The Foster Boy (2011)

Directed by: Markus Imboden
Country: Switzerland

Plot: Until after WWII, approximately 100,000 children were placed as cheap labor to work on Swiss farms.
Review: Nicely photographed, “The Foster Boy” will make the Swiss movie industry proud. A family, living in a mountain farm, shelters kids from poor families in change of help and some monthly amount of money. The movie concentrates in very different types of abusing endured by these kids, who had lost everything in their lives. The exception is Max and his passion for playing accordion, which will give him strength to go on dreaming with a better life. This is the kind of movie that you can’t help being involved with and be indignant. Every single performance was crucial to attain a honorable result. Not to be missed.
Relevant awards: Best actor (Swiss film prize).

Love.Net (2011)

Directed by: Ilian Djevelekov
Country: Bulgaria

Plot: Follows the parallel stories of a number of characters who are trying to change their lives via the Internet or are simply having fun online.
Review: A movie with high aspirations, albeit being unable to deliver anything worthwhile. John Lawton, old vocalist of the rock band Uriah Heep, has a small role here but could not do better to avoid the "off-key" mood of this movie. A monotonous sequence of intercalated stories about love, involving people who are addicted to the Internet's dating chats. The acting wasn’t strong and the movie simply couldn’t be funny, or deep, or dramatic…A failure.
Relevant awards: -

Magic Mike (2012)

Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
Country: USA

Plot: A male stripper teaches a younger performer how to party, pick up women, and make easy money.
Review: Soderbergh, better than anyone else, knows how to join commercial and independent style. A story about male strippers was a bold step to take, but he managed to turn it into an uncommon film. Despite of the dispensable cheesy romance, “Magic Mike” is a natural, funny and entertaining movie. Filled with objectivity, it makes you aware of the dangers and risks behind the scenes in this kind of night job. The sturdy direction by Soderbergh and a thorough performance by Matthew McConaughey made this one a movie to consider. 
Relevant awards: -

Guilty (2011)

Directed by: Vincent Garenq
Country: France

Plot: A real story about a man who battles to prove his innocence.
Review: The intriguing and sordid story of Alain Márecaux and his wife, both accused of having sexually abused their own son and other children. Expectation is present until the end, when we anxiously try to find out if they are guilty or mere victims of the accusers. The despair and humiliation felt by the characters will make you uncomfortable in a movie that calls into question the competence of the judges and police investigators. The second feature film from Vincent Garenq is well worth, with solid acting and a juicy story.
Relevant awards: Label Europa cinema (Venice).

I Wish I Knew (2010)

Directed by: Jia Zhang Ke
Country: China

Plot: Focuses on the people, their stories and architecture spanning from the mid-1800s, when Shanghai was opened as a trading port, to the present day.
Review: Jia Zhang Ke continues his brilliant career with another elucidating documentary, which happens to be a tribute to Shanghai. We have an historical and political lesson about this city by listen to the testimonials of known personalities, most of them related to cinema. Sometimes it can become a bit confusing, especially if we are not familiarized with the Shanghai’s history, but Zhang Ke had the wit to fascinate us with superbly composed frames of desolated and abandoned landscapes, just as he already did in “Still Life”(2006) or “24 City”(2008).
Relevant awards: Best documentary (Dubai).

For Lovers Only (2010)

Directed by: Michael Polish
Country: USA

Plot: An American photographer runs into an old flame while on assignment in Paris.
Review: A romantic essay from the Polish brothers (as usual: Mark writes and performs, while Michael directs) with a total different approach so far. Filmed on black-and-white, “For Lovers Only” shows an extra-marital affair occurring in France between a man and a woman in love. The story takes time to evolve but was able to catch our attention, aided by a musical score that served well its purposes. The main drawback was the excessive fashionable images that overlaps all the rest, creating some kind of artificial aesthetic. Polish brothers best films still are the early ones: “Twin Falls Idaho” (1999) and “Northfork” (2003), the latter being a true masterpiece.
Relevant awards: -

Hemel (2011)

Directed by: Sacha Polak
Country: Netherlands

Plot: During her nightly escapades Hemel searches for the difference between sex and love.
Review: Some substance was found in this character’s study but with savorless results. A disturbed girl sleeps every night with a different man, always searching for something new but feeling nothing more than indifference. An exception to this, seems to be a married man. The movie also emphasizes the odd and dependent relationship with her father, with whom she lives. “Hemel” is all about sex, loneliness and family (or the lack of it), making use of a rambling structure and pale imagery. 
Relevant awards: FIPRESCI Prize (Berlin).

