: Virginia
Mikael Rahm: Jocke
Karl-Robert Lindgren: Gösta
Anders T. Peedu: Morgan
Pale Olofsson: Larry (as Paul Olofsson)
Cayetano Ruiz: Magister Avila
Patrik Rydmark: Conny
Johan Sömnes: Andreas
Mikael Erhardsson: Martin

Creative Nature (USA 2008)
Director: John Andres

On the face of it, a documentary about a legend of the glass-blowing world might not sound like the next "Raiders of the Lost Ark". But Bill Morris is an interesting enough subject to enable John Andres’ flick to be eminently watchable. Morris is neither full of himself nor arrogant despite his prodigious talent. The film sets a nice pace near the beginning and maintains it throughout. Andres finds and films Morris at work, in the hot shop at Pilchuck Glass School and at the Palm Springs Desert Museum, as well as pursuing his love of outdoors sports.

There is plenty of footage from the glassblowing workshop, and you can only sit and admire the artistry and teamwork. Morris himself is interviewed at length and displays a self-deprecating touch of humour which plays nicely both on camera and in the overall context of the film.

There is of course a limit to what you can achieve with a documentary such as this, but the nature both of glassblowing and Morris’s outdoor activities gives Andres plenty of scope for some cracking cinematography. Morris jousting with a greedy shark catches your eye for some reason. Overall, Morris makes an interesting subject and Andres explains him well. If you’re interested in art or artists, you won’t be disappointed in "Creative Nature".

PA Guide 6/10

Savage Grace (USA 2007)
Director: Tom Kalin

Review by Mike Caccioppoli

On November 17 1972 Barbara Baekeland was stabbed to death in her London flat by her son Tony, and as with most everything in London, it was a scandal. We see stories like this too often and we wonder how it could happen, how could a son kill his mother? Tom Kalin’s “Savage Grace” tells us how. Barbara (Julianne Moore) was married to Brooks Baekeland (Stephan Dillane), heir to the Bakelite plastics fortune, and we first meet them in late 40’s New York as they are about to head to one of their posh dinners with other rich folks. At the time Tony was just an infant but it was already obvious that he wasn’t going to have a “normal” upbringing. As the film heads through the 50’s and into the 60’s we see a grownup Tony (Eddie Redmayne) dealing with his own sexual confusion while growing distant from his philandering father and continuing an unhealthy and incestuous relationship with his mother.

“Savage Grace” seems to be saying that with Tony’s screwed-up parents, who seem to be always playing a sick game of one-upmanship with each other, it’s no wonder that he become mentally unstable and that the eventual tragedy was unfortunately inevitable. This is as good a theory as any because we can never really know what drives someone to insanity; however, some people will be put off by the film’s almost casual rendering of the events leading up to the murder.

While the film does have an episodic nature (that it probably couldn’t have avoided given that it covers so many years), and therefore it sometimes seems that a lot has been left out, we can’t help but feel that director Kalin took the right approach with this dicey and controversial subject matter. With its scenes of mother-son incest, mental breakdowns and especially with Moore’s portrayal of a woman in constant distress, “Savage Grace” could have easily degenerated into another “Mommie Dearest.” However, Kalin avoids turning his film into a cheesy camp fest and instead delivers a quietly unsettling film. While it may come across as too cold and calculating for some, those who can appreciate its restraint should come away satisfied.

PA Guide 8/10

Julianne Moore: Barbara
Stephan Dillane: Brooks
Eddie Redmayne: Tony

Dust (Germany/Switzerland 2007)
Director: Hartmut Bitomsky
Original Title: Staub

Review by Karen Pecota

Have you ever wondered what purpose, cause, or effect particles of dust have on our human existence? Many of us have sat in a sunlit room mesmerized by the sudden appearance of tiny particles dancing in mid-air from the spotlight of the sun's rays. And, depending upon the intensity of the sun and its prism in which the light flows, we are awestruck by the natural affect of the sparkle and illumination to be seen by our naked eye. The beauty and splendid magnification can be somewhat eerie. It may even seem reulsive that many of the dancing particles which sunlight chooses to expose are pure and simply dead skin cells flying at will.

The European film director Harmtmut Bitomsky uses his film "Dust" as a vehicle to take the audience on an educational journey exploring both positive and negative characteristics of one of the world’s tiniest visible particles and how it affects our world as we know it. We are confronted with the applications every day.

The German no frills—no thrills style of documentary is anything but engaging to a post-modern generation of youth or younger people. However, it is a typical style of documentation that an older Germanic people would respect and admire. After all, who needs attractive graphics and tantalizing music to draw their attention to material is true and factual? This older group is more interested in the material or the message. They can’t be bothered with the manipulation of their emotions in order to draw them to the subject. The information clearly stated along with visuals of scientific classroom experiments is good enough. Bitomsky’s "Dust" accomplishes this very task. He gives a comprehensible documentation with monotone narration that will delight those who just require the facts.

PA Guide 4/10

Ain’t Scared (France 2008)
Director: Audrey Estrougo
Original Title: Regarde-moi

Audrey Estrougo is only 23. For anyone making their directorial debut to get such strong performances from the cast is laudable. For someone so young, it deserves great praise indeed. However, it isn’t fair to say this is a great film. It lacks some of the staples, but if you focus on its strengths, there is plenty to admire.

"Ain’t Scared" is set in the “projects” of Paris. To explain briefly what may be an unfamiliar term, there are housing estates (banlieux) on the outskirts of Paris which are blighted by high unemployment, drugs, poverty and crime. The immigrant population of these estates is high, especially those from the former French colonies of Africa. Accusations of police harassment are never far from the surface.

It is in this environment that Estrougo, who has personal experience of life there, follows the lives of some of the youths on the estate. There is no one main character and this prevents us following such action as there is too closely. This isn’t really a story being moved along by events; this is more of a study into the hopes of the youth there and the difference between those with some hopes and those without.

What is unique here is that, broadly divided into two, each part follows the lives of one gender over the same 24 hour period. This technique allows us to see that even though the poverty is shared, there is a difference in the experience depending on your gender. Not that Estrougo overtly diminishes the role of race, but it is largely played down, and for a long period is far more subdued than you might have expected.

The characters are really far more driven by sex than anything else. Lovable white hood Yannick (Paco Boublard) has the hots for mixed-race Melissa (Djena Tsimba) and almost all the other relationships seem to cross racial lines, without causing any tension amongst the males. It is really only when Estrougo turns her attention to the females that any degree of action happens. Even then it seems excessive in light of the little that preceded it.

The colloquial ‘banlieue’ French doesn’t really survive the translation that well. It just seems so much less menacing. "Ain’t Scared" certainly creates a degree of anticipation for Estrougo's next film, however, and she is a talent to watch for future years.

PA Guide 6/10

Emilie de Preissac: Julie
Eye Haidara: Fatima
Lili Canobbio: Éloïse
Terry Nimajimbe: Jo
Paco Boublard: Yannick
Oumar Diaw: Mouss
Jimmy Woha: Khalidou
Salomé Stévenin : Daphné
Djena Tsimba: Mélissa
Renaud Astegiani: Renaud
Malika Azgag: Malika
Marie-Sohna Conde: Mélissa's mother
Martine Gomis: Fanta
Prana Ovide-Etienne: Mouni
Soraya Bekhti: Soraya

Fairytale of Kathmandu (Northern Ireland 2007)
Director: Neasa Ni Chianain

This is a controversial and brave documentary which although only an hour long fearlessly takes on several taboos. It sparked a national conversation in Ireland, with activists jumping to defend and attack both documentarian and subject. Readers should know that the resolution is uncomfortable and awkward subjects are tackled. As a normal rule, Prost Amerika would not tell you the outcome of a film, not even a documentary, but given the way Ni Chianain’s profile of Irish poet Cathal O Searcaigh ends, an exception can be justified.

Ni Chianain has idolized Irish language poet Cathal O Searcaigh for many years. O Searcaigh is a celebrated gay Irish poet who writes (beautifully) in the Irish language. He makes annual trips to Nepal where he is instrumental in financially assisting several young boys in their education. In Nepal he finds the inspiration for many of his poems. He has also adopted a local boy as his godson. He is about fifty years old and those he helps, all male, range from 16 years old to roughly twenty. For many viewers red flags are already waving as plainly as the Nepalese peace flags outside the poet’s Donegal home. However, Ni Chianain’s idolization of her subject appears to continue unabated. Bizarrely, he agrees to let her and a camera crew follow him on one of his annual trips to Kathmandu, where the unpleasant reality about his activities is finally uncovered. What seems to have annoyed many is that even after finding out the truth about the boys’ visits to Searcaigh’s hotel room, the first half of the film is still made by her pre-revelation persona. She puts herself in her own documentary as having been affected by what she discovers. You can’t help but feel that the first half was slightly fraudulent.

You can also question why exactly O Searcaigh would invite a camera crew to follow him to Kathmandu if he didn’t want to be caught, and why Ni Chianain went to RTE for broadcast rather than to the Nepali social services. If you accept that the wealthy European is exploiting the poverty stricken Nepalese teenagers, is it not also possible that Ni Chianain is exploiting everyone? (To be factual, it has to be mentioned that the homosexual age of consent is 16 in Nepal and O Searcaigh is not committing any crime, and that the ending credits claim that the youths affected are receiving counseling as a result.)

You can tell by the length of this review that this is a film that will get you thinking and talking about several issues; honesty in documentary film making, homophobia, sex tourism and exploitation to name a few. "Fairytale of Kathmandu" is a film you will want to see, for a wider variety of reasons than with almost any other documentary.

PA Guide 8/10

The Saga of Anatahan (Japan 1953)
Director: Josef von Sternberg
Original Title: Anatahan

Review by Kathy Fennessy

It's just like Viennese director Josef von Sternberg ("Morocco", "Shanghai Express") to go out in style. Populated by an all-Japanese cast, his final film plays like a cross between "Woman in the Dunes", "Underground", "Letters from Iwo Jima", and ABC's "Lost". (Though Sternberg narrates in English, the dialogue is not translated; an initially off-putting, but effective choice.)

