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2009 PROGRAMME

Synopses are from
UrbanCinefile
(courtesy Andrew L. Urban)

For extensive film reviews and information go to
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For information on film classification go to
Office of Film and Literature Classification

Films are screened in the order shown, with a 15 minute interval between films.

All film bookings are confirmed by the distributors, but are subject to change.
Townsville Cinema Group reserves the right to alter its programmes if necessary.

For further information about the society or its programmes, email to
info@cinemagroup.org.au

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10th Asian Film Festival

JOURNEY FROM THE FALL
USA 2006 (M)

"The Americans have broken their promise. They have left us." (Long Nguyen, South Vietnamese resistance fighter)
Inspired by the true stories of Vietnamese refugees who fled their land after the fall of Saigon and those who were forced to stay behind, Journey From The Fall follows one family's struggle for freedom. April 30, 1975 marked the end of Vietnam's two-decade-old civil war and the start of the exodus of hundreds of thousands of refugees. Despite his allegiance to the toppled South Vietnamese government, Long Nguyen (as Long Nguyen) decides to remain in Vietnam. Imprisoned in a Communist re-education camp, he urges his family to make the escape by boat without him. His wife Mai (Diem Lien), son Lai (Nguyen Thai Nguyen) and mother Ba Noi (Kieu Chinh) then embark on the arduous ocean voyage in the hope of reaching the U.S. and freedom.
Back in Vietnam, Long suffers years of solitary confinement and hard labor, and finally despairs that his family has perished. But news of their successful resettlement in America inspires him to make one last desperate attempt to join them.

135 minutes (The film occupies the full programme)
Classification: (M) Violence and themes

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PERSEPOLIS
France/US 2007 (M)

Marjane Satrapi (voice of Chiara Mastroianni) is growing up in Iran under the old regime - the Shah and his Royal family. But when he is deposed by the new order, Marjane and her family - mother (Catherine Deneuve), father (Simon Abkarian) and grandmother (Danielle Darrieux) - face the new threat of fundamentalism and the Taliban. To make things worse, Iran and Iraq embark on a horrific 10 year war, and Marjane's view of life is filled with fear and death. She seeks refuge in the West but finds herself excluded and homesick. Returning home, she finds that while she is deeply Iranian, she cannot live in Iran and begins a search for a new life and a new identity.

92 minutes
Classification: (M) Moderate themes and coarse language

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THE ORPHANGE
El Orfanato
Mexico/Spain 2007 (MA15+)

Laura (Belén Rueda) has persuaded her husband, Carlos (Fernando Cayo), to buy the abandoned orphanage where she was raised. They hope the fresh air and rugged setting in the Atlantic Northwest of Spain will provide a wholesome environment for their chronically ill adopted seven year old son, Simón (Roger Príncep). Laura even intends to reopen the facility as a home for children with mental disabilities. But then Simon's games with his invisible friends turns into terrifying drama when Simon himself disappears.

105 minutes
Classification: (MA15+) Strong supernatural themes

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THE VISITOR
USA 2007 (M)

At age 62, widower Walter Vale (Richard Jenkins) has lost his passion for teaching and writing, and fills the void by unsuccessfully trying to learn to play classical piano. When his Connecticut college sends him to a Manhattan conference, Walter is surprised to find a young couple has taken up residence in his little used apartment. Victims of a real estate scam, Tarek (Haaz Sleiman), a Syrian man, and Zainab (Danai Gurira), his Senegalese girlfriend, have nowhere else to go and Walter reluctantly allows the couple to stay. Touched by his kindness, Tarek, a talented musician, teaches the aging academic to play the African drum. But when Tarek is arrested as an undocumented citizen and held for deportation, Walter finds himself compelled to help his new friend with a passion he thought he had long ago lost. Then Tarek's mother Mouna (Hiam Abbass) arrives unexpectedly from interstate in search of her son.

108 minutes
Classification: (M) Infrequent coarse language

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YOUNG@HEART
UK 2007 (PG)

The Young @ Heart Chorus is a group of Northampton (US) senior citizens who keep themselves energized by performing contemporary and classic rock and pop songs. Their average age is 81, and many of them must overcome health adversities to participate. Their music is unexpected, going against the stereotype of their age group, performing songs, for example, by James Brown and Sonic Youth. Although they have toured Europe and sang for royalty, this film focuses on chorus director Bob Cilman preparing them with new songs for a concert in their home town, which succeeds in spite of several real heart breaking events.