Albert Nobbs (2011)

Directed by: Rodrigo Garcia
Country: USA/UK

Plot: Albert Nobbs struggles to survive in late 19th century Ireland, where women aren't encouraged to be independent.
Review: Albert Nobbs wasn’t much a sympathetic character. The good performance by Glenn Close, who also wrote the screenplay, didn’t put this movie on top of my preferences. The story isn’t bad. Actually, it has something to say about women’s independence in 19th century’s Ireland, but the way it does isn’t so absorbing or emotional enough to avoid some indifference. The characterization of Mr.Nobbs (Glenn Colse) was good, while the one from the painter Hubert Page (Janet McTeer) didn't convince me. Not powerful enough.
Relevant awards: Best actress (Tokyo); sebastain prize (San Sebastian).

Last Ride (2009)

Directed by: Glendyn Ivin
Country: Australia

Plot: A young boy travels across Australia with his father, who's wanted by the law.
Review: An interesting trip through the amazing Australian landscapes, where a man is on the run after committing a brutal crime. As a single parent he is forced to take his son with him. Sleeping in the streets, their only concern is to get food and water. The father-son relationship was very well conceived and Hugo Weaving’s performance, alternating between tenderness and bursts of anger, deserved more than a few nominations for best leading role. Although the end has been a bit strained, Mr.Ivin used his skills to make this story touch our feelings and subsist in our minds.
Relevant awards: -

The Squad (2011)

Directed by: Jaime Osorio Marquez
Country: Colombia

Plot: A team of Colombian soldiers are sent to an isolated outpost after losing contact with their comrades in arms.
Review: The similarities of this story with the Serbian “The Enemy”, reviewed five days ago in this blog, are too much evident. The screenwriters from both movies were not the same and the movies are from the same year. I just wanted to share this curious fact. Anyway, the Colombian “The squad” was much more efficient and scary than its twin Serbian competitor. Maintaining a certain ambiguity and the tension levels at top from start to end, it also revealed to have a great direction and musical score behind the story. Aberrant and creepy!
Relevant awards: -

The Minister (2011)

Directed by: Pierre Scholler
Country: France

Plot: Political drama following Minister for Transport, Bertrand Saint-Jean, as he struggles to cope with personal problems and the darker side of being in a position of power.
Review: A detailed look at life of Bertrand Saint-Jean, French minister for transport and a man from the people, who only lives for his profession. Here, we can witness the constant stress and schemes as part of political games, the loneliness felt when things don't go right, the back and forth in crucial decisions, and many more. With a lot of dialog over almost 2 hours, “The Minister” is what it is, and doesn’t really want to show anything more than a man’s obsessed dedication to his image and career. It just has a peculiar and engaging way to show it.
Relevant awards: FIPRESCI prize (Cannes).

Himizu (2011)

Directed by: Shion Sono
Country: Japan

Plot: Two teenagers living in post-tsunami Japan embark on a campaign of violence against evil wrong doers.
Review: “Himizu”, unsurprisingly, is another crazy and chaotic movie directed by Shion Sono. Being a master in the art of shocking, Sono dares to mix so distinguished subjects such as Fukushima’s tsunami, parental abuse, Japanese mafia and miserable suicidal characters. Although provocative enough, it suffers from the usual use and abuse of repetitive beatings and violence that leaves you out of breath. Nevertheless, the open and hopeful finale was able to raise our expectations, showing how important is not to give up quest for self-identity.
Relevant awards: Best acting (Venice); critic's prize (Deauville).

The Snows Of Kilimanjaro (2011)

Directed by: Robert Guédiguian
Country: France

Plot: A union pensioner and his wife are robbed, but find that merely getting the assailants brought to justice is not enough for their consciences.
Review: There are no doubts about the good intentions of this film. Humanism is evident and every single actor worked hard to show exactly that (specially Ariane Ascaride). However, the beauty of the story didn’t spare us from a sensation of discontentment due to various reasons. The film drags too much in familiar barbecues’ and tepid conversations, never reaching our true feelings. Furthermore, the musical score didn’t fit well, becoming often annoying. I wonder, if Aki Kaurismaki had directed this plot, perhaps he would turn it in something more effective. 
Relevant awards: Best film (Valladolid).