Based on the novel by Michiro Maruyana, the story begins in 1944 when 12 sailors, ranging from captain to cook, are shipwrecked on the volcanic island of Anatahan. They are not alone. The tiny speck of land is inhabited by a grumpy fellow (Tadashi Suganuma) and his common-law wife (Akemi Negishi), who were stranded years before. The new arrivals are inexorably drawn to the island's lovely Queen Bee. And she to them. Well, some of them, at any rate.

Years pass, the war ends, but the "Drones" remain forgotten, so they continue to drink coconut wine and to compete for Keiko's favors, but she stays faithful to her longtime companion because, as Sternberg tells us, that's what good Japanese women do. Keiko may be flirtatious, but that doesn't make her bad. Simmering tensions finally come to a boil when a plane crashes on the island. The passengers seem to have landed elsewhere, but the vessel parts contain pistols, ammunition, cords for a shamisen (a traditional stringed instrument), and a printed parachute, which someone—presumably Keiko—stitches into spiffy new outfits.

The fun doesn't last long. The armed men try to make Keiko their own, but the island has other plans, and the bodies start to drop. Though made in Kyoto, this expressive film plays out primarily on studio sets, and the moss and shell-covered locations are obviously fake, but Sternberg makes the limitation work for him, living up to Andrew Sarris's claim that this Pantheon Director was "a lyricist of light and shadow."

In his classic auteurist text The American Cinema, Sarris adds that the filmmaker's sharp-dressed protagonists tend to "retain their civilized graces despite the most desperate struggles for psychic survival, and it is their poise under pressure, their style under stress, that grants them a measure of heroic status and stoic calm." And Sternberg's sympathies for a proud woman make Keiko a worthy successor to the regal angels and empresses Marlene Dietrich once embodied for her favorite director.

PA Guide 7/10

Akemi Negishi: Keiko Kusakabe, the 'Queen Bee'
Tadashi Suganuma: Kusakabe, Husband of Keiko (as Suganuma)
Kisaburo Sawamura: Kuroda (as Sawamura)
Shôji Nakayama: Nishio (as Nakayama)
Jun Fujikawa: Yoshisato (as Fujikawa)
Hiroshi Kondo: Yanaginuma (as Kondo)
Shozo Miyashita: Sennami (as Miyashita)
Tsuruemon Bando: Doi (as Tsuruemon)
Kikuji Onoe: Kaneda (as Kikuji)
Rokuriro Kineya: Marui (as Rokuriro)
Daijiro Tamura: Kanzaki (as Tamura)
Takeshi Suzuki: Takahashi (as Suzuki)
Shiro Amikura: Amanuma (as Amikura)

Garden Party (USA 2008)
Director: Jason Freeland

Erik Scott Smith as homeless musician Sammy just about steals the show in "Garden Party", Jason Freeland’s first feature film since "Brown’s Requiem" in 1998. One of many intertwining characters, Sammy is likeable if a bit clichéd, and well-played by Smith. Nathan, who befriends Sammy, is from Nebraska and has his own L.A. story to tell. He in turn works for Sally St Claire (Vinessa Shaw), a seemingly dominant and bossy real estate agent. At some point Sally's and Nathan’s lives intertwine with that of April (Willa Holland), who is seeking a way of making money that doesn’t involve taking her clothes off. There are many more characters, too many to name here, and also too many to develop to any depth.

As their lives criss-cross, several sub-stories develop, most of which are tidied up neatly at the end. In truth, "Garden Party" is really an assembly of short stories. It’s neatly done and not terribly ambitious in its depth, perhaps realizing that a film about several lives intertwining cannot by its very nature find time for any extensive character building. However, the acting and the script are good enough to raise the film well above the level of a soap opera.

"Garden Party" seems to have all the pre-requisites to be a commercial hit in the USA. Good looking young people, a love story, some rebels, a good soundtrack and even vaguely pantomime villains whose effect is to make everybody else look great. Not that any of this makes it a bad film, and there is enough of a plot and enough good performances to enable us to wish "Garden Party" success.

Prost Amerika Interviews Richard Gunn, Tim Youd and Jason Freeland of "Garden Party"

PA Guide 7/10

Erik Scott Smith: Sammy
Tierra Abbott: Lana
Vinessa Shaw: Sally
Willa Holland: April
Christopher Allport: Davey
Alexander Cendese: Nathan
Lisa Arturo: April's Mother
Erik Bragg: Dirk
Candice A. Buenrostro: Bartender
Alesha Clarke: Adriana
Lindley Domingue: Groupie
Fiona Dourif: Becky
Shelley Dowdy Anna
Robert Ellsworth: Waiter
Carrie Finklea: Lost Girl
Patrick Fischler: Anthony
Scott Grossman: Super Duper
Richard Gunn: Todd
Aaron Hanson: Party Goer / Pool guy
Roy Hausmann: Real Estate Agent
Jessica Havard: Groupie
Jordan Havard: Wayne
Sonita Henry: Celine
Willa Holland: April
Robin Sydney: Sara
Shelly Varod: Jasmine
Jim Cody Williams: Dougie

Son of a Lion (Australia 2007)
Director: Benjamin Gilmour

This is a very sound and enjoyable drama centering on the relationship between father and son. The action takes place in Darra in the Northwest Frontier province of Pakistan. This region is known for the inability of the Pakistani central authorities to exert any control over its warlords, and for being the rumoured hiding place of Osama Bin Laden and other former Taleban fighters.

Sher Alam (Sher Alam Miskeen Ustad) is one such former Taleban, a gun manufacturer and widower. He lives with his son Niaz (Niaz Khan Shinwari) and Niaz’s grandmother. Their existence is frugal partly because of the poverty and partly because of Sher Alam’s strict brand of Islam. Sher is very adamant that young Niaz (he seems about nine) goes into the family business, but Niaz, encouraged by the world he sees around him and the influence of his uncle Baktiyar (Baktiyar Ahmed Afridi), has loftier ambitions.

Gilmour allows the tension of their relationship to unfold beautifully and takes his time establishing the surrounding characters, but the film is never slow or plodding. In each scene, we are learning something new about their environment or their politics, or are meeting new characters. No shot, no line is wasted. There are just enough sub-plots to hold our interest without losing focus on Niaz, his dreams and his father’s opinion of them.

There is an increasing clutch of films about this part of the world, one normally only known to us from the news, and Gilmour’s film is an excellent addition to our cultural understating of the Pashtan people, the predominant ethnic group in the area.

Cinematographically, the hustle and bustle of the provincial capital Rawalpindi provides a superb contrast to the bleakness of the rural village and accompanying refugee camp where Niaz lives.

A thoroughly enjoyable experience and a new and varied twist on the theme of father and son relationships, which will leave you feeling fully satisfied on leaving the cinema.

PA Guide 8/10

Niaz Khan Shinwari: Niaz
Sher Alam Miskeen Ustad: Sher Alam
Baktiyar Ahmed Afridi: Baktiyar Afridi
Agha Jaan: Agha Jaan
Anousha Baktiyar: Anousha Vasif Shinwari
Fazal Bibi: Grandma
Khaista Mir: Pite Afridi
Hayat Khan Shinwari: Hayat Afridi

Mirageman (Chile 2007)
Director: Ernesto Díaz Espinoza

This is a delightful film from Chile that saves itself by not taking itself too seriously. Maco Gutierrez (Marko Zaror) is a loner and Karate expert in Santiago, Chile’s capital. Frustrated by the level of petty street crime and the police’s inability to curtail it, he takes to the streets as a one-man vigilante squad. Although the martial arts action looks pretty real, Espinoza diverts "Mirageman" away from being a Latin Jackie Chan movie, and leaves plenty of time for the public reaction to react.

Spurred by ambitious TV journalist Carol Valdivieso (María Elena Swett), a debate ensues on the streets of Santiago as to whether the superhero known simply as ‘Mirageman’ is a positive or a negative influence. Affected badly by his publicity, Maco is on the point of giving up several times but he has a mentally ill brother Tito (Ariel Mateluna) who is motivated by seeing Mirageman’s antics in the news on his hospital TV. Mirageman also has two other things going for him: the bad aim of every bad guy in Chile, and wannabe sidekick Pseudo-Robin (Iván Jara) who provides a light comic touch just when you think the film is getting too serious.

If you were in any doubt who the subject of the lampooning is, Espinoza beautifully mimics the style of opening credits used in 70s cop shows Kojak and Starsky and Hutch. It’s a neat touch in a film full of neat touches.

Mirageman won Audience Awards for Best Film at the Austin Fantastic Fest and Best Chilean Film at the Valdivia International Film Festival in 2007 so it’s fair to say this is a likely SIFF 2008 crowd pleaser rather then something film critics will fawn over.

This is only Espinoza‘s second film as a director. We hope to see his next.

PA Guide 7/10

Marko Zaror: Maco Gutierrez
María Elena Swett: Carol Valdivieso
Ariel Mateluna: Tito
Mauricio Pesutic: Juan Moli
Iván Jara: Pseudo-Robin

One Hundred Nails (Italy 2007)
Director: Ermanno Olmi
Original Title: Centochiodi

Ermanno Olmi tends to make films with religious overtones. This latest incarnation uses the backdrop of the River Po. Israeli actor Raz Degan plays a philosophy professor at a religious institution who has a crisis of belief, which he tranquilly handles by desecrating valuable old religious books with large nails. We are then supposed to identify with him and understand him. Please don’t ask why he didn’t just tell the Dean that he wanted to quit. Presumably the nails are necessary just in case you haven’t yet got the Jesus reference. You may have missed it once, but Degan’s physical resemblance to traditional images of the religious figure will soon hammer it home.

“Il Professori” does a runner from his crime and settles in a small village (having faked his own suicide) in a humble stone house. The villagers are all patronisingly uneducated and rural in their outlook. They obligingly nickname him Jesus to round up any viewers who haven’t got it yet (though you’d have to be dumb as a rock to have escaped that long). They bring him food and help build his house. There he becomes their leader in a land struggle and continues to lecture them in small biblical soundbytes on the nature of their existence, struggles with authority, and the meaning of life.