107 minutes
Classification: (M) Mild themes

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YOU, THE LIVING
Du Levande
Sweden/Germany/France/Denmark/Norway 2007 (M)

A series of short sketches, each filmed in one take, dealing with the human condition in all its joy and sorrow, self confidence and anxiety, greatness and weakness.
On a park bench, a self-pitying woman tells her man and her dog to both piss off. In one apartment, a man is practicing the tuba, while in another, a man is practicing the marching drum. A young female teacher sobs in front of her primary school class. But these are just for starters, in this blackly adventurous series of takes on humanity, in sketches that range from naturalistic to surrealistic. Nice touch, for example, to see the audience ... sorry, observers, behind the window at an execution by electric chair with tubs of popcorn on which they munch...
"One of the most striking aspects of this unique film is the exceptional naturalism of most performances - even in the most unnatural scenarios. A psychiatrist confesses to camera how unhappy he is, with all these mean people coming to him. Another man talks about his retirement fund while a large naked woman on top of him groans with pleasure as she rides him. Some of the sketches don't really work or don't blend with their cousins, but the snapshot approach means they are short. Without a solid narrative, the film nevertheless has something to say.
It's a tragicomic walk in the park of human nature, where the trees grow at right angles and the flowers remain closed in sunlight." (review by Andrew L. Urban)

90 minutes
Classification: (M) Moderate sex scene

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(in Finnish)

BLACK ICE
Musta Jää
Finland 2007 (MA15+)

Saara (Outi Mäenpää), a Helsinki gynecologist, whose self-assured exterior conceals a strong streak of jealousy, discovers that her husband Leo (Martti Suosalo) is having an affair with young Tuuli (Ria Kataja), one of his students, who also works at a martial-arts studio. Intrigued, Saara tries to find out who this girl is, and unwittingly ends up joining Tuuli's class of self-defence beginners. Little by little, Saara slips into Tuuli's life, gaining her trust and friendship. She even establishes a troubling intimacy, partly by accident, partly by design. She creates an elaborate scenario, giving herself a false name to mislead Tuuli and a false lover to dupe her husband. Saara, Tuuli, Leo, and even Leo's sister and her husband are all sucked into the maelstrom of jealousy and revenge.

103 minutes
Classification: (MA15+) Strong sex scenes and themes, Nudity

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NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD
Australia/USA 2008 (MA15+)

Starting in 1971 when the era of savage censorship ended with the introduction of the R certificate, enabling audiences to see films that confronted the socially conservative mores, several Australian filmmakers pursued genre filmmaking, often with very small budgets and maverick methods. Many of the films were (and still are) derided, but just as many were commercially successful, here and overseas. Many of the filmmakers have their say, as do some of their critics and the films are explored in the context of Australian cinema history.
"Action, horror, nudity, sex and bad taste, as seen in the cheap and cheerful genre films of the 70s and 80s, now labeled Ozploitation ... the umbrella name for the maverick Aussie movies ranging from Barry McKenzie to Mad Max, from Long Weekend to Turkey Shoot, from Alvin Purple to Stone, which were snubbed by the critics and the likes of the erudite Phillip Adams or the bitter and hateful Bob Ellis, but which are championed by the likes of Quentin Tarantino. And they all have their say in this fun packed, fast paced, entertainingly packaged doco that is a combination of energetic showcase and comprehensive overview." (Review by Andrew L. Urban)

103 minutes
Classification: (MA15+) Nudity, sex and violence

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IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON
UK 2007 (G)

Between 1968 and 1972 nine American spacecraft were hurled at the moon and 12 men walked on it. The surviving crew members from every Apollo mission which flew to the moon come together to tell their stories of danger, pride and passion, illustrated with clips of remastered archival footage from NASA, much of it never seen by the public.
"It is impossible not to have a sense of awe and wonderment, watching this absorbing film. We hear about the feeling at lift-off: the buzz, the apprehension. There's even the sombre, sobering speech from then US President Richard Nixon, written 'just in case' the lunar module failed to lift off from the moon. As for the moment of re-entry into the atmosphere, we are told it is like being literally on fire, as if inside a gigantic light bulb, as the spaceship hurtles at the unimaginable speed of 26,000 miles per hour. And from the moon itself, we can only imagine the sight of the seemingly powerful, yet fragile planet jewel of Earth below was a mass of crystal blue oceans, brown land, pure white clouds and snow, hanging in the blackness of space." (Review by Louise Keller)

100 minutes
Classification: (G)

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THE COUNTERFEITERS
Die Fälscher Austria/Germany 2007 (MA15+)

In 1944, when the German Reich sees that the end is near, the Nazis decide to produce counterfeit banknotes in the currencies of their enemies to flood and weaken their economies. Notorious counterfeiter Salomon Sorowitsch (Karl Markovics), arrested before the war and now one of the millions of Jews in captivity, is roped in to help. At the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, two barracks are separated from the rest of the camp and transformed into a fully equipped counterfeiter's workshop, housing a select few prisoners. Operation Bernhard is born and 132 million British pounds printed, under conditions that are tragic and spectacular - and despite opposition from fellow Jewish inmate, Adolf Burger (August Diehl).
"It won the foreign language Oscar and there is nothing fake or contrived about this astonishing true story about the men in a German concentration camp who fought their own little war for survival. But survival is not their only aspiration. Loyalty is also an essential currency and the vow never to 'squeal on one's mates' becomes an Everest almost too high to climb. Ultimately, The Counterfeiters is a story about relationships. It's about the relationships between the incarcerated Jewish counterfeiter and his SS superior as well as that with his principle-driven fellow prisoner. The story fascinates, as does the humanity of the man intent on survival who discovers that winning and losing can offer similar rewards. This is a unique story set in horrific times, when atrocities are every day events duplicated without the skill of a specialist." (Review by Louise Keller)

