The Debt (2010)

Directed by: John Madden
Country: USA

Plot: This espionage thriller begins in 1997, as shocking news reaches retired Mossad secret agents Rachel and Stephan about their former colleague David. All three have been venerated for decades by their country because of the mission that they undertook back in 1966 in East Berlin.
Quick comment: In this unconvincing thriller we have solid performances but the story isn't interesting enough to make us stick to it.
Relevant Awards: -

Happy Happy (2010)

Directed by: Anne Sewitsky
Country: Norway

Plot: Family is the most important thing in the world to Kaja. She is an eternal optimist in spite of living with a man who would rather go hunting with the boys...
Quick comment: a bit predictable in its mixed amorous betrayals, could have been much better in many aspects. However it guarantees some entertainment in a melancholic mood.
Relevant Awards: Grand Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival, USA

The Baader Meinhof Complex (2008)

Directed by: Uli Edel
Country: Germany

Plot: A look at Germany's terrorist group, The Red Army Faction (RAF), which organized bombings, robberies, kidnappings and assassinations in the late 1960s and '70s.
Quick comment: it succeeds by showing clearly the ideas and operating methods of one of the most feared terrorist groups of the 70's. A docudrama filled with action.
Relevant Awards: Best production at Bavarian Film Awards, Germany

The Skin I Live In (2011)

Direcetd by: Pedro Almodovar
Country: Spain

Plot: A brilliant plastic surgeon, haunted by past tragedies, creates a type of synthetic skin that withstands any kind of damage. His guinea pig: a mysterious and volatile woman who holds the key to his obsession.
Quick comment: The hand of Almodovar is there and we are able to recognize his usual style but the plot lacks power as it reaches the end. It promises much more than it gives. A frustrating picture.
Relevant Awards: Best Foreign Language Film at Phoenix and Washington Film Festivals, USA

The Inbetweeners Movie (2011)

Directed by: Ben Palmer
Country: UK


Plot: Four socially troubled 18-year-olds from the south of England go on holiday to Malia.
Quick comment: Another dull movie about adolescence. As expected it has a very low level of maturity becoming tedious and it's jokes are never succeeded.
Relevant Awards: -

Perfect Sense (2011)

Directed by: David Mackenzie
Country: UK


Plot: A chef and a scientist fall in love as an epidemic begins to rob people of their sensory perceptions.
Quick comment: This kind of apocalypse doesn't thrilled me nor convinced me at all. Completely forgettable and out of balance.
Relevant Awards: Best Film at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, Scotland


Neds (2010)

Directed by: Peter Mullan
Country: UK

Plot: We meet confident, studious John McGill just as he's about to start secondary school, where he fully expects to continue his so-far glittering academic career. But there are dark clouds on the horizon. Bad companies and the dysfunction of his home will lead him to a path of delinquence.
Quick comment: Influenced by Ken Loach this is the third movie from Peter Mullan. In a raw mood and with a kind of an indie-style, it holds terrific performances to get us focused on the subject
Relevant Awards: Best Director of BAFTA Awards, Scotland; Best Film at San Sebastain International Film Festival, Spain.

The Window (2008)

Directed by: Carlos Sorin
Country: Argentina

Plot: Carlos Sorin writes and directs this nostalgic meditation on memory, aging, and death concerning a bedridden 80-year-old father anticipating the arrival of his long-estranged son, a world-renowned concert pianist.
Quick Comment: very well thought and done, based on a beautiful lyrical reflection about getting old. Simple but deep plot with a fantastic photography.
Relevant Awards: FIPRESCI Prize at Valladolid International Film Festival, Spain

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King of the Devil's Island (2010)

Directed by: Marius Holst
Country: Norway

Plot: Norwegian winter, early 20th century. On the boys home Bastoy, a new inmate leads the boys to a violent uprising against a brutal regime. How far is he willing to go to attain freedom?
Quick Comment: Good cinematography and good acting in general, but it could have been more ambitious in a theme so much revisited in the past.
Relevant Awards: Best Film at Amanda Awards, Norway and Lubeck, Germany

Submarino (2010)

Directed by: Thomas Vinterberg
Country: Denmark

Plot: Two brothers meet at their mother's funeral, each in his way on a path of self-destruction, both haunted by a tragedy in their youth.
Quick Comment: with some questionable coincidences, it's not so deep as it would like to be despite of showing some powerful scenes.
Relevant Awards: Best Director and Script Writer at Nordic Council's Film Prize, Finland (Thomas Vinterberg).