Despite this strained attempt to make him look like the true messenger of all things godly, as opposed to the orthodoxy of old Latin books, the character is neither believable nor likeable. Fans of theological movies will probably warm to this one more due to the paucity of alternatives than for any other reason. That said, the scenery and the shooting are very pleasing to the eye and the local culture makes for an occasional enjoyable interlude from the film’s overbearing self-righteousness.

Raz Degan: Professor
Luna Bendandi: Bread Seller
Andrea Lanfredi: Postman
Amina Syed: Student
Carlo Faroni: Taciturno
Luigi Galvani: Pescatore
Enrico Molinari: Consapevole
Giuseppe Pivanti: Chierichetto
Giovanni Ponti: Gianni
Pino Ponti: Ortolano
Gino Rizzati: Birichino
Angela Fornaciari: Beniamina
Ettore Viani: Innocente
Franco Seroni: Messo comunale
Yuri Dini: Student Photographer

Lakshmi and Me (India/Denmark/Finland/USA, 2007)
Director: Nishtha Jain

Review by Mike Caccioppoli

This is a fascinating documentary about a filmmaker who decides to film her housemaid as she does her chores. Lakshmi is the housemaid and Nishtha Jain is the filmmaker. Jain tells us at the beginning of the film that her mother was a domestic worker but she wanted to be independent and as soon as she was she hired her own maid.

After years of not getting personal with Lakshmi she wanted to “cross the line” and get closer. We watch as Lakshmi does her job, in fact she has six homes that she cleans while barely making a living. Soon enough Lakshmi gets tired of having a camera in her face as she does her mundane chores so Jain decides to follow her home and shoot her there. Over the course of over a year we see Lakshmi contract tuberculosis, get pregnant, and separate from her family who does not approve of her husband.

As Jain continues to film her housemaid she can’t help but get closer to her. When Lakshmi gets sick before giving birth, it’s Jain who helps her find a hospital, and once she gives birth she begins helping her with her baby girl.

With “Lakshmi and Me” Jain doesn’t try to make any grand statements, what she does is question the role of employer and employee and in this case depicts how the role of being a woman in India has changed yet also stayed the same through time. It’s also fascinating how her filming Lakshmi automatically helps break down any barriers that might have been between them.

What we get is not only an examination of the relationship between filmmaker and subject but also a look at how the “caste” system is broken down and rendered obsolete once that relationship is allowed to flourish.

PA Guide 8/10

Bad Habits (Mexico 2007)
Director: Simon Bross
Original Title: Malos habitos

Review by Amie Simon

The first feature from Director Simon Bross gives us a stark glimpse into one family’s fixation and issues with food – exploring how it affects our spirits, lives and relationships.

Mathilde becomes a nun who thinks she can save everyone as long as she doesn’t enjoy food. Aunt Elena is a mother with an eating disorder, who passes her fear of being fat on to her daughter Linda; pushing her husband (Uncle Gustavo) to find solace in the arms of a curvy student who shares his love for delicious fatty entrees.

This beautifully shot film (the scenes featuring food are sure to make you salivate) is hardest to watch when Linda’s failure to lose weight results in Elena’s extreme anger, exposing her character’s disease in excruciating detail.

The end result is a striking, melancholy story that makes you think about how food affects everyone, and about how far some people are willing to go with their obsessions. Definitely recommended – just be aware you won’t leave the theater on an uplifting note.

PA Guide: 7/10

Ximena Ayala: Matilde
Elena de Haro: Elena
Marco Antonio Treviño: Gustavo
Aurora Cano: Teresa
Elisa Vicedo: Linda
Emilio Echevarría: Ramón - Matilde's Father
Patricia Reyes Spíndola: Madre Superiora
Milagros Vidal: Gordibuena
Héctor Téllez: Sacerdote

Sita Sings the Blues (USA 2007)
Director: Nina Paley

Review by Amie Simon

Two parallel stories – the tale of a modern woman whose husband moves to India and dumps her via email, and the epic Indian tale “Ramayana” – come to life in this beautifully animated masterpiece.

We learn the story of Sita and her husband Rama through the narration of three shadow puppets who can’t quite get their facts about the legend straight (which is just one of the many great things about the script). Sita sings us the blues to help the tale along, and in-between we get comedic snippets of the modern tale of Nina, her husband – and her cat.

Multi-talented writer, director, producer, designer and animator Nina Paley has given us an amazing first feature mixing complementary animation styles, the 1920’s vocal styling of jazz great Annette Hanshaw and humor throughout the entire length, including a charming two and half minute intermission.

Even if you’re not normally a fan of animation, we highly recommend that you give this film a chance. It’s more than worth 82 minutes of your time.

PA Guide 8/10

Breakfast with Scot (Canada 2007)
Director: Laurie Lynd

Review by Mike Caccioppoli

Having never read the novel that “Breakfast with Scot” is based on I can’t say if it delves deeper into the issues of homophobia in sports than the film does, but it’s fairly certain that it wasn’t written as a sit-com. The film version plays very much like a weekly sit-com; in fact it wouldn’t be surprising if it was turned into one soon, at least in Canada, where the film takes place. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially if it allows it to be seen by a larger audience than would otherwise be the case.

Tom Cavanagh plays Sam, a former hockey star for the Toronto Maple Leafs and current commentator on a sports network. His boyfriend Ed (Ben Shenkman) is a lawyer for his former team and the two have been together since Sam’s retirement. Being a former athlete Sam isn’t out to most people and Ed resents that fact while also understanding it. Ed’s nephew Scot (Noah Bernett) comes to live with them for a short period while Ed’s immature brother tries to deal with the fact that he has to take responsibility for Scot (whose mother died from an accidental overdose). Scot is an 11 year old who loves to sing Broadway tunes and dress up in extremely flamboyant clothes. This makes Sam very uncomfortable as he not only fears for the boy’s well-being but is also afraid it may out him as well.

“Breakfast with Scot”, while being fairly predictable, is also daring in its examination of sexual identity and the roles we play in society. Making young Scot the effeminate one while Sam is butch and closeted is more than just a humorous role reversal, it also allows Sam to comes to terms with his inner child or self, if you will, and Cavanagh is surprisingly good here. Shenkman as usual is solid as the less closeted Ed, who wishes he could hold Sam’s hand when they walk down the street. Noah Bernett is a real find, making Scot both eccentric and accessible. While Sam has never liked kids it’s no surprise that he’ll warm up to Scot (especially when the boy wants to learn hockey); it’s also no surprise that Sam will eventually come out of the closet, yet when it happens and Sam tells Scot how he’d love to watch him grow up, it’s moving because it feels genuine.

Those expecting a deep, non-commercial look at the issues that “Breakfast with Scot” deals with will probably be disappointed, but if you like really good sit-coms that take chances and aren’t afraid to shine a light on some controversial matters then “Breakfast with Scot” will hit the spot.

PA Guide 7/10

Tom Cavanagh: Sam
Ben Shenkman : Ed
Noah Bernett: Scot

Mother of Tears (Italy/USA 2007)
Director: Dario Argento
Original Title: La Terza madre

Review by Mike Caccioppoli

It seems as though Dario Argento’s “Mother of Tears” is actually the third installment in a trilogy. While this may be news to most it probably won’t be to “B” horror movie fans or fans of Argento. There is indeed some sort of plot here but it’s secondary to what Argento is really interested in -- gore and overacting. There are plenty of both in “Mother of Tears” and there’s even his daughter Asia Argento as the star. The superfluous plot involves good witches, bad witches, and some kind of spell which is making the people of Rome go insane.

Argento enthusiasts will no doubt understand it perfectly. The rest of us will see a convoluted mess that contains some laugh-out-loud scenes of “horror” so cheesy that we know Argento just has to be winking behind the camera.

Argento as always does the best he can with a very limited budget. Shot entirely in Rome, “Mother of Tears” requires Asia Argento to run frantically around the city, trying desperately to avoid a group of crazed women who look like they just came from a bad fashion show. She also has some psychic abilities that have been passed down from her mother.

If you are an Argento fan there’s no doubt that the scenes of gorged eyes, human entrails and gushing blood will excite you; for everyone else “Mother of Tears” will probably bore you to tears. One has to give Argento credit though as nothing is taboo in his world; even babies are thrown off bridges, and sacrificed. All of this must run in the family as poor Asia is put through the ringer. Whether it’s having to deal with a psychotic monkey, or having to run through catacombs while mud is poured on her, she gives her all for dad. These Argentos are a rare breed, thank goodness!

PA Guide 5/10

Asia Argento: Sarah Mandy
Adam James: Michael Pierce
Udo Kier: Padre Johannes
Cristian Solimeno: Detective Enzo Marchi
Moran Atias: Mater Lachrymarum
Valeria Cavalli: Marta Colussi
Philippe Leroy: Guglielmo De Witt Daria Nicolodi: Elisa Mandy
Coralina Cataldi-Tassoni: Giselle Mares
Robert Madison: Agente Lissoni
Jun Ichikawa: Katerina
Tommaso Banfi: Padre Milesi
Paolo Stella: Julian

Triangle (Hong Kong 2007)
Director: Ringo Lam/Johnny To/Tsui Hark

Original Title: Tie saam gok

The term ‘Exquisite Corpse’ style describes a film where more than one director works and each continues the film from an agreed changeover point. "Triangle" is such a film; an enjoyable cops, gangsters and robbers drama with surprisingly well-drawn characters adopting some of the lead roles. The three directors each contribute something, but that does explain a certain level of disjointedness. Watching it, there are times when you cannot be quite sure how deeply into comedy Triangle wishes to dive. In its defence, you can claim that the whole thing is experimental and if you don’t mind spending your money on an experiment, then Triangle has its moments.

Hark creates a trio, Mok (Sun Hong Le), Fai (Louis Koo) and Sam (Simon Yam) who are hard pressed for cash. In Mok's antique shop, Fai suggests a heist to Sam, which requires them to utilize the latter's driving skills. Then Lam takes over. A stranger appears brandishing a gold coin and the film takes another turn. Sub-plots get thrown in and Johnny To finishes it off. Despite all that, if you can keep up, it’s a reasonably rewarding watch. Triangle is entertaining if you can follow it through the plot twists and this genre is already something you warm to.