97 minutes
Classification: (MA15+) Strong violence

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(in French)

JAR CITY
Mýrin
Iceland/Germany/Denmark 2006 (MA)

Breaking box office records in its native Iceland, and winner of the Crystal Globe for Best film at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival—the premier Eastern European festival—Jar City is a taut thriller that turns on the famously homogeneous gene pool of the tiny Nordic nation. When an elderly man is found murdered in his basement flat, Inspector Erlendur and his team don't have much to go on, except a photograph of a young girl's grave. They discover that many years ago the man was accused—though not convicted—of horrible crimes. Did his past come back to haunt him? As Erlendur reopens this very cold case, he follows a trail of unusual forensic evidence to the national genetic database, where he encounters the hacker Orn, distraught at the death of his own young daughter. Together, they uncover secrets that are much larger than the murder of one old man—with clues knitted into the bloodline of an entire country.

93 minutes
Classification: (MA) (not listed)

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VALLEY OF FLOWERS
India/France/Japan/Germany 2006 (M)

Along the highest mountain passes of the Himalayas, tough, intrepid Jalan (Milind Soman) and his gang earn their living by stealing from unsuspecting travelers. Abiding by their own, unique codes of honor and dividing the spoils equally, all is routine until the arrival of the mystifying, beautiful Ushna (Mylene Jampanoi). Appearing mysteriously after the raid of a pilgrim caravan, Ushna adheres to Jalan, claiming to have seen him in her dreams, and refusing to leave his side. Sensing the unease of the rest of the men, Ushna offers to help them in their endeavors, under condition that they not ask why or how she is able to guide them to success. In the time that follows, Ushna leads the gang to tremendous exploits, gaining the respect of the men, and the admiration of Jalan, who begins to fall passionately in love with this mysterious woman. As their success increases, seemingly unstoppable, so the love between Jalan and Ushna mounts in intensity, until they seem to have entered a world of their own. No longer heeding of the world around them, Jalan and Ushna venture too far in their exploits, progressing from the theft of material objects to tampering with elements that should never be tampered with; stealing energy, luck and even the powers of levitation, the two cross over into the bounds of the supernatural. Word of the duo and their strange exploits reaches the shrewd, robust Yeti (Naseeruddin Shah), who takes after them with his three experienced bounty hunters. In the confusion of pursuit, Jalan and Ushna face a temporary separation, the shock of which drives each to desperation. Having lost luck, wealth and friends, the fated two are nevertheless fortuitously reunited. Their passion running higher than ever, they vow never to be separated again, even if this entails deceiving fate and cheating mortality. But life always reserves surprises.

116 minutes
Classification: (M) Moderate themes, Moderate violence, Moderate sex scenes and nudity, Infrequent moderate coarse language

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MY WINNIPEG
Canada 2007 (M)

A love poem to Canadian auteur Guy Maddin's soon-to-be-former home, MY WINNIPEG feels like a fever dream that brings together past, present, and future. Repeated words and phrases form a hypnotic cadence as Maddin's cinematic stand-in (Darcy Fehr) chugs through the snowy darkness. "Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Winnipeg," is the chant, rising and falling like the locomotive drone of the night train carrying its somnambulistic fares through Manitoba's premiere city.
Winnipeg; heart of the heart of Canada, the place that raised Maddin. With a hockey arena for a father and a hair salon for a mother, Madding explores the structural arteries of his home town and revisits the history of himself and his city. Narrated by the filmmaker, the prose of the film (courtesy of long-time Maddin crony George Toles) is an overwrought poem of maniacal hyperbole and enthusiastic linguistic gymnastics; a perfect pitch for the fractured visuals of Maddin's multimedia pastiche. Looking like a daguerreotype picture postcard of this snowbound wonderland, My Winnipeg typifies Maddin's mad genius and captures his sordid relationship with his home.

80 minutes
Classification: (M) Some sexual references and nudity

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HUNGER
UK/Ireland 2008 (MA15+)

Inside Belfast's Maze prison in the early 80s, IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands (Michael Fassbender) faces the brutality of the system and clashes with the Catholic priest (Liam Cunningham) as he determines to keep fasting in an effort to trigger change in the classification of IRA prisoners not as criminals but as Prisoners of War.
"Given better perspective 25 years or so after the events depicted, Hunger is a feast of cinema, albeit harrowing and confronting. Steve McQueen is an unconventional artist and has made an unconventional film in which we are kept permanently in our discomfort zone. Not only is the film unconventional in its approach to structuring the story, it is also idiosyncratic in the way it is shot.
"For example, the central confrontation between Bobby Sands (Michael Fassbender) and the Catholic priest (Liam Cunningham) is the longest single scene and the longest piece of dialogue. The exchange, shot in almost entirely one locked off two-shot with the light behind them as they sit at a prison visiting room table and smoke while they argue, represents the conflicted view of Bobby Sands' actions even within the Catholic ranks.>br /> "It also serves as a kind of editorial hinge on which the film swings, not so much judging the participants as quietly condemning them all. The episode represents the low point in the 'Troubles' that tore apart so many lives in Northern Ireland and beyond. Fassbender brings the kind of dedication to his role as Christian Bale brought to The Machinist, where extreme weight loss is a crucial feature of the performance." (Review by Andrew L. Urban)