The Enemy (2011)

Directed by: Dejan Zecevic
Country: Serbia

Plot: A couple of days after the Balkan war has ended, a group of soldiers in charge of clearing the fields from mines, make an odd discovery.
Review: A team of soldiers, while trying to dismantle their own mines, start to freak out after discover a man sealed between the four walls of a factory’s basement. A combination of war and supernatural, results in a very dark ambiance. The acting, directing and beautiful photography are very positive. On the other hand I found the plot a bit messy and unstable, frequently making us miss its intentions with some deliberate ambiguity. Anyway, this was a good effort from Dejan Zecevic, lately dedicated to TV-series.
Relevant awards: Audience award (Thessaloniki).

Wetlands (2011)

Directed by: Guy Edoin
Country: Canada

Plot: On a dairy farm in the Eastern Townships, in the middle of a drought and while the land is parching, a drama will disrupt the life of the Santerre family.
Review: “Wetlands” is the promising first feature film from French-canadian Guy Edoin. The plot unfolds the bitter story of a family of farmers in Quebec, who are trying to do their best to avoid bankruptcy. All gets worse when an accident kills the man of the house, who leaves behind a pregnant wife and a disoriented son. The arrival of a stranger offering help will then bring even more trouble. The content is rich and we can glimpse anger, anguish, loss, opportunism, forgiveness and search for sexual identity in a quiet but incisive film.
Relevant awards: -

A Simple Life (2011)

Directed by: Ann Hui
Country: China

Plot: After suffering a stroke, an altruistic maid announces that she wants to quit her job and move into an old people's home.
Review: “A simple life” is a beautiful story. Beyond the concept of family, this is a movie about real life in a very tender way. After watching this movie, I felt uncomfortable by thinking about getting old. It’s scary to imagine how will be our last days. In a movie without many tension or dynamic moments, director Ann Hui did a great job, getting the right balance to avoid viewer’s distraction. A powerful human story with a huge meaningful message is something to praise.
Relevant awards: Honorable mention and best actress (Venice); grand prize (Tallin); best director (Golden Film Fest., Taiwan).

The Dictator (2012)

Directed by: Larry Charles
Country: USA

Plot: The heroic story of a dictator who risks his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed.
Review: Sasha Baron Cohen should consider change his performance style. He becomes tiresome after a while and only sporadically hits the target. After the complete failure of “Bruno”, “The Dictator” follows the same path and didn’t convince. As usually in Larry Charles’s films there’s some criticism involved but it always handles the jokes and funny situations in a quite dull way to be able to captivate. You can waste your time with “The Dictator” if you’re a big fan of this type of comedies but I would not recommend it.
Relevant awards: -

Bernie (2011)

Directed by: Richard Linklater
Country: USA

Plot: In small-town Texas, the local mortician strikes up a friendship with a wealthy widow.
Review: The true story of Bernie Tiede, a charismatic Texan and devoted Christian who decided to take advantage of a millionaire widow. It’s intriguing to see how a person that commits a terrible crime can be so loved and cherished by an entire community. Self-taught director Richard Linklater, has a strong return with a movie that doesn’t discard a smart and morbid humor merged with the seriousness of a brutal crime. It also makes us to have a good thought about how impartiality in a crime judgment is so fundamental. Good story!
Relevant awards: -

The Day He Arrives (2011)

Directed by: Sang-Soo Hong
Country: South Korea

Plot: Sang-Joon is a professor in the film department at a provincial university. He goes to Seoul and stays for 3 days.
Review: Korean cinema is very well represented with Sang Soo Hong’s movies. “The Day He Arrives” was shot in black-and-white and with its nostalgic mood, makes us look deep into friendship and relationships. Very concise in its approach, is a movie about encounters, promises, loneliness, and many drinks and cigarettes as possible. If you like intelligent movies with elaborated speech, a philosophy behind it and very close to reality, this is one not to miss. A gem of modern cinema with slight touches of classic.
Relevant awards: -

Punch (2011)

Directed by: Han Lee
Country: South Korea

Plot: 17-year-old Wan-Deuk comes from a poor family and his grades in school are equally poor.
Review: “Punch” is a funny and enjoyable movie - the fourth from director Han Lee.  The first half was very interesting to follow with the surprise factor coming up front, while the second was not able to hold the levels of enjoyment. Some jokes started to repeat a while and everything reminding us “Karate Kid” was pure coincidence… Despite this, the movie introduces some fresh ideas wrapped in funny moments. Good for having some good laughs in a relaxed environment.
Relevant awards: -