PA Guide 6/10

Louis Koo: Fai
Simon Yam: Lee Bo Sam
Honglei Sun: Mok Chung Yuan (as Sun Hong Lei)
Ka Tung Lam: Wen (as Lam Ka Tung)
Kelly Lin: Ling
Yong You: Policeman (as Yao Yung)
Suet Lam: Fat Bo (as Lam Suet)

The Home Song Stories (Australia/Singapore 2007)
Director: Tony Ayres

Review by Amie Simon

The radiant Joan Chen stars as Rose in this story of a mother so afraid of losing her best asset – her beauty – that she sabotages her and her children’s lives over and over again.

Moving in and out with an Australian sailor who resides in Melbourne (with his very stereotypical disapproving mother), Rose, her son Tommy and daughter May endure the ups and downs of trying to find stability - and a place where they can all fit in. Their lives become even more tumultuous as daughter May shows her growing beauty and becomes competition for her mother’s lover.

Director Ayres handles the story competently, but there’s something a little too familiar about this story. In addition, watching suicide attempt after suicide attempt eventually gets old. The most moving part of the entire piece was the bookend of son Tommy, writing out his story years later while trying to forgive, and to remember how strong his family’s love was and still is.

Recommended if you’d like to see yet another iteration on parents “doing the best they can”, but skip it if you’ve already seen better films exploring the theme.

PA Guide 6/10

Joan Chen: Rose
Yuwu Qi: Joe
Joel Lok: Tom
Irene Chen: May
Steven Vidler: Bill
Kerry Walker: Norma

Walt and El Grupo (USA 2008)
Director: Theodore Thomas

Review by Karen Pecota

In 1941, Walt Disney was approached by the U.S. government, who asked him to make a goodwill tour to three countries in South America. Disney didn’t consider politics to be his forte and initially declined the offer, but reconsidered after the Roosevelt administration suggested that he use the tour to come up with new ideas for his work in film.

At the time, Germany was trying to bring the South American countries over to Hitler’s side. The U.S. was worried that Hitler would succeed; therefore they needed to send an ambassador to curtail this collaboration. The U.S. still wanted to do everything in its power to avoid going to war with Germany, but was finding it difficult.

Disney was suffering from his own turmoil, with an employee strike on the horizon just before the film “Fantasia” was ready to embark on a worldwide release. Up until this time, Walt Disney’s success had been phenomenal. The renown he gained from the world premiere tour of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves” was what he needed to build his film studio. He had not banked on the fact that the second generation of animators would not be as grateful; instead, they felt taken advantage of and demanded higher wages comparable to those who initially started Walt’s company. The timing was right for some soul-searching, and the goodwill tour to South America was a good opportunity for him to seriously re-evaluate his life, goals and career. In the summer of 1941, Walt Disney and his wife, along with eighteen of his most revered Disney artists, journeyed to an unknown world to represent the good will of the United States, and hoped to find the answers to their questions regarding their future.

This remarkable documentary expounds upon the Walt Disney Americans have grown to know and love; it also exposes a side of him that has never been seen before. The expansive coverage gives credibility to historical accounting of an unconventional mission few people have ever known about.

PA Guide 8/10

Captain Ahab (France/Sweden 2007)
Director: Philippe Ramos
Original Title: Capitaine Achab

Review by Mike Caccioppoli

Philippe Ramos’ “Captain Ahab” is one of the more original films you are likely to see at this year’s festival. Ramos has very loosely based his film on the novel “Moby Dick” by Herman Melville, with the emphasis on “loosely”. He has envisioned Ahab’s life story in five chapters, each one told from the point of view of the person who is the closest to him at the time. It’s not until we get to the fourth chapter that Ahab is an adult, and even then the story skips Ahab’s entire time as the daring whaler. The first chapter is told by his salty, sometimes abusive father; the second chapter by the aunt who looks after him for a brief period; the third chapter by Mulligan, the man who takes him in after he runs away; the fourth chapter by Anna, the woman who cares for him after the injury that claims his leg; and finally the fifth chapter by his first mate Starbuck, who would have to endure his obsessive quest to find “Moby Dick.”

Ramos’ style is highly artistic (there are even several scenes that are shot as though looking through a porthole), and while at first this may seem pretentious it actually becomes more poignant as the film moves along. Ahab as a boy (played by Virgile Leclaire) is a tough kid who moves around a lot, never able to find his place in life. The adult Ahab is played by veteran French actor Denis Lavant, and he’s a perfect choice with his haggard and austere appearance: we can believe this man has spent his life on the ocean. Never having been able to settle down, Ahab seems destined to travel the seas in search of an elusive demon, and Ramos with his beautifully shot and even poetic film has given us a unique vision of an often told story. It’s at sea that Ahab may have finally found his peace.

PA Guide 8/10

Denis Lavant: Adult Ahab
Virgile Leclaire: Young Ahab
Jacques Bonnaffe: Starbuck
Dominique Blanc: Anna

The Girl by the Lake (Italy 2007)
Director: Andrea Molaioli
Original Title: La Ragazza del lago

This detective story set in northern Italy gets off to an intriguing start with the disappearance of a little girl, and you start to think you know what the plot is going to be. But she turns up safe...then leads the police to the body of a beautiful young woman, Anna Nadal.

Middle-aged police detective Sanzio (Toni Servillo) is called in from a nearby city. There are plenty of possible suspects for him to question -- the simple-minded man who found Anna's body, his bitter father, Anna's slacker boyfriend, her hockey coach, the couple she used to babysit for, even her own father and sister. The picture of Anna that emerges is complex and disturbing; the strong effect she had on the people around her continues to resonate as they talk to Sanzio. As always in a murder mystery, the wrong person is initially arrested, and there are some tense moments.

In between Sanzio's investigations are his painful encounters with his own wife and his daughter Francesca, who is perhaps a few years older than Anna. His wife is in an institution suffering from premature memory loss, and doesn't recognize him, and his daughter is angry at being lied to about her mother's illness. Sanzio's explorations into Anna's brief life and the mystery of her death force him to confront his own family issues, and there is personal resolution for him as well as the revelation of who killed Anna and why.

There are a few implausible moments here, but most of the time "The Girl by the Lake" works on both levels, the gripping murder mystery and the difficult unfolding of life's emotional entanglements and complications. The beautiful Italian scenery is an additional bonus.

PA Guide 8/10

Toni Servillo: Commissario Sanzio
Alessia Piovan: Anna Nadal
Franco Ravera: Mario
Omero Antonutti: Padre di Mario
Marco Baliani: Davide Nadal
Heidi Caldart: Silvia Nadal
Anna Bonaiuto: Moglie di Sanzio
Enrico Cavallero: Allenatore
Denis Fasolo: Roberto
Sandra Cosatto: Madre di Roberto
Sara D'Amario: Dottoressa Giani
Fabrizio Gifuni: Corrado Canali
Valeria Golino: Chiara Canali
Nello Mascia: Alfredo
Giulia Michelini: Francesca
Nicole Perrone: Marta
Maria Sole Mansutti: Madre di marta
Marzia Postagna: Zia di Marta
Fausto Maria Sciarappa: Ispettore Lorenzo Siboldi
Giuliano Zannier: Carlo

Postcards from Leningrad (Venezuela 2007)
Director: Mariana Rondón
Original Title: Postales de Leningrado

Review by Karen Pecota

An explanation of war through the eyes of a child can be misconstrued, but is often creatively interesting. A childlike perspective refers to the fact that they have not yet learned to view life in shades of gray, but still see things in black and white. Children have the ability to take the absolute reality of their everyday existence and mix it with imagination to create a colorful world that is far beyond where they normally live. Film director and screenwriter Mariana Rondón uses this premise for the backdrop of “Postcards from Leningrad”.

Two beautiful Spanish children, La Niña (Claudia Usubiliage) and her endearing cousin Teo (Laureano Olivares), use imagination to narrate their story as the children of Venezuelan political revolutionaries. La Niña receives postcards from Leningrad, which are her only hope that one day she will be reunited her mother. However, as the children eavesdrop on their relatives’ adult conversations regarding the guerilla activity, concern for their parent’s safety inspires their Invisible Man. His mission is to bring their loved ones out of harm’s way (though not without the help of La Niña and Teo).

For a Spanish speaking audience this whimsical narrative is engaging, and the beautiful and talented South American actors will help to attract a larger audience. However, the most interesting aspect of this film is the mesmerizing splendor of the cinematography. The clarity in the technical aspect of its filming is amazing. One is quickly drawn into the colorful world of a childlike imagination, even at the expense of the horrific casualties of war where many children, like La Niña and Teo, have lost their childhood.

PA Guide 7/10

Laureano Olivares: Teo
Greisy Mena: Marcela
William Cifuentes: Teo Nino
Haydee Faverola: Grandmother
María Fernanda Ferro: Marta
Ignacio Marquez: Tio Miguel
Oswaldo Hidalgo: Grandfather
Claudia Usubillaga: The Girl - age 6

Shadow of the Holy Book (Finland/Switzerland/Denmark 2007)
Director: Arto Halonen/Kevin Frazier
Original Title: Puhän kirjan varjo

Saparmurat Niyazov ("Turkmenbashi" or "father of all Turkmen") was the strongman dictator of oil- and gas-wealthy Turkmenistan. As part of the personal cult of worship he developed among the Turkmen people, in 2001 he wrote a ‘holy’ book called the ‘Ruhnama’. Time prevents us from going into the absurdity of the contents of the ‘Ruhnama’, and by itself the subject would probably not be worth a documentary, but as intrepid reporter Kevin Frazier investigates, he finds a darker side to the book and the role it played in the expansion of Niyzov’s expansion of power.

Turkmen television regularly carries news stories of the ‘Ruhnama’ being translated into other languages. So where outside Turkmenistan is the massive market for reading the book? And who’s translating them? Frazier and Halonen found a disturbing trend amongst global companies who were providing translations of the book in return for access to Turkmen government contracts. One French company made a television program praising Niyzov to appease him, but never actually broadcast it in France. (They never told the Turkmens that either).The filmmakers doggedly contacted and harassed the offending companies to ask whether there was a moral issue in disseminating the propaganda of a cruel dictator for contracts. Needless to say, many were not keen to talk to them, and although you may think many of their phone calls to the PR departments were pointless, you will be at least enjoy the knowledge that their obsequious behaviour towards a dictator and his daft propaganda had not gone unnoticed.