96 minutes
Classification: (MA15+) Strong themes and violence, nudity

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NIGHT
Australia 2008 (PG)

NIGHT is a stunning and cinematic big screen event documentary which celebrates Australia at night. It is a new film from director Lawrence Johnston who made the internationally award winning documentary ETERNITY. Showing society in all its forms, people and places, urban and rural, NIGHT explores the universal nature of night and how we experience it.
NIGHT is a combination of beautiful and arresting imagery which captures the mystery, mood and magic of the night and weaves these images with a lush and dramatic symphonic score from renowned composer Cezary Skubiszewski. It is brought together by people from all walks of life telling their stories of what the night means to them, the pleasure and the pain, in reality and fantasy, work and leisure, past and present. It shows people from all cultures going about their daily lives under the darkness of the wondrous nature of night and juxtaposes the amazing differences in our varied existence between dusk and the dawn of a new day.

78 minutes
Classification: (PG) Infrequent mild coarse language, Mild themes

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CARAMEL
Sukkar banat
France/Lebanon 2007 (M)

In Beirut five women who work or frequent a beauty salon, a colourful and sensual microcosm of the city where several generations come into contact, talk and confide in each other. Beautiful Layale (Nadine Labaki) is oblivious to the gaze of a local admirer and instead fixates on a married man. Nisrine (Yasmine Al Masri) will soon be married but is afraid her fiancé will discover he isn't her first lover. Rima (Joanna Moukarzel) has designs on one of her stunning customers. Jamale (Gisele Aouad) is an aspiring actress and is refusing to grow old, while aging seamstress Rose (Siham Haddad) is overwhelmed when she attracts the attentions of a gentleman customer.
"This vibrant and intricate look at the lives of five women in Beirut is tantalisingly sweet as the title suggests. Caramel refers not only to the edible nature of the delicious golden concoction made from sugar and water, but also to its properties as a beauty tool, used for hair removal. Pleasure and pain used as a counterpoint for each other. First time writer and director Nadine Labaki spins a sticky web from the characters that live and work around a beauty salon. Between hairstyles and pedicures, we learn about their relationships, their dreams and their dilemmas. Labaki herself sparkles in the central and best developed role of Layale, who runs the salon and whose quandary lies in her obsession with a married man. There are themes within the themes and the various stories intersect with compelling fluidity as we become involved in these women's lives." (Review by Louise Keller)

92 minutes
Classification: (M) Themes

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MOLIERE
France 2007 (PG)

It is mid-seventeenth century Paris and Molière (Romain Duris) is a long way from realising his legacy as the true master of comic satire, the author of The Misanthrope and Tartuffe, and a dramatist to rank alongside Shakespeare and Sophocles. He is an impetuous 22 year-old, his theatre troupe is a failure, he is bankrupt and in prison because he can't pay his debts. When his jailers let him go, he disappears. He reappears several months later, when his troupe begins touring the provinces - a tour that lasts for thirteen years and culminates in Molière's triumphant return to Paris in 1658. In those missing few months, he meets an unfaithful husband (Fabrice Luchini) and his beautiful wife (Laura Morante), the object of his desire (Ludivine Sagnier) and a conniving courtier (Eduardo Baer) who leads them all into trouble.
"Witty lines, sumptuous settings, manicured lawns and horses with carriages provide the setting for this frivolous romp that caresses history as it plays with the misadventures of French playwright Molière. Like a puppeteer with all the right tools, writer director Laurent Tirard has brought together a wonderful cast whose members complement each other, like a perfect meal. The film is as much a combo of farcical situations as it is a comedy of errors as the young actor/playwright finds himself playing out different roles in a chaotic upper class household. It's droll and occasionally hilarious, chic and often surprising, but always engaging, and gorgeous to the eye." (Review by Louise Keller)

120 minutes
Classification: (PG) Mild themes and sexual references, Infrequent mild coarse language

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I'VE LOVED YOU SO LONG
Il y a longtemps que je t'aime
France 2008 (M)

Kristin Scott Thomas gets one of her best roles in ages in this sombre account of a woman coming to terms with her past and present isolation.
She's never looked more ethereal than she does as Juliette, a woman who's been mysteriously separated from her family for years. Now younger sister Lea (Elsa Zylberstein) has effected a rapprochement and brought Juliette back to live with her husband and two young daughters. We can guess that she's been in prison, though her crime is revealed only by degrees; what writer-director Philippe Claudel does superbly is to map the slow thawing of the icy chip at her heart.
Both Scott Thomas and Zylberstein are tremendous as the sisters (they're also a convincing physical match), but the screenplay feels choppy and episodic where one hoped for dramatic momentum. Despite her burden of guilt, Juliette is not the pariah she might have been– almost everyone's very sympathetic to her.

