Welcome to Leith is a documentary, but it might as well be a thriller. Directors Michael Beach Nichols and Christopher K. Walker shoot the film with harrowing, slowly moving B-roll, an ominous score, and a structure designed like a cliffhanger, home-invasion movie.
Magallanes (Damián Alcázar), a struggling cab driver, also doubles as the caretaker of his former colonel from the troubled Shining Path period in Peru. When a woman from his past gets into his taxi he concocts an elaborate blackmail scheme.
I Am a Soldier Directed by Laurent Larivière France, 2015 Philadelphia Film Festival Laurent Larivière’s brilliant debut I Am a Soldier is genuine and suspenseful. It’s the rare film that feels personal and sprawling at once, and is buoyed by a fantastic performance from Louise Bourgoin. Sandrine (Bourgoin) loses her apartment and is unable to …
Dheepan Directed by Jacques Audiard France, 2015 Philadelphia Film Festival Dheepan (Jesuthasan Antonythasan) is a Tamil fighter. He flees war-torn Sri Lanka with Yalini (Kalieaswari Srinivasan) and Illayaal (Claudine Vinasithamby), posing as his wife and daughter. The makeshift family arrives in France and Dheepan finds work as a caretaker for an apartment building that is …
Evolution Directed by Lucile Hadzihalilovic Canada, 2015 Philadelphia Film Festival Evolution is an odd bird. It has the mood of a David Cronenberg film, some of the peculiarities of City of Lost Children, and the child’s fascination of Tideland. Nicolas (Max Brebant) lives with his mother (Julie-Marie Parmentier) in a small seaside town. Strange things …
Bridgend Directed by Jeppe Rønde Denmark, 2015 Philadelphia Film Festival Bridgend is harrowing and haunting. It’s also oppressive and relentlessly bleak. The title is a town in Wales that is experiencing an inexplicable rash of teenage suicides. Sara (Hannah Murray) moves back to town with her father Dave (Steven Waddington), a police officer investigating the …
Naz & Maalik Directed by Jay Dockendorf United States, 2015 Philadelphia Film Festival Naz (Kerwin Johnson, Jr.) and Maalik (Curtiss Cook, Jr.) are gay and Muslim – the latter alone a recipe for suspicion from an FBI agent (Annie Grier), and the former enough to stoke that apprehension. The two teenagers walk the streets of …
(T)ERROR is a bizarre story of FBI informants and terror suspects. Saeed is an unrepentant FBI informant. He’s also a charismatic single father and generally anchorless.
Dwight (Macon Blair) is an unassuming vagrant who receives startling news: the man who murdered his parents has been released from prison early. Dwight goes on an improbable quest for revenge, throwing his quiet existence into violent disorder.
A harrowing immigration-road movie bolstered by three beautifully natural adolescent performances frames Diego Quemada-Díez as a director to watch.
The Thieves Directed by Dong-Hoon Choi South Korea, 2012 Philadelphia Film Festival The second-highest grossing film in South Korean film history, Dong-Hoon Choi’s The Thieves is a fast-paced heist film in the recent American ensemble tradition of Ocean’s 11. A group of Korean thieves led by Popeye (Jung-Jae Lee) are brought alongside a group of …
Clandestine Childhood Directed by Benjamín Ávila Argentina, 2011 Philadelphia Film Festival Benjamín Ávila’s debut feature is a fine balance of youthful longing and militant resistance. Ernesto (Teo Gutiérrez Romero) has two names. One name – Ernesto – is for his schoolmates, but he goes by Juan at home. His parents also have two names. Horacio …
Simon Killer Directed by Antonio Campos United States, 2012 Philadelphia Film Festival We probably see the back of characters’ heads nearly as frequently as their faces in Antonio Campos’ follow-up to his 2008 brooder, Afterschool. Favoring a handheld, following camera, a pulsing synth soundtrack that cuts abruptly in and out, slow zooms that seem to …
Barbara Directed by Christian Petzold Germany, 2012 Philadelphia Film Festival One of the unsung modern directors is Christian Petzold of the so-called “Berlin School” of filmmakers. His latest feature Barbara acts as companion piece to some of his earlier, loner, frequently female-driven narratives. Barbara (Nina Hoss) comes to East Germany in 1980 as an implied …
Beyond the Hills Directed by Cristian Mungiu Romania, 2012 Philadelphia Film Festival Cristian Mungiu’s first feature-film since the slow-burn Cannes winner 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, visits a similar “women in trouble” theme and replaces the big city with a rural village. Alina (Cristina Flutur) and Voichita (Cosmina Stratan) grew up in an …
Yossi Directed by Eytan Fox Israel, 2012 Philadelphia Film Festival Eytan Fox’s follow-up to his 2002 short-feature Yossi & Jagger is an accomplished, sweet love and regret story. Yossi (Ohad Knoller) is a closeted young doctor. When Varda (Orly Silbersatz) shows up at his hospital for a routine check-up, Yossi’s military and romantic past leads …
Gayby Directed by Jonathan Lisecki United States, 2012 Philadelphia Film Festival Jenn (Jenn Harris) and Matt (Matthew Wilkas) are 30-something friends from college. He’s gay, she’s straight. He’s just out of a long relationship, she’s had zero luck in her love life. Both feel the call of commitment, so they decide to have a baby …
The Forgiveness of Blood Directed by Joshua Marston United States, Albania, 2011 Following a seven-year feature-film hiatus, director Joshua Marston returns with The Forgiveness of Blood, a coming-of-age tale set in a small Albanian village. Nik (Tristan Halilaj) is a typical teenager – chasing girls, and riding around on a friend’s motorcycle. When a longstanding …
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia Directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan Written by Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Ebru Ceylan and Ercan Keysal Turkey, 2011 The title of the latest offering from Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan might indicate companionship with famous films from Sergio Leone or Hark Tsui that share a similar namesake, but don’t enter …
Melancholia Directed by Lars Von Trier Denmark, 2011 An apocalyptic film that gives away its ending in the first ten minutes, Lars Von Trier’s Melancholia is far less interested in any gigantic blue planet crashing into our gigantic mostly blue planet than it is in how two sisters relate to one-another. Picking up aesthetically where …
Beyond the Black Rainbow Directed by Panos Cosmatos Canada, 2010 If any of the many 1980s-synth-homage bands out there right now need a music video they should call Panos Cosmatos immediately. His Beyond the Black Rainbow, while failing to serve much feature-length cinematic purpose, is the perfect vehicle for a 3 ½ minute, leather-clad, red-saturated, …