Frazier’s style is reminiscent of Michael Moore and he acts in the true spirit of investigative journalism. On several occasions, you fear he’s going to be thumped. But the action is real and he always succeeds in not making the story about himself, which keeps the viewer focused on the issue. Nor do he and Halonen shy away from the true horror of this regime. They talk to dissidents, and it almost seems that during the course of making this film Frazier and Halonen drop their jocular attitude towards this ridiculous book, and realize that these corporations are indirectly responsible for supporting repression.

Then something unforeseen happens. In 2006, the “Turkmenbashi” died. Would his successor allow for a liberalization of Turkmen life? Would he pull down the overbearing statues of this book that dot Turkmenistan’s capital Ashgabat? And most of all, how would the complicit western companies handle their impending public relations challenge if the new administration disowned the book?

Halonen’s film is in Finnish, English and Turkmen. It is eminently watchable and avoids the temptation to belittle or ignore the real suffering of the Turkmen people.

PA Guide 7/10

Mr. Big (Canada 2007)
Director: Tiffany Burns

Review by Mike Caccioppoli

Tiffany Burns’ film is about a little known (especially to those of us in the U.S.) police interrogation sting that is utilized by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police known as “Mr. Big.” The idea is to get a bunch of undercover detectives to act as mafia types in order to get people to admit to crimes on hidden camera. If your reaction here was “huh?”, you’re not alone. This “technique” is described by innocent people who were once convicted of crimes through these methods, and the clearer the methods become the more absurd they actually seem. When the RCMP thinks they know who committed a crime, they put this sting into place. They introduce these “mafia” types into the life of the person they are trying to sting, and once the person becomes involved in this phony world, “Mr. Big”, or the top Mafioso in this case gets them (through some really sinister methods) to “come clean” and confess to their “crimes.” In other words, they better tell him the truth, even if it’s all lies or something bad can happen to them or their families!

Yes, this all totally legal in Canada, even though it’s considered entrapment in the U.S. and in Great Britain. Heck, you know if an interrogation method is illegal in the U.S. it has to be pretty bad. Unfortunately, the no longer mounted police haven’t gotten this message yet, and director Burns’ brother Sebastian is one of the victims of this method. He and his friend Atif Rafay were convicted of killing Rafay’s family in 1994 in Bellevue, Washington. Ok, I know you’re really confused now because if the killings happened in the U.S. why was the interrogation method allowed? Well, the RCMP believes that the plan to murder the family happened in British Columbia. Now doesn’t that clear it all up? But wait, there’s more. There was no physical evidence linking the two 18 year old boys to the crime, even though blood was splattered everywhere. Also the “confessions” they made to the police were totally contradictory to the actual crime scene

Burns interviews many experts in the field of criminology, most of whom weren’t allowed to testify in the trial. We also see footage of Burns and her family trying desperately to convince the media that justice has not been served, including a passionate plea from her father. Burns, who was a reporter in Canada, is obviously not a seasoned documentary filmmaker and “Mr. Big” is sometimes choppy. Several scenes go on too long, especially one where Sebastian and Atif give their statements to a King County judge before sentencing. However, Burns doesn’t seem interested in making a great film; what she wants is to have her brother and Atif exonerated and the “Mr. Big” operation ended. In this regard she has done an admirable job of convincing us that both need to happen post-haste.

PA Guide 7/10

Great Speeches from a Dying World (USA 2007)
Director: Linas Phillips

Linas Phillips took to the streets of his native Seattle to talk to twelve homeless people. The result is an incredibly touching and moving film. It’s not about homelessness but about the homeless - the people, not the issue. He abandons objectivity early on and it becomes clear that he cares for the people that he has come to know, especially Tomey, a highly erudite spokesman and representative for the issues that affect the homeless. Rather than maintaining a documentarian’s idealized detachment, Phillips on occasions interjects himself in their stories, especially when he feels that they are in vulnerable situations. This emotional involvement is surely unavoidable over the course of a year, and we the audience also feel an emotional involvement in their well-being. Phillips manages to avoid evangelizing about the issue and making the rest of us feel guilty. Nor does he portray the homeless as one-dimensional victims.

The name of the film comes from the part where he asks his subjects to read those great speeches that have moved the world. Shakespeare, John F Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and Chief Sealth (from whom Seattle takes its name) are amongst those whose great speeches are used. In the end, the real life stories of the subjects are so moving that this part of it slows the film down, maybe indicating that the subjects’ stories were more compelling than could ever have been imagined.

“Great Speeches from a Dying World” will change the way you look at homeless people. Although at times very hard to watch, this film is a living breathing reason why documentary film is still important.

PA Guide 6/10

Young People Fucking (Canada 2007)
Director: Martin Gero

Review by Mike Caccioppoli

Yes, the title is a fairly accurate description of what we get in this mostly lighthearted film about several couples with varying types of relationships. We are introduced to each pairing and then in episodic fashion are shown what the filmmakers describe as the six phases of the “act.” Prelude, Foreplay, Sex, Interlude, Orgasm, and Afterglow are the phases and each couple has their own issues and agendas that make their stories different yet also similar. The film cuts from one couple to the other and back again as they make their way through their evening of “fun.”

Most of what transpires in “Young People Fucking” is superficial and some situations are more contrived than others. When it’s finally time for the “Afterglow” the film thinks it has said something about sex and relationships, but it really hasn’t. What it has done is given us ninety minutes of fluff, although the often clever dialogue and awkward laughs make it a fairly enjoyable and painless ninety minutes at that.

PA Guide 6/10

Aaron Abrams: Matt
Diora Baird: Jamie
Sonja Bennett: Mia
Callum Blue: Ken
Kristin Booth: Abby
Josh Cooke: Eric
Josh Dean: Andrew
Ennis Esmer: Gord
Natalie Lisinska: Inez
Peter Oldring: Dave
Carly Pope: Kris

Young Adam (Scotland 2003)
Director: David Mackenzie

Tilda Swinton, Peter Mullan and Ewan MacGregor head a very strong cast for this tale set against the post-war poverty of 1950s Scotland. Joe Taylor (Ewan MacGregor) is an introvert and drifter who finds himself working on one of the barges that travel between Glasgow and Edinburgh on the Forth and Clyde Canal. His employers and co-residents are husband and wife Ella and Les Gault (Swinton and Mullan). Life is hard and there is little privacy on the barge. Their way of life is dying. Only the post-war continuation of petrol rationing has prevented the lorry from entirely killing the barge as an economic method of transport.

One day Les and Joe find a young woman’s body floating in the River Clyde. For Les, this is just about the most exciting thing that has ever happened to him, but Joe is guarding a secret. Through well presented and easily understood flashbacks, we see Joe’s past return to haunt him – not that his behaviour in the present is any better. MacGregor’s face is probably just a little too angelic to play someone as utterly without scruple as Joe Taylor, and Tilda Swinton’s Scottish accent (Lady Diana Spencer was a classmate at school) can appear positively gentrified compared to Mullan’s earthy and genuine real thing. Mullan however is his usual excellent self and as in Boy A, while he has the talent to steal the show, he holds back his performance to allow others to flourish.

Nevertheless, the story line is sound and the action never slows down so much that you lose interest. And without giving anything away, the film's climax where Joe has to make a decision is incredibly well controlled, leaving you guessing and attentive till the credits roll.

PA Guide 6/10

Ewan McGregor: Joe Taylor
Tilda Swinton: Ella Gault
Peter Mullan: Les Gault
Emily Mortimer: Cathie Dimly
Jack McElhone: Jim Gault
Therese Bradley: Gwen
Ewan Stewart: Daniel Gordon
Stuart McQuarrie: Bill
Pauline Turner: Connie
Alan Cooke: Bob M'bussi
Rory McCann: Sam

Mister Foe (Hallam Foe) (Scotland 2007)
Director: David Mackenzie

Known as Hallam Foe in Scotland but Mister Foe in the USA, David Mackenzie’s latest film will do wonders for Edinburgh’s tourist industry, if it achieves little else. Jamie Bell stars as Hallam Foe, an introvert who develops an unhealthy fascination with his hotel co-worker Kate Breck (Sophia Myles)...unhealthy as the obsession is due to the remarkable similarity she has to his dead mother. Having run away from his good natured but gullible father Julius (Ciarán Hinds) and his extraordinarily manipulative new stepmother Verity (Claire Forlani), Hallam encounters Kate by chance while homeless on the streets of Edinburgh.

Bell is better known for portraying Billy Elliot in Stephen Daldry’s 2000 classic about a ballet dancer in a northern English town, but though this is not his debut performance it is still remarkable and noteworthy.

PA Guide 7/10

Jamie Bell: Hallam Foe
Sophia Myles: Kate Breck
Ciarán Hinds: Julius Foe
Jamie Sives: Alasdair
Maurice Roëves: Raymond
Ewen Bremner: Andy
Claire Forlani: Verity Foe
Ruth Milne: Jenny
John Paul Lawler: Carl
Lucy Holt: Lucy
Malcolm Shields: Kilt Man
John Comerford: Grumpy Glaswegian
Gerry Cleary: Grumpy Glaswegian
Paul Blair: Raincoat Man
Neil McKinven: Police Officer

Under the Bombs (France/Lebanon/England 2007)
Director: Philippe Aractingi
Original Title: Sous les Bombes

It’s summer 2006 and the Israeli air force is once again bombing southern Lebanon, a prelude to their disastrous invasion later on. In the midst of the carnage, upper class and educated Zeina (Nada Abou Farhat) has returned from Dubai. She had left her son, Karim, with her sister and fraught with worry has returned to rescue him. Despite being a Shi’ite Muslim, she arrives at Beirut airport with am improbably revealing outfit and the film begins with her doomed attempt to find a cab driver to take her to the bomb-ravaged south of the country. Eventually, she finds the mysterious, slightly shifty and forward Tony. For reasons that aren’t clear at the start, he agrees to embark on the dangerous mission into the south.