112 minutes
Classification: (M) Mature themes

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in French

SUMMER HOURS
L'heure d'été
France 2008 (M)

Summer Hours is the kind of film that could only have been made in France, not just because the houses are so enviable and the clothes so elegant, but because it's an uncompromising, grown-up drama in which educated, middle-class people consider a complex moral issue with barely a cross word, let alone a gun battle or a ravenous zombie. It flags towards the end, but for much of the time Olivier Assayas's film is mature, humane and unshowy.
Charles Berling, Juliette Binoche and Jérémie Renier star as three siblings who have to decide what to do with their rambling family home when their mother dies. Their great uncle was a well-known painter, so the question is whether they should honour him and their own heritage by keeping the estate together, or whether to sell off the house and its contents piecemeal. Berling believes they should preserve everything for their children, but Binoche and Renier both now live abroad and so for them the house, like France itself, belongs in the past. Partially funded by the Musée d'Orsay, Summer Hours debates the value of art and the purpose of museums, but it's also a touching universal story of loss, and a detailed portrait of a family that's close but not as close as it once used to be.

99 minutes
Classification: (M) Drug references

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WENDY AND LUCY
USA 2008 (M)

Kelly Reichardt's latest ode to the Pacific northwest, Wendy and Lucy, much like the filmmaker's previous work, Old Joy, is a veritable paean to the disenfranchised of America. To all those who are eaten up by the system and who never, for whatever reason (and none is ever given here) become what society expects them to be. To those on the fringe of America. Outcasts and throw-aways. Not bad people. Not lesser people. Simply people who do not know where they belong, where they fit in. This film, like Old Joy is a sad love song of sorts, sung to those for whom the idea of the American dream simply does not exist. It is one of these wayward "untouchables", a young woman named Wendy, who we follow along her path of disillusionment - a path that never really goes anywhere - with the most grotesque and quite perverse curiosity, like watching a strange exotic animal in a zoo, never daring to think, there but for the grace of God go I. We watch as she meticulously - and quite methodically - keeps track of every cent she spends in a pocket notebook only to see it all be for naught once her car, the very thing she has been living in for God knows how long, breaks down and she becomes trapped once again by society. We also watch as Wendy is nabbed for shoplifting by a strangely overzealous stock boy and in the process of being arrested and booked, loses the one thing that means more to her than her car, her faithful companion, her dog Lucy. We then watch as this lost little girl searches for her Lucy in what seems like such an overpowering, suffocating world full of profiteering auto mechanics and bureaucratic red tape - as well as one of the most harrowing dog pound scenes I have ever seen (this critic had a hard time making it through as all those sadly hopeful eyes peered out at us from behind their chainlinked cages). The very society from which Wendy is supposedly making her escape is the very society that has again ensnared her within its web. And though we may feel like voyeurs at first, like ravenous vultures impatiently awaiting their inevitable carcass, in time, Reichardt's film ensnares us within its web as well, and we to are trapped. (Kevyn Knox)

77 minutes
Classification: (M) Coarse language

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LEMON TREE
Etz Limon
Israel/Germany/France 2008 (G)

Salma (Hiam Abbass), a Palestinian widow, has to stand up against her new neighbour, the Israeli Defense Minister (Doron Tavory), when he moves into his new house opposite her lemon grove, on the green line border between Israel and the West Bank. The Israeli security forces declare that Salma's trees pose a risk to the Minister's safety (a potential hiding place) and issue orders to uproot them. Together with Ziad Daud (Ali Suliman), her young Palestinian lawyer, Salma goes all the way to the Israeli Supreme Court to try and save her trees. Her struggle raises the interest of Mira Navon (Rona Lipaz-Michael), the Defense minister's wife, who is somewhat trapped in her new home and in a lonely life. Despite their differences and the borders between them the two women develop an invisible bond, while ties grow stronger between Salma and Ziad. Salma's legal and personal journey lead her deep into the complex, dark and sometimes funny chaos of the ongoing struggle in the Middle East.
"Like the fruit of the lemon tree, The Lemon Tree is an astringent film, but just as welcome to the palate, in the right context. The basic dramatic tension is clearly established, and the characters are well drawn, especially Salma, movingly played by the talented Hiam Abbass. Salma is a widow with three grown up children who've all left, scratching out a megre living from the lemons in the old lemon grove first tended by her father. The property is right on what is now a border between Israel and Palestinians living in the West Bank." (Andrew L. Urban)

106 minutes
Classification: (G) No advice

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THE BLACK BALLOON
Australia/UK 2008 (M)

