What It’s About
In northern India, Santosh Saini (Goswami) is suddenly widowed when her policeman husband is killed in the line of duty. Rejected by her nasty in-laws, she takes advantage of a provision whereby she can replace her spouse and join the force. Supervised by senior female detective Geeta Sharma (Rajwar) she’s assigned to investigate the rape and murder of a low-caste girl. Through this process, Santosh witnesses the rot and injustice at the heart of the police, and society at large.
Why We Love It
Though not an easy watch, “Santosh” is an impactful eye-opener for hardy souls willing to stick with it. Through Santosh’s impressionable eyes, we see the demeaning ways male officers treat their female counterparts, not to mention criminal suspects. When the lower-caste father first reports his daughter missing, the authorities ignore his request and ridicule him. And when the boy romancing the girl gets arrested, his guilt is assumed, and he pays a brutal price. How will Santosh deal with all the corruption and violence swarming around her? Goswami is magnetic in the title role, and Rajwar is equally effective as her boss, whose interest in Santosh may be more than professional. Don’t miss this sobering, unflinching crime drama from writer/director Suri.
What It’s About
In the Alpine village of Vermiglio early in 1945, World War 2 seems a long way away. We meet the large Graziadei family, whose highly respected father Cesare (Ragno) serves as schoolmaster for the whole area. Though the surroundings are gorgeous, the family leads a spartan existence, living off the land and with several bodies in each bed. Pietro (De Domenico), a shell-shocked Sicilian deserter, arrives and is soon courting Cesare’s daughter Lucia (Scrinzi). Will their love affair end well?
Why We Love It
Director Delpero romances her native Alps in this touching, atmospheric period drama. Amidst dramatic shots of mountain vistas, you can almost smell the fresh, bracingly cold air. The film is largely observational, recreating the rhythms of life in this stunning but remote spot, whose hardy inhabitants are too focused on their chores to do much talking. The arrival of Pietro stirs up a whiff of mystery and excitement, and Lucia plunges into first love impulsively. A vivid evocation of a bygone time and place, “Vermiglio” won the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival. It’s a beautiful, bittersweet watch.
What It’s About
The beautiful, contained Shula (Chardy) has recently returned to her family home in Zambia. Her readjustment is jarred by the unexpected passing of her Uncle Fred (Roy Chisa), particularly since she’s the one to discover the body. Her cousin, hard-partying Nsansa (Chisela), stands shoulder to shoulder with her, whether she likes it or not. As close friends and family assemble to mourn, various intrigues play out as shocking secrets about the patriarch and his brood are revealed.
Why We Love It
Writer/director Nyoni’s mesmerizing second feature reveals distinct Zambian rituals and customs around death, but what actually takes place among family (gossip, recriminations, traumas revisited, etc.) feels universal. The clan gathering often ventures into surreal territory, but we see everything through the central character of Shula (Charda), a steadying presence who’s seen more of the world than her relatives. Thanks to her, we experience all the intrigues and tumult from a safe remove. Charismatic newcomer Chardy is reason enough to catch this fascinating, off-the-wall family drama.
What It’s About
In 1971, former Beatle John Lennon and Yoko Ono moved from England to a small apartment in Greenwich Village. Over the next two years, they engaged in activism and, of course, made music. In 1972, they performed their “One-to-One” concert at Madison Square Garden to raise funds for children with severe disabilities. This film captures the before, during, and after of this event, a time of enormous foment in the country.
Why We Love It
This evocative doc delivers a wild, vivid trip back to the heady madness of early seventies New York City. Lennon and Ono were in the thick of it, speaking out against the war and the government, and engaging with anti-establishment figures like Jerry Rubin and Allen Ginsberg. Yoko gets portrayed in a positive light, resurfacing memories of how atrociously she was treated by the press and public at the time. The film also features highlights from their “One-to-One” performance, the only post-Beatles concert Lennon ever did. Other period footage, including old commercials and broadcasts, add pungent nostalgia. Don’t miss this exhilarating rush of a movie.
What It’s About
In mid-eighties Ireland, coal merchant Bill Furlong (Murphy) witnesses an adolescent girl being dragged into the local convent. The father of five daughters, Bill cannot forget, though wife Eileen (Walsh) suggests it’s better to try. He decides to investigate what’s going on behind the convent walls, but encounters stiff resistance from gatekeeper Sister Mary (Watson). Will Bill ever be able to help that girl?
Why We Love It
Though never specifically mentioned, Mielants’ arresting film focuses on the notorious Magdalene laundries in Ireland, where for decades pregnant, unwed teens were sent to have their babies and toil unpaid in sweatshop conditions. In stark contrast to Murphy’s showier turn in “Oppenheimer”, his Bill is a taciturn, ordinary man whose conscience forces him to act even as so many others turn away. It’s a restrained, controlled performance largely delivered through posture and facial expression. Watson is also superb as the head nun, a study in ice-cold malevolence. A slow-build drama that gets under your skin, “Small Things” is a very big deal.