And so a remarkable story begins in which the two develop a business relationship that occasionally borders on a variety of other possibilities. He is forward and friendly. She is aloof and distant. She’s also not terribly nice but Farhat perfectly conveys exhibits the frustration of being in a place she’d rather avoid. As she begins to realize the mission will be neither short or quick, she slowly adapts to being back in Lebanon and ceases to hit out at Tony merely for being Lebanese.

The story is probably safely described as a road movie set in the wreckage of a country. Tony is a Christian and his brother went to Israel with the defeated and depleted South Lebanon Army who had been Israeli proxies in an earlier war. Zeina, although ostensibly a Shi’ite, has been away for long enough and has been enough affected by Dubai to show little empathy with the extremists they encounter. While Zeina is fixated on finding her son, Tony begins to develop feelings for her, even though she is distant and unreachable. In a way, they are both chasing the unattainable in hostile territory. It is Tony’s part of the world but the bombing has rendered it beyond recognition.

These are two fictional characters, but the events depicted -- the bombings, the broken ceasefires, the arrival of the French UN contingent to save them from obliteration -- are all real and historical. The film was shot during the events portrayed in south Lebanon and some of it was apparently unscripted and affected by ongoing events. But don’t think that this is a propaganda movie. Aractingi avoids laying on the political aspect of the surrounding events too thickly, and this means that there is no reason to avoid “Under the Bombs”. In fact there is every reason to see it; this is one of those films that grows on you more and more, and you eventually feel emotionally invested in the fate of Zeina’s quest as Aractigi builds up to the film’s climax.

PA Guide 8/10

Georges Khabbaz: Tony
Nada Abou Farhat: Zeina

Summer Heat (Netherlands 2007)
Director: Monique van de Ven
Original Title: Zommerhitte

Based on a story by Dutch novelist Jan Wolkers, "Summer Heat" is one of this films that is just not well served by the attractiveness of its cast. Waldemar Torenstra plays Bob Griffioen, a war photographer turned freelancer after fleeing a horrific incident in Afghanistan in which his girlfriend was killed. Quite how two bands of rival Taleban missed a third vehicle in a desert before engaging each other is one of the many mysteries that don’t really get explained. Having fled, Griffioen (who has the body and looks of a model not a photographer), arrives on the island of Texel where he encounters Kathleen (Sophie Hilbrand). She just emerges out of the sea while he happens to be out taking photographs. She entertains on a mobster’s boat (he is known as The Mummy); in fact the whole population of the island bar Bob seem to be invited.

While trying to have a relationship with Kathleen against The Mummy’s wishes, he meets the even less likely character of Federico Federici (Jeroen Willems). Federici seems to know about everything happening on the island, information he happily volunteers to Bob who decides to pick a fight with The Mummy and his minders. It is never quite clear why the bad guys just don’t go and kill Bob. Every other character in the film seems to be able to find his house with no problem. Yet they remain happy to let this new arrival on the island become a permanent inconvenience to them.

It’s not badly acted but the plot and character stretch credulity just a little too far for this to be taken too seriously.

PA Guide 5/10

Waldemar Torenstra: Bob Griffioen
Sophie Hilbrand : Kathleen
Jeroen Willems: Federico Federici
Johan Leysen: The Mummy
Cees Geel: de Lange
Jelka van Houten: Jara
Jochum ten Haaf : Vogelwachter
Gijs Naber: Richard
André Arend van de Noord: Dennis
Giam Kwee: Caron
Bert Luppes: Boer
Rik van de Westelaken: Newsreader
Matteo van der Grijn: Chauffeur
Peter van Bokhorst: Klaas
Sarah Jonker: Barmaid #1

Shall We Kiss? (France 2007)
Director: Emmanuel Mouret
Original Title: Un baiser s’il vous plait?

Review by Amie Simon

Only the French could craft a thoroughly hilarious romantic comedy about…cheating. Director and writer Emmanuel Mouret walks us through a comedic story within a story about the complications of attraction, lust and love, and relationships in general.

A man and a woman meet by chance on the streets of Nantes and spend the evening talking, laughing and getting along famously. At the end of the night, the woman declines the man’s offer of “a kiss without consequences” – leading into a longer story explaining why it’s never possible to indulge your desires without affecting someone else.

Judith and Nicolas are the best of friends, and completely platonic. She enjoys her settled, married life and her job - he struggles to find the perfect girl, but manages to be happy anyway…until he suggests he might be lacking intimacy, and proposes that they might work out this problem together. Cue some of the most honest, heart-breaking and funny scenes you’ve ever seen about two people trying as hard as they can to not admit they might in love. Both stories are perfectly written and casted and you will enjoy the story of the strangers as much as the main story about Judith and Nicholas. Highly recommended.

PA Guide 8/10

Virginie Ledoyen: Judith
Emmanuel Mouret: Nicolas
Julie Gayet: Émilie
Michaël Cohen: Gabriel
Frédérique Bel: Caline
Stefano Accorsi: Claudio
Mélanie Maudran: Pénélope
Marie Madinier: Églantine
Lucciana de Vogüe: Louise
Jacques Lafoly: Le garçon au restaurant

A Secret (France 2007)
Director: Claude Miller
Original Title: Un Secret

Review by Lindsey Johnson, Manager Washington State Film Office

How do you move on when something so tragic happens that it breaks your soul? When living with pain is so hard to manage, sometimes it’s easier to just never speak of it, but that doesn’t mean that one never thinks of it. Based on a true story, this moving film gives insight into the inner workings of a tight-knit French family who lived through the Nazi invasion, and how they moved on, yet never fully recovered. The story follows a young boy who lives with the constant state of knowing that no matter what he does, it's never good enough for his father. To cope he creates an imaginary magnanimous older brother who always does everything right, somehow explaining his father’s distaste and constant disapproval of him. Growing up in the shadow of this imaginary brother, he comes to find out that his imagination may be more accurate then he could have possibly known.

Claude Miller's film is a fascinating insight into how a family copes in the face of tragedy, and he mesmerizes with beautiful use of color and light as the intricate character development unfolds.

PA Guide 8/10

Cécile De France: Tania
Patrick Bruel: Maxime Nathan Grinberg
Ludivine Sagnier: Hannah Golda Sirn Grinberg
Julie Depardieu: Louise aged 37
Nathalie Boutefeu: Esther
Yves Verhoeven: Guillaume
Yves Jacques: Commander Béraud
Sam Garbarski: Joseph
Orlando Nicoletti: Simon aged 7
Valentin Vigourt: François aged 7
Quentin Dubuis: François aged 14
Myriam Fuks: Hannah's Mother
Robert Plagnol: Robert
Michel Israel: Hannah's Father

Days and Clouds (Italy/Switzerland, 2007)
Director: Silvio Soldini
Original Title: Giorni e nuvole

Review by Char Easter

“Days and Clouds” is aptly named and something Seattle audiences are all too familiar with – an unrelenting dark cloud that never leaves. But in this case the gloom is not an overcast but rather a situation. When Michele gets laid off, he and his wife are faced with staving off the wolf at their door. Over the course of the next two hours, we follow their downward spiral as they lower their standards with increasingly humiliating jobs and housing downsizing. The only crack in the depressing situation is in their relationship, as each of them reveals their character under pressure. However, the hope for a surprise discovery that lets a ray of hope and light shine into their lives quite never materializes. Perhaps transformation has its price and the payoffs are not always monetary.

Not recommended for the unemployed

PA Guide 6/10

Margherita Buy: Elsa
Antonio Albanese: Michele
Giuseppe Battiston: Vito
Alba Rohrwacher: Alice
Carla Signoris: Nadia
Fabio Troiano: Riki
Paolo Sassanelli: Salviati
Arnaldo Ninchi: Padre di Michele
Teco Celio: Ragionier Terzetti
Antonio Carlo Francini: Luciano
Carlo Scola: Fabrizio
Alberto Giusta: Roberto
Orietta Notari: Signora Carminati

Alexandra (Russia 2007)
Director: Alexander Sokurov
Original Title: Aleksandra

Review by Char Easter

Denis, a captain in a Chechnya army outpost, sends for his grandmother Nikolaevna, played by legendary opera singer Galina Vishnevskaya, to pay a visit. The movie begins as young soldiers tenderly help this robust and slow-moving old woman into freight train boxcars and armored tanks to make the journey into a world that is not grandma friendly.

Her presence is a comic contrast to the testosterone-driven camp of macho young soldiers. But their tough facades are no match for Nikolaevna’s gruff but disarming demeanor. Like a matronly Colombo, she grills the young soldiers on small personal matters and the tender transformations that result remind us that a grandmother’s presence (love) has more power over men than any interrogation by force. The tall strapping unit commander steals a brief touch of her hand as she leaves. Alexandra is a tender tribute to humanity amidst brutality of war torn Chechnya.

PA Guide 8/10

Galina Vishnevskaya: Alexandra
Vasily Shevtsov: Denis
Raisa Gichaeva: Malika

Anvil! The Story of Anvil (USA 2008)
Director: Sacha Gervasi

Review by Amie Simon

Childhood friends Steven “Lips” Kudlow and Robb Reiner have been together for 30 years of dedication, support, and most importantly, heavy metal. In the 1980s, Canadian band Anvil was at the top of their game. Playing with other more popular acts, they set the musical standards for hardcore rockin’. Short interviews with members of Metallica, Guns-N-Roses, Motorhead and more give credit to Anvil for heavily influencing the heavy metal genre.

But twelve albums later, Anvil are still living in obscurity. Now that Lips and Robb are in their 50s, it's time for something to give. After a disappointing European tour that leaves them defeated and out of what little money they had, Anvil decides to give fame one last shot by putting all they’ve got into a 13th album called “This is Thirteen”.

It’s clear that their popularity problem lies in the music more than anything. Anvil seems to have gotten stuck in a rut – each album sounding more and the more same, ensuring nothing will stand out. To top it off, finding a decent label and competent management is more than a challenge. Still, they have their fans, and their fans are more than dedicated.