Thomas Mollison (Rhys Wakefield) is turning 16, and as his family moves in to a new suburban home in Sydney, his autistic older brother Charlie (Luke Ford) once again embarrasses him as ignorant neighbours stare or make rude remarks. When his pregnant Mother (Toni Collette) is confined to bed, he and his army dad, Simon, (Erik Thomson) are put in charge of the difficult Charlie. His growing interest in school pal, Jackie (Gemma Ward), is also threatened by Charlie's antics, especially when it triggers one particular violent confrontation at Thomas's birthday party.
"A deeply personal film for writer/director Elissa Down, The Black Balloon is a gentle yet unflinching look at a family strained by the pressures of caring for an autistic teenager. This element is at the core of the screenplay, which makes the film a little thin and one dimensional. But the film still manages to take us on an emotional journey. Often episodic, it is blessed with top performances - if only there were more dramatic layers to work with.
Toni Collette slips seamlessly into the role of an accidentally pregnant wife and mother to two teenagers, whose strength is constantly challenged. Although I'm not keen on how her husband Simon is written, Erik Thomson takes a good swipe at it. Both teenage boys handle their challenging roles well: Rhys Wakefield as Thomas the younger brother who finds it all too hard, and Luke Ford as the autistic boy who is by necessity the centre of everyone's attention. This single focus bleaches just about everything else in the screenplay, even the budding young romance that is well handled, with Gemma Ward's intriguing, unique face a genuine plus. She also has a delightfully easy credibility and maturity that works in her favour.
Perhaps less satisfying than I would have liked, The Black Balloon does feature a number of punchy scenes; and the emotional landscape that Elissa Down paints - drawing on her own life experiences - is engaging. Especially interesting is how she uses the contrast of a bright cinematic tone against the potential for a downbeat mood seeping out of the subject matter." (Review by Andrew L. Urban)

93 minutes
Classification: (M) Moderate theme, Moderate coarse language

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AWAY FROM HER
Canada 2006 (M)

Grant (Gordon Pinsent) and Fiona (Julie Christie) are comfortable with each other, after 50 years of marriage and a good life. But Fiona's ever-increasing memory loss becomes an issue that neither can ignore, and eventually she enters Meadowlake, a retirement home that specializes in Alzheimers disease. In order for new patients to adjust, no visitors are allowed during the first month, and when Grant visits his wife, she can't remember him, but has turned her affection to Aubrey (Michael Murphy), another resident. Hurt and bewildered, Grant confides in Kristy (Kristen Thomson), a young resident nurse as he begins a friendship with Aubrey's wife Marian (Olympia Dukakis).
"A heartbreaking and profound film about an impossible love, Away From Her is a portrait of a relationship struggling to endure Alzheimers. Helpless is the song that k.d. lang sings through the closing credits, and helpless is the key emotion transmitted through this emotionally charged film. For the loved one, there are two kinds of reactions - anger and acceptance and we readily understand why one can develop into the other. It's an extraordinary directing debut for actress Sarah Polley, who at 28 explores these mature themes from Alice Munro's short story, The Bear Came Over the Mountain, with tenderness and compassion. Julie Christie envelops herself into the nebulous shoes of Fiona, while Gordon Pinsent as Grant, her husband of 50 years, watches powerless on the sidelines.
"Theirs is a story of despair, hope, guilt and love. Everything is still familiar as Grant and Fiona position their skis on clearly defined ski-tracks near their home. 'I think I may be beginning to disappear,' she tells friends, as post-it notes describing the contents of the kitchen drawers reveal what the future holds. It is a tough film to watch, as the couple jointly decide it is time for Fiona to be admitted into a facility ('It is all we can aspire to in this situation')." (Review by Louise Keller)

105 minutes
Classification: (M) Moderate coarse language

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in French

WELCOME TO THE STICKS
Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis
France 2008 (M)

Post office manager Philippe Abrams (Kad Merad) and his wife, Julie (Zoe Felix) love the South of France but when he's found out trying to cheat his way to a posting to the Riviera, he is sent to the dreaded Nord Pas de Calais region for two years. This is France's northernmost region, noted for bad weather, nasty factories and weird food, and socially repressed locals who speak with a terrible dialect. Leaving behind his wife and son Raphael (Lorenzo Ausilia-Foret), Philippe soon finds to his surprise that he's adapting well and enjoying his new environment, with local chum Antoine (Dany Boon). He's reluctant to tell the pessimistic Julie, feeding her horror stories she'd expect. But then Julie decides to be the tangibly supportive wife and move north to be with him ....
"I caught myself smiling throughout this charmer of a film that is so good natured it simply rubs off on you. The film's premise hinges on a harmless deception, but one that accumulates in emotional and humorous terms. Although the storyline is different, the film is reminiscent of the marvellous Seducing Dr Lewis in which a whole community conspires to make the newcomer doctor feel comfortable about his new environment. In Dany Boon's delightful film, the premise juggles the preconceptions, prejudices and unique differences between the north and the south of France as it explores the colloquialisms, the peculiarities and characteristics of the locals. In France, the locals have 'got' every nuance of the joke (it is the most successful French film of all time), and not surprisingly, it is not lost in translation. This is a sweet and funny film which is so honest don't be surprised if you also shed a little tear." (Review by Louise Keller)

106 minutes
Classification: (M) Coarse language

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DEEP WATER
UK 2006 (G)

