July 7, 2009

The Physics Of Water (2009) **

Basically a modern-day, Italian adaptation of "Hamlet", but told from the point of view of a very young boy.

Camembert rose (2009) **

Hungarian film about a conservative young man and his hedonistic father.

Winter Silence (2009) *

Probably inspired by Carlos Reygadas' ''Stille licht'', but nowhere near as good. Set in a remote mountain hamlet, it's a story about Christian religious faith and pagan sexual desires.

Enen (2009) *

A psychatrist is investigating a mysterious patient of his. Directed by Feliks Falk.

General Nil (2009) **

The martyrdom of a Polish general - a hero of the resistence against the Nazis is arrested and executed by the Communists after the war.

Où vas-tu Moshe ? (2009) *

Moroccan film about Jews leaving Morocco for Israel.

Daniel And Ana (2009) ***

Losing Balance (2009) *

Average drama about a German family.

Dirty Diaries (2009) ***

Devil's Town (2009) ***

Un Cuerpo desnudo (2009) ***

The Seventh Circle (2009) **

Disturbing Hungarian drama about suicidal children.

Crepuscule (2009) ***

Distanz (2009) *

German drama about a serial killer and a woman who loves him.

Sicak (2009) *

Turkish drama about a fatal road accident.

Metastaze (2009) **

Average film about petty drug smugglers. A coproduction between Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia.

Castillos de carton (2009) ***

Angels With Dirty Wings (2009) ***

Afonia i pszczoly (2009) ***

3 Idiots (2009) ***

An Indian "Dead Poets Society". A typical Bollywood roller-coaster, mixing slapstick comedy with genuine emotions.

General - zamach na Gibraltarze (2009) *

Historical drama about the last days of General Wladyslaw Sikorski, the Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Armed Forces during World War II. According to history, he died in a plane crash in Gibraltar. But according to this film, he was murdered there on the orders of the British governor. It's basically a Polish "JFK", but the conspiracy theory presented isn't very convincing, as it seem to include the Soviets, the British and anti-Sikorski Poles - a very unlikely coalition. In fact, the only reason many Poles opposed Sikorski was because he was perceived as being insufficiently anti-Soviet. To suggest that those Polish opponents of Sikorski would conspire with the Soviets (and the British) to kill him, is completely illogical.

Drzazgi (2009) **

Tragic and romantic film about love, ambition and many other problems. Set in a drab mining town in southern Poland, it's a depressing, but well directed, social drama. Interesting narrative structure.

La Nana (2009) ***

Made In Hungaria (2009) ***

Lebanon (2009) ***

Kinatay (2009) ***

Film Ist A Girl And A Gun (2009) ***


La Teta asustada (2009) *

Dreadful Peruvian film about a very strange girl who puts a potato inside her vagina to avoid being raped. Inexplicably, it won a Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival.

Mein (2009) ***

Thirst (2009) ***

El Traspatio (2009) ***

Wojna polsko-ruska (2009) ***

Black Blooded Brides Of Satan (2009) ***

A Room And A Half (2009) ***

Il Grande sogno (2009) ***

El Secreto de sus ojos (2009) ***

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2009) ***

The Girl Who Played With Fire (2009) ***

Three Houses (2009) *

Georgian drama in three parts, set in three different centuries, connected by the same painting.

Caja negra (2009) **

Interesting Mexican film about the preparations for an assassination of a political leader.

Galerianki (2009) ***

The Forbidden Legend: Sex And Chopsticks 2 (2009) ***

The Fish Child (2009) ***

The Faceless Dead (2009) **

Japanese detective story about a mysterious woman who steals the identities of other people.

Well Done Abba (2009) **

Indian comedy about a mysterious theft of water wells.

Counterfeit (2009) **

Interesting Japanese film about counterfeiters, set shortly after WWII. Based on a true story.

Face (2009) ***


Dom zly (2009) **

A crime movie from Poland.

Chi l'ha visto (2009) *

Very boring film about a young German trying to find his Italian father.

Dukot (2009) *

Shocking film from the Philippines. The story concerns left-wing activists kidnapped by the military pretending to be Communist guerrillas. Based on a true story.

Andrés no quiere dormir la siesta (2009) *

Argentinian film about set during the military dictatorship in 1977, told from the point of view of a little boy.

Slovenka (2009) ***

Ulzhan (2009) *

Boring road movie set in Kazakhstan. Directed by Volker Schlöndorff ("The Tin Drum").

Ajami (2009) **

Complex Israeli crime movie that mixes Mideast politics and apolitical criminality in a tragic conundrum. The plot is very ingenious, but the film lacks style.