Lips’ enthusiasm, optimism, and drive are so infectious that you’ll find yourself smiling and rooting for him to succeed. Sure, this film is full of hilarious moments, but it’s also inspiring and just a great story about real people trying to do what they love – without anyone having to make anything up. How often does that happen?

PA Guide 8/10

Nocturna (Spain 2007)
Directors: Adrià García, Víctor Maldonado

Review by Karen Pecota

Tim, who lives in the city orphanage, is afraid of the dark. Every night, Tim aggravates his roommates with the rituals he performs to hang onto some form of light to keep him safe in his dark world. One night he discovers that his favorite star, Adhara, has disappeared from the sky. He begins to see a pattern of star disappearance, which worries him, because without their help to light the night sky, he would soon never be able to sleep. Secretly Tim, heads to the rooftop of the orphanage to get a better look at the catastrophe.

The journey there is frightening, and he arrives to find that the stars are dropping out of the sky even faster now. On the rooftop, Tim meets several creatures of the night, some scary, some benign. They encourage him to get to the bottom of the crisis and bring him to visit the Night Boss, who sends Tim off to catch the star thief. There will be danger, but Tim’s companions Tobermory and Cat Shepard are there to help and keep his fears at bay.

This quirky animated narrative from Spain explores one way to conquer the fear of the dark.

PA Guide 7/10

Kung Fu Panda (USA 2008)
Director: Mark Osborne, John Stevenson

DreamWorks’ new animated hero, the big and furry Chinese Panda Po (voiced by Jack Black), dreams of Kung Fu fighting with the legendary martial arts masters of old. Po’s father is the village restaurateur, known for his delicious noodles, and Po is meant to carry on the family business, but has other ideas.

Po wants to attend the village festival where Kung Fu Master Tai Lung (voiced by Ian McShane) will announce “The Chosen One”, who will carry on the legacy of the mighty warrior of peace. AFter finaing a way inside, both Po and the villagers get a shock when he is announced as the one. Also taken aback are Master Lung's friends, the legendary "Furious Five" -- Tigres (voice by Angelina Jolie), Crane (David Cross), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Viper (Lucy Liu), Monkey (Jackie Chan) and their guru Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman).

Now Po faces the challenge is making his dreams come true and proving to the Furious Five that he can do the job. Master Lung encourages Po, and sends him to be trained by his most trusted martial artist and friend, Shifu.

Children will be captivated by the “Kung Fu Panda” narrative as much as by the loveable creatures, and adults will enjoy DreamWorks’ creations in 3D, which partnered with the Asian anime community for this project, using Yong Duk Jhun for cinematography and Tang Kheng Heng as art director.

PA Guide 7/10

Man on Wire (UK 2008)
Director: James Marsh

Review by Mike Caccioppoli

“Man on Wire” is a breathtaking documentary about the guy who walked between the twin towers in August of 1974 on a very thin cable. Why it took so long to make this film is a good question, but director James Marsh has done a fantastic job of combining real footage with re-created events to detail how French wirewalker Philippe Petit pulled off this dramatic stunt. Marsh interviews Petit along with several of his accomplices as they describe what they had to do in order to make it all work.

Even though we know the outcome, that Petit was successful and is quite astonishingly still alive, our palms still get sweaty and our legs rubbery as the details of that day are re-counted. What may have seemed like a stupid stunt at first glance is transformed into the realization of a dream and this makes “Man on Wire” an entertaining and touching document of one man’s quest to do the unthinkable.

PA Guide 7/10

Letting Go of God (USA 2008)
Director: Julia Sweeney

Review by Mike Caccioppoli

Julia Sweeney’s “Letting Go of God”, like her 1998 film “God Said, ‘Ha’”, is a one woman tour de force. While her last film dealt with her diagnosis with cancer and the subsequent healing process, her new film deals with her “transition” from Catholicism to Atheism. Having been raised a devout Catholic, it was a soul searching journey that lead her to the ultimate decision to let go of God. Sweeney tells us that it really all began when two Mormon boys showed up at her house. They were quite surprised when she let them come in and give their “pitch” as she describes it. They asked her many questions but when they asked if she “believed” that God loved her, it made her begin to examine that question. Sweeney tells us that when she was a girl, growing up in Spokane, Washington she wanted to be a nun. However, as she grew older she started to question many aspects of the Bible, especially those sections where God does cruel things. How could this be the same loving God that she grew up with? (Not to mention all of the misogynistic parts of the good book as well.)

Throughout the film Sweeney battles through what she has to come to know is the truth vs. what she was told was the truth as she was growing up. Through much soul-searching she makes the decision that God is made up and that she must let go and look at the world in a new and sometimes frightening light. Gone is the comfort she took at believing in God, and it is replaced by uncertainty and chance. It gets even worse when there is a headline in a local Spokane paper that reads, “Julia Sweeney discovers Atheism.” Her mother’s reaction is priceless as she tells Sweeney, “Couldn’t you have just said that you were gay, at least that is socially acceptable!”

“Letting Go of God” is Sweeney at her best, both hilarious and profound, often at the same time. She is a great comedic performer but she also tells a great story. What really comes through is how gut-wrenching a process it was for her to let go of God. She goes back and forth between giving up and holding onto her beliefs before finally making her ultimate decision. While that decision will anger some religious people in the audience it will be impossible for them not see how much angst she had to go through before making it. The irony of the film is that Sweeney’s journey was both a spiritual and religious one. If there’s an ultimate message in “Letting Go of God” it’s simply this -- think.

PA Guide 8/10

Salawati (Singapore 2008)
Director: Marc X. Grigoroff

Salawati is a thirteen year old Sinagapore/Malayan who witnesses the drowning death of her brother. As if that’s not traumatic enough, she experiences the onset of puberty while trying to deal with her grief. Her father, Ishak (Zaidi Irbrahim), is religiously austere, and so mourning the loss of his son that he fails to save any compassion for Wati’s fractured mental state, seeking answers instead in the counsels of his religious advisor. Her mother is there for her, but it is the father who is master in their house.

Raj is Indian and a motorcycle courier. He is not the most reliable of people and his boss usually has cause for some complaint or another about his work. He is a far cry from Chan (Chaar Chun Kong), the ethnic Chinese insurance salesman who is obsessed with his work and the chance to become salesman of the month. His wife becomes increasingly exasperated at his commitment and feels that he has insufficient time for her or their very young son.

The lives of these three characters from Singapore’s unique and indentifiable ethnic groups are followed and become intertwined when Wati begins to follow both Chan and Raj as they go about their daily lives.

Salawati represents Grigoroff’s directoral debut. and given that he had to comingle four languages (Chinese, Tamil, English and Malay), not to mention take a child actor as his lead, it is a very promising debut indeed.

PA Guide 6/10

Mastura Ahmad: Fatimah
Aisyah Masgot: Wati
Zaidi Irbrahim: Ishak
Chaar Chun Kong: Chan
Ravi Kumar: Raj
Kelly Lim: Chan’s Wife

In Search of Kennedy (USA/Germany 2008)
Director: Chuck Workman

It must be hard to find something new to say about John F Kennedy, far less make an entire movie about him. There have been more documentaries and movies made about the 35th president than any other, yet Workman manages to keep the subject fresh with a couple of unique features amongst the stock demonstrations of how much hope he engendered at the time. It isn’t easy to look at this film without making comparisons between Kennedy and Obama, and the filmmakers may regard the timing of their release as either unfortunate or very fortunate indeed.

The film is sub-divided into five parts, ‘The Myth’, ‘The President’, ‘The Present’, ‘The World’, and ‘The Legacy’. Occasionally the film delves into political science fiction when it uses fake news programs to report on a world in which Kennedy survives the assassination. Credit to Workman for finding a new angle, but he takes a risk in temporarily abandoning the role of documentarian for that of soothsayer. Some may wonder what the point of the ‘Bring Back Jack’ segment is. It won’t work for some , but we are immediately brought us back with a bump to reality in part four where the film looks at how the world saw the USA during Kennedy’s short years in power. You can only wonder how likely a repeat of the ticker tape welcome in Venezuela would be nowadays.

In addition to Bill Clinton, Alec Baldwin and Chris Matthews, Workman has acquired contributions from James Carville, Al Franken, Senator Tom Hayden, Tim Shriver, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Arianna Huffington, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Garrison Keillor, Congressman Dennis Kucinich and Norman Mailer.

Overall this is a highly entertaining documentary and very timely too. If there is one criticism it may be that the film tries too hard to be unique in one of the most saturated fields. But for many that would be a bonus, and may add to the film’s allure.

PA Guide 7/10

Theater of War (USA 2008)
Director: John Walter

Meryl Streep doesn’t need to allow a documentarian to make a behind the scenes look at her rehearsal technique. She’s also secure enough to withstand anything negative that might arise. What results is a very intriguing insight into the events that culminate in a performance of Bertold Brecht’s revolutionary Mutter Courage (Mother Courage) at the Delacorte Theater in New York City. Beforehand, Walter examines the issues of war, protest, and Brecht’s brush with the house Un-American Activities Commission.

At first we are taken behind the scenes as Streep, George Woolf (director), Oscar Eustis (director of the Public Theatre), and Tony Kushner (playwright and translator) set about transforming the work on paper into theatrical life. This is relatively interesting for theater aficionados, but the film strengthens as it moves onto the political aspects of the play and then the life of Brecht himself. The central part surrounding issues of war and profit doesn’t being us anything especially new but it does provide a segue to the high point of the film, the closing segment about Bertold Brecht himself.

Carl Weber was Brecht’s assistant director and his recollections of attending Mother Courage’s 1949 Berlin premiere connect us with Brecht and bring the subject matter to life. Accompanied by some incredible footage of Brecht’s starring role (and it was a role) in front of McCarthy’s Senate hearings, the film builds up to a great finish, although you could ask how much exactly some of the preceding hour was necessary to arrive there

"Theater of War" takes a while to get off the ground. The start is a little confusing but once you’re on the same wavelength as the directors, you have a very interesting and watchable documentary.