In 1968 Donald Crowhurst, a 36-year-old father, marine electronics inventor and Sunday sailor enters the most daring nautical race ever - the first Sunday Times Golden Globe Solo, non-stop, round the world race, with a £5,000 cash prize for the winner. Crowhurst is driven by financial needs - and his desire to prove to the world that with the help of his revolutionary invention, an on board computer, one could sail the seas effortlessly. The competitors include the amateur Chay Blyth; Frenchman Bernard Moitessier; and Robin Knox-Johnston. Crowhurst soon starts to radio through a series of increasing record-breaking daily distances. The nine men who originally started the race are reduced to just two including Crowhurst. As the world waits for this extraordinary man to cross the finish line to a heroes welcome, the jaw-dropping truth is revealed.
"This well crafted and engaging documentary is a ripping yarn of a man's mansize adventure going horribly wrong. Minimal narration is used, but effectively, to string together first hand accounts from many of those who played a part in the story, notably Donald Crowhurst himself, his wife and his son. Archival footage, including Crowhurst's own 16 mm films from the event and voice recordings, together with newly recorded interviews bridge the time gap of almost 40 years in a fascinating account of one man's desperate journey.
Crowhurst was financially stretched yet he managed to raise the money to get a boat built for the Sunday Times race around the world - the first non-stop solo yachting attempt. His sponsor contracted with him to either finish the race or give him his money back. Back home, the media was hungry to report every telegram or radio message of progress from the nine contestants. But neither the inexperienced Crowhurst nor his scratch boat were up to the enormous challenge. Heading south towards the most dangerous seas, Crowhurst was faced with no viable options. If he continued forward he'd surely die. If he gave up, he would be financially ruined. He couldn't face his family, friends ... that way lay ignominy and self loathing.
He found a third alternative: pretend to be making progress. But this trapped him in lies he could never undo, and finally, the pressure and the loneliness cracked him.
Intimate, dramatic and immaculately stitched together, Deep Water is the story of a man in deep poo - told with grace and measured intensity." (Review by Andrew L. Urban)

93 minutes
Classification: (G) no advice

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HAPPY-GO-LUCKY
UK 2008 (M)

Poppy (Sally Hawkins) is an irrepressibly cheerful primary school teacher who won't let anyone or anything get her down. Even when her bicycle, which she so happily rides through the busy streets of London, is stolen, her first thought is only: "I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye." Living with her flatmate Zoe (Alexis Zegerman), Poppy has a gift for making the most of life. Determined to learn to drive, she finds herself matched with Scott (Eddie Marsan), an uptight driving instructor who is everything she is not.
"Like her colourful name suggests, Poppy is bright and cheerful and sways every which way the wind blows. Mike Leigh's wonderfully descriptive film is just like Poppy on the surface, but its bright exterior hides a brooding, dark underside. Frivolity is used as a tool to unmask anger and Leigh's mastery has never been more apparent than in the creation of his richly layered characters. In Sally Hawkins, the writer director has found a rough diamond, a gem of an actress who appears to be all tom foolery, yet like her character Poppy, has an undefinable profundity. In one pivotal scene she wears a necklace that holds a piece of a rainbow. It's as though she wants to be that missing piece of rainbow in everyone's life. It's a career-making role for Hawkins, who effervesces like a fizzy drink, but can stop you in your tracks in the blink of an eye.
"When we first meet Poppy, she is riding her bike to the local book shop. Smiling and waving, she is carefree and happy, using her extraverted nature as an ice breaker for the gruff shop owner. To no apparent avail. Even when she discovers her bike has been stolen, she shows no anger but murmurs 'Oh no, I didn't even get to say goodbye'. We quickly become entrenched into Poppy's life as she celebrates chaos. Her wardrobe is a kaleidoscope of colours - pink bra, red knickers, purple lace tights and every other colour under the rainbow. Life is one squeal of fun as she and flatmate Zoe (Alexis Zegerman) and sister Suzy (Kate O'Flynn) chat and wind down over drinks. Work seems to be fun too, playing outlandish games with the school kids in class, although we notice one little boy who takes his anger out on his classmates by hitting them. There's a gentle and soothing subtlety with which Poppy and the counsellor Tim (Samuel Roukin) deal with the child. There's a spin-off too, when Poppy and Tim hit it off and begin a relationship." (Review by Louise Keller)

119 minutes
Classification: (M) Coarse language, Threatening scene

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LET THE RIGHT ONE IN
Låt den rätte komma in
Sweden 2008 (MA15+)

Oskar is a 12-year-old-boy who is being bullied at school. He befriends a mysterious child, Eli, who moves in next door with an older man, Håkan. Eli is revealed to be a 200-year-old vampire, but the two children develop a close relationship and Eli helps Oskar fight back against his tormentors.
The film is based on a 2004 vampire fiction novel by Swedish writer John Ajvide Lindqvist, a bestseller in the author's home country of Sweden and translated into Danish, German, Russian and English. The action takes place in Blackeberg, a working class suburb of Stockholm, in the early '80s. The story focuses on the darker side of humanity; in spite of the fantasy motif this is a serious film about serious problems.