What It’s About
In 1970s New York City, the young, ambitious Donald J. Trump (Stan) wants to take his father’s successful real-estate company to the next level by shifting its focus from the outer boroughs to the mecca of Manhattan. He finds a mentor in slick attorney Roy Cohn (Strong) who teaches him his cutthroat philosophy, including never admitting fault. But will Donald reciprocate and be there for him when Cohn faces hard times?
Why We Love It
Director Abbasi’s cynical tale may not please MAGA-world, but nevertheless presents a largely accurate and flavorful depiction of Trump’s early rise in New York real estate, largely guided by the unprincipled Cohn. Abbasi captures the “go go”, decadent feeling of the city in those days, but the film truly soars on the strength of two Oscar-nominated performances: Stan, who closely resembles the young Donald, captures his transformation from novice to self-proclaimed master of the deal, while Strong’s turn as the debauched Cohn allows us to see the lonely, miserable human being under all the flash and tough talk. Want to see how it all began? Catch “The Apprentice”.
What It’s About
Valentine (Jacob) is a model in Geneva who seems adrift as she carries on a long-distance relationship with her suspicious boyfriend. One day, she hits a dog with her car, and locates its owner, a retired judge (Trintignant). Far apart in age, the two have nothing in common, yet a strange bond develops. Meanwhile, the handsome Auguste (Lorit), lives right across the street from Valentine. They seem an ideal match, but he too is dealing with a tricky romance. Will they ever meet?
Why We Love It
The final chapter in the “Three Colors” trilogy further explores the director’s fascination with the randomness of life and fate. Jacob’s Valentine is a gentle, ethereal soul who hasn’t found her footing and goes where life takes her. At first, she’s perplexed by the judge (a terrific Trintignant), who lives alone and listens to wiretaps of his adulterous neighbor. What could these two offer each other? And what about Auguste? Could he live just steps away from Valentine and still never meet her? Kieslowski offers no clear, easy answers, which is the point. For a slice of sublime art cinema, see “Red”.
What It’s About
Like so many of his type, Cat is reliably watchful and aloof, caring more about his next meal than the welfare of other animals. Then a catastrophic flood overwhelms the earth’s surface, and Cat finds himself in terrifying survival mode. He must learn to swim, but equally important, interact with others. Cat’s new home is a rickety boat he shares with a variety of other creatures, including a lemur, a labrador retriever, a capybara (large rat), and a secretary bird. Will this ragtag group end up on high ground?
Why We Love It
This ingenious, wondrous fable, stunningly rendered via 3D animation, delivers an exciting adventure tale with not a word spoken. Unlike most fare of this kind, these animals are not anthropomorphic; they behave like animals. But their gestures and expressions speak volumes about what they’re feeling. Touching indirectly on the perils of climate change, “Flow” is also timely in suggesting we all do better when we collaborate. Watching Cat’s transformation from solo feline to integral team member is inspiring and unexpectedly moving. Inventive, exciting, and just plain fun, this is must-viewing for the whole family. By all means, go with the “Flow”!
What It’s About:
In 1970 Rio de Janeiro, the Pava family, comprised of father Rubens (Mello), wife Eunice (Torres) and their five children, live in a happy, sun-drenched house just a stone’s throw from the beach. A former congressman, Rubens is secretly aiding those opposed to the country’s military regime, which up to now has maintained its distance. Then one day, Rubens is taken away for questioning. Time passes, and he doesn’t return. The government claims no knowledge of his whereabouts. If Rubens is gone for good, how will Eunice respond?
Why We Love It:
Winner of the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, director Salles’ arresting, fact-based feature depicts one woman’s evolution and struggle to ensure accountability for her husband and other victims of Brazil’s military junta, which ruled from 1964-1985. The whole cast excels, but the Oscar-nominated Torres steals the film as Eunice. Her performance runs the gamut from fear and grief to a steely determination to protect her family and ensure their loss is never forgotten. (Torres’s mother Fernanda Montenegro, who’d starred in Salles’ “Central Station” nearly three decades earlier, plays Eunice as an old woman.) True to its title, “I’m Still Here” presents an inspiring true story of perseverance against stiff odds.
What It’s About:
The wife of a famous composer, Julie (Binoche) plunges into despair after surviving a car crash that kills her husband and young daughter. She cuts ties with her past life, relocating to Paris and leading an anonymous existence. Eventually she contacts Olivier (Regent), a close associate of her husband who may want to complete his unfinished piece. When Julie discovers via Olivier that her spouse had a mistress (Pernel), she begins to re-examine the past she thought she knew, and just perhaps, chart some kind of future.
Why We Love It:
The first entry in late director Kieslowski’s “Three Colors” trilogy, this provocative, multi-layered study tracking one woman’s voyage through grief is predictably grim in spots, but Kieslowski’s brilliant script and direction elevate the proceedings, along with a stunning turn from Binoche in the central role. Julie’s approach to coping with tragedy involves no fixed plan, but a tentative, searching process, and Binoche makes us want to stay with her all the way. Both she and the film received Golden Globe nominations, and she actually won the Cesar (French Oscar) for this. Love is “Blue” indeed.