PA Guide 7/10

Teddy Bear (Czech Republic 2007)
Director: Jan Hřebejk
Original Title: Medvídek

A late surprise at this year’s Seattle International Film Festival comes via the Czech Republic with Jan Hřebejk’s delightful romantic comedy “Teddy Bear”. It’s actually hard to say why this film is so lovely, as there are laughs but nothing side splitting; great dialogue but no lines that will live for ever, and great romances, most of which fall to pieces. It may be just that it not only does its individual parts exceedingly well but also knits them together superbly. The acting is strong, the characters well drawn, the comedy funny and the drama...well, dramatic.

There is no main lead character, but three men, Jirka (Jirí Machácek), Ivan (Ivan Trojan) and Roman (Roman Luknár) form the nucleus of the male army in this war of the sexes. Jirka is married, unhappily, to Vanda (Tatiana Vilhelmová), the manageress of a decaying confectionary store. He owns a failing art gallery with some really awful art on display. And he knows it. Vanda’s terminally shy sister Ema (Klára Issová) wants a baby but not the man. Roman, a gynecologist and philanderer, is married to the beautiful Anna, and Ivan who works in the Czech Embassy in Rome to baby machine Johanka. Neither the marriages nor the men are perfect. The women are given a lighter touch but they all have their foibles. Vanda is lazy and messy and in one hilarious diatribe, Jirka outlines the prosecution in the case against domestic messiness.

There are secrets and affairs, lies and tears and a beautiful cameo scene provided by Vera Kresadlová (who was once married to Milos Forman) and Jirí Menzel as Roman’s father and mother. None of the characters are angels but they are all likeable in their own way. We are not spared from the harm infidelity can cause but neither is it the central theme.

Those of you who have had the privilege of ever spending any time in Prague will revel in the memories the shots bring back to you; if not, you still enjoy the dialogue in this excellent romantic comedy.

PA Guide 9/10

Roman Luknár: Roman
Tatiana Vilhelmová: Vanda
Jirí Machácek: Jirka
Natasa Burger: Johanka
Ivan Trojan: Ivan
Zuzana Fialová: Roman’s Lover
Anna Geislerová: Anna
Klára Issová: Ema
Vera Kresadlová: Roman’s Mother
Jirí Menzel: Roman’s Father

Tulia, Texas (USA 2008)
Director: Cassandra Herman and Kelly Whalen

A disturbing and true tale emerges from this documentary which centers around the arrival of an undercover cop in a Texas panhandle town. Tom Coleman was a white undercover policeman who arrived in Tulia, Texas (population 5117) to assist overworked local Sheriff Larry Stewart with the town’s drug problem. Based on his evidence, 46 people, 39 of whom were African American, were arrested and charged. Those who accepted pleas from the prosecution received reduced sentences; anyone who refused to plead guilty received outrageously long terms ranging from 20 years to the 99-year maximum. Many of those convicted had no criminal past. Blacks make up only 5% of the town’s population but many in the white community clearly felt that the drug problem originated from there. The convictions were trumpeted in the press as one of the biggest drug busts in Texas history and proof that the war on drugs was working. Coleman was awarded the title “Texas Lawman of the Year”.

But all was not as it seemed and when Texas lawyer Jeff Blackburn found out about the cases, he began to look into the mysterious Coleman’s background. There he found a past which he described as not even chequered, just dark. Coleman was wanted on criminal charges himself and his past was surrounded by allegations of racism. As Blackburn’s investigations intensified and the ACLU were brought in on the case, Sheriff Stewart began to look increasingly beleaguered as the reality behind his brand of law enforcement unraveled in the now public gaze. As events spiraled out of his control, Herman and Whalen chronicle the path towards the pardon of the 46 and while they revel in a great local victory for justice over racism, they don’t ever claim that everything in Tulia came out better.

Interviews with local residents, the accused, Coleman, Sheriff Stewart and Blackburn illuminate the story, though little attempt is made (probably rightly) to understand the feelings of the local white residents who to the end steadfastly defended the convictions. Audiences will share an anger that this can still happen in 21st century America and many will wonder how many other innocents are languishing in prison due to the uncorroborated evidence of a policeman with an agenda whose background was never investigated.

PA Guide 7/10

Love and Other Crimes (Germany/Serbia 2008)
Director: Director: Stefan Arsenijevic
Original Title: Ljubav i drugi zlocini

This film is set amongst the tower blocks of a bad part of Belgrade. Milutin (Fedja Kostic) is an ageing gangster trying to eke a living out of a protection racket and a temperamental solarium in post-communist Belgrade. Modeling himself perhaps on the Godfather (it is clear from the shots of Italian programs on TV that Italian culture has a strong influence on them), he tries to retain that faux dignity of a Marlon Brando while squeezing the smallest and most vulnerable elements on the estate In this he is aided by his sidekick Stanislav (Vuk Kostic played remarkably like Vigo Mortensen’s Nikolai in “Eastern Promises”).

Stanislav seems loyal but when he gets entangled with Milutin’s girlfriend Anica (Anica Dobra), things take an unexpected turn. Anica is desperate to get out of Belgrade and had planned to rob Milutin’s safe and flee, but the development of a romance between her and his henchman throws her plans into chaos. He supects her plan and announces feelings for her. A "will they or won’t they" suspense plays out. Around the three of them, there is a sold cast including Stanislav’s batty night club singer mother (Milena Dravic), rival gangster Radovan (Josef Tatic) and Milutin’s suicidal 14-year-old daughter Ivana (Hanna Schwamborn).

Dobra was born in Belgrade but now lives in Germany and her performance as a gangster’s moll secretly dreaming of romance and escape from the greyness of Belgrade’s criminal underworld works well. There is never any hint that she dislikes Milutin and this makes her decision even harder. In this respect, there is a beautiful cameo where Milutin’s ex-wife clearly does still despise him, and another where Anica wreaks some horrific revenge on her ex. Both work well to illustrate Anica’s dilemma as she is very capable of raw emotion, contrasting superbly with her calm restraint in her behaviour towards both Milutin and Stanislav.

Along with the other Serbian entry to the 2008 Sofia Film Festival, 'Hadersfild', “Love And Other Crimes” represents a strong showing for the reputation of Serb cinema at this year’s festival, especially as this is Stefan Arsenijevic’s debut as a feature film director.

PA Guide 7/10

Anica Dobra : Anica
Vuk Kostic : Stanislav
Milena Dravic : Stanislav’s Mother
Fedja Stojanovic : Milutin
Hanna Schwamborn : Ivana
Ljubomir Bandovic : Nikola
Dusica Zegarac : Bozana
Semka Sokolovic-Bertok : Grandmother
Josif Tatic : Radovan
Zoran Cvijanovic : Zoran
Igor Pervic : Anica’s Ex-boyfriend

Baghead (USA 2008)
Directors: Mark and Jay Duplass

Four struggling actors decide the best way to get speaking roles is to write the film themselves. They decided to spend a weekend at a country cabin. What awaits them is a terror that totally alters their experience and expectations. Unbeknown to them, they are to be terrorized by a mystery assailant whose identity is hidden by a bag on his head.

Themes of friendship, sex and frustration with their lack of creativity permeate the atmosphere as Matt and Chad discuss their relative chances of attracting women. Steve Zissis as Chad provides some great interplay with the supposedly more handsome Matt (Ross Partridge), and he also excels with Greta Gerwig (Michelle). Chad’s feelings for her are unreturned and while this combination provides some of the more cringeworthy moments of the film; they do so because they are real. The interplay between the two female characters is somewhat less developed and the developing moments of the film are best when Zissis is in the scene.

But this is no buddy film and no romance movie. There’s a real terror out there and it cannot be denied that there are some genuine scary moments during Baghead. If you had bad dreams as a kid, particularly if they were about being attacked by men with bags over their heads, then this might not be for you. Supposing you didn’t, then you might find the Duplass brothers’ second collaboration capable of entertaining you for 90 minutes.

PA Guide7/10

Ross Partridge: Matt
Steve Zissis: Chad
Greta Gerwig: Michelle
Elise Muller: Catherine
Jett Garner: Jett Garner

Sleep Dealer (USA 2008)
Director: Alex Rivera

Review by Lisa Wright

Alex Rivera has set his first film in Mexico, "five minutes from now," and in fact, the world of Sleep Dealer bears strong resemblance to our own. Sleep Dealer effectively employs a barely futuristic setting to magnify the existing issues of immigration, exploitation, corporate ownership of natural resources, and the disparity between the promise of technology to bring people closer together and the reality of the impenetrable wall being built along the US-Mexico border.

In Sleep Dealer that wall has been completed, and crossing is no longer an option for workers who are still impoverished and struggling to provide for their families. Mexicans perform menial jobs in the United States, but remotely, from high-tech maquiladoras where they must implant network-enabled nodes in their bodies. Toiling in virtual reality, twelve hours at a time, workers routinely suffer from exhaustion, and many are blinded by uncontrolled power surges. They control machines located in cities across the United States that build skyscrapers, or manicure lawns. With this, Rivera wryly predicts a future in which today's "immigration problems" have been solved; a "sick and twisted spin on the American Dream."

Nowhere is the divide between the haves and have-nots more glaring than in the film's depiction of the corporate ownership of the water supply. Where a large river once flowed by the small town of Santa Ana del Rio, it is now kept from the people behind an enormous damn, monitored remotely from a US corporation that forces poor farmers to pay exorbitant sums in exchange for any water. The security cameras are each outfitted with a machine gun, to protect against any "aqua terrorist" that attempts to somehow get water from behind the dam.

In "Sleep Dealer", the hunt for terrorists is a reality television event, where private security forces are cheered on by the studio audience as they kill anyone suspected of conspiring to harm corporate property. Like the Mexican workers, these security forces are remotely controlled, and it is extremely rare for one of them to even see a "terrorist's" face before killing them. It is in these bounds that the film makes its point about the effects of abstracting (or failing to abstract) workers from their implications.

Nothing that takes place in Sleep Dealer is unimaginable today, and it's what makes the film so powerful. Rivera's unique blend of the current and near future removes just a step or two of desensitization, and enables us to clearly see the path we are on.

PA Guide 7/10

Leonor Varela: Luz Martínez
Jacob Vargas: Rudy
Luis Fernando Peña: Memo