114 minutes
Classification: (MA15+) Strong violence and nudity

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O'HORTEN
Norway/Germany/France 2007 (PG)

Rhapsodic. Anti-climactic. Deadpan. Superbly lit, shot, and cut. Writer-director-producer Bent Hamer's unique blend of vision and attention to detail makes sure that everything fits in this gem of an art-house movie. It's uneventful and unprecedented at the same time. In the process of telling the story of Odd Horten's retirement, Bent Hamer paints an affectionate portrait of his quiet hero. We never know what's really going on in Odd Horten's mind, but we learn a great deal about him just from watching him go about his daily routine during his final days as an award-winning locomotive driver on the Oslo-Bergen express.
Odd is a loving son, an early riser, a drinker of black coffee, a pipe smoker, a boat owner, a late-night sauna-goer. Late one night, on his way home, he meets Trygve, a schizophrenic inventor who likes to drive his Citroen with his eyes closed. What Trygve says of his brother is also true for Odd: He does things in his own way. The segment about Odd's exhausting attempt to pay a visit to his friend Flo, an airport worker, alone is worth the ticket. Great instrumental score by John Erik Kaada. Not for everyone, but if you like it odd, Odd is your man.

85 minutes
Classification: (PG) Infrequent nudity

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BUDDHA'S LOST CHILDREN
Netherlands 2006 (PG)

Former professional Thai boxer Khru Bah became a monk 15 years ago, during which time he has been caring for needy and homeless boys at his Golden Horse Monastery in Northern Thailand. Under his guidance and with the help of a nun as his colleague, the young boys learn not only Thai boxing, but an entire life philosophy as they are exposed to the fundamental basics of survival and inner peace.
Review by Louise Keller:
"An exquisite and tranquil documentary about a Thai monk and the homeless boys to whom he gives a brand new life, Buddha's Lost Children is richly affecting on many levels. Winner of half a dozen festival prizes including Grand Jury prize for best documentary in Los Angeles, most surprising is the depth of emotion we feel as we become involved in the lives of these young boys adopted by the Thai boxer-turned monk. Khru Bah describes himself as a distributor of knowledge and through his tough-love approach, offers the boys a spiritual anchor and a valuable set of life skills."

97 minutes
Classification: (PG) Mild themes and violence

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ROMAN DE GARE
Crossed Tracks
France 2007 (M)

Best-selling author Judith Ralitzer (Fanny Ardant) is researching unlikely places to find characters for her next novel. As luck would have it, a serial killer with a penchant for magic tricks has just escaped from a high-security prison, providing the perfect source material for an intricately plotted, moody mystery. At the same time, her ghost writer Pierre (Dominique Pignon) gives a lift to a stranger, Huguette (Audrey Dana) who has been left stranded at a gas station after a huge row with her boyfriend. She and her life become Pierre's inspiration for the next Judith Ralitzer novel - but he's no longer satisfied to stay in the shadows, which sets up a clash of wills with the determined author.
Review by Louise Keller:
"Tension oozes from every scene in Claude Lelouch's intriguing drama in which we meet a bunch of seemingly unconnected characters whose fates intersect. There's a novelist in search of a story, a teacher who's abandoned his wife and kids, a serial killer on the run, a hairdresser with a vivid imagination and a ghost writer on the prowl. Lelouch manipulates not only his characters, but us his audience as we are whisked away on a journey in which the bends in the road are sharp and unexpected. Wavering between frustrating and brilliant, Roman De Gare offers complex storytelling and Lelouch makes us question and doubt each character. One moment I found myself mesmerised; the next I had disconnected totally."

110 minutes
Classification: (M) Mature themes, Coarse language and sexual references

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AFTER THE WEDDING
Efter Brylluppet
Denmark 2006 (M)

Jacob (Mads Mikkelsen) runs a faltering Bombay orphanage and when a wealthy Danish benefactor, Jorgen (Rolf Lassgard) who could save the place insists on meeting him, Jacob reluctantly leaves Bombay for, he hopes, a brief trip. After a perfunctory meeting, Jorgen invites Jacob to the weekend wedding of his daughter Anna (Stine Fischer Christensen) to Christian (Christian Tafdrup). At the reception, Anna's impromptu speech inadvertently reveals a family secret that implicates her mother Helene (Sidse Babbett Knudsen) and shocks Jacob. It's the beginning of a chain of changes to all their lives.
Review by Andrew L. Urban:
"Nominated for the Foreign Language Oscar (2007) - among many other nominations and awards - After the Wedding is another triumph for Susanne Bier and her collaborator Anders Thomas Jensen. As in Open Hearts and Brothers, two other films they have made together, the filmmakers have created a complex work that locks in on several elemental human emotions about relationships. In this scenario, the past meets the present and determines a new future. The elements of the story are not entirely original (though I'll refrain from revealing the crucial elements, as they are best revealed by the film itself) but the way Biers directs the material, these elements are certainly fresh.
"Much of the film’s multi-dimensional effect comes from exceptional performances: Mads Mikkelsen again creates a tangible, multi-faceted character, whose emotional predicament is at the heart of the film. But not exclusively: Rolf Lassgard articulates Jorgen’s own, dramatic emotional journey with nuance and ultimately earns our admiration; Stine Fischer Christensen has won several awards for this brilliant performance as the character at the centre of the family secret; and Sidse Babbett Knudsen gives Helene a warm and vulnerable glow in a pivotal role. Nor will you forget Neeral Mulchandani as the 8 year old orphan, Pramod.
After the Wedding is seamless, holding our attention, engaging our emotions and satisfying our cinematic needs with a story of human weakness, strength, heart and the capriciousness of fate."

120 minutes
Classification: (M) Moderate coarse language