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900 Days
Netherlands, 2011, 77 min.
History at its most fascinating and horrifying, 900 Days uses gripping testimonials by the Russian survivors of the German army’s WWII siege of Leningrad to tell the truth about events that the Soviet government kept hidden for 65 years.... more
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Bound by Flesh
USA, 2012, 95 min.
Riveting documentary about Daisy and Violet Hilton, conjoined twins who enjoyed and endured a rollercoaster show-business career in the first half of the twentieth century – including a stage act with the young Bob Hope. They also appeared in Tod Browning’s legendary horror film Freaks.... more
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A Caretaker’s Tale
Denmark, 2011, 85 min.
This provocative parable centers on the bitter custodian of a grim housing complex and the mute, naked woman with healing sexual powers he discovers in an empty apartment. Controversial and sometimes humorous; not for all tastes but certain to generate conversation. Be advised: Explicit material... more
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Children of Sarajevo
Bosnia-Herzegovina, 2012, 90 min.
A broken family serves as a metaphor for a war-damaged society in this potent drama from the director of Snow. Special Jury Prize, Un Certain Regard, Cannes; Best Actress, Sarajevo Film Festival.... more
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The Dandelions
France, 2012, 89 min.
Nine-year-old Rachel Gladstein is burdened by her overbearing yet extremely loving parents. When the rambunctious Valérie befriends Rachel at school, the Gladstein’s lives are turned upside-down. A carefree and humorous film with a charming cameo from Isabella Rossellini.... more
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The Daughter
Russia, 2012, 110 min.
A haunting crime drama with Dostoevskian overtones, set in provincial Russia where a serial killer is murdering teenage girls. It’s a beautifully shot, marvelously performed film about faith, hope and love.... more
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Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey
USA, 2012, 113 min.
How to replace Steve Perry? That was the dilemma for anthemic rockers Journey after their lead singer quit the band. Eventually they found the perfect solution via YouTube: a street kid who fronted a Filipino cover band.... more
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Eat Sleep Die
Sweden, 2012, 104 min.
Nermina Lukac shines as a young Muslim who struggles to maintain her self respect when she’s laid off from work in this starkly impressive first feature from Sweden.... more
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Electrick Children
USA, 2012, 96 min.
A Mormon teenager (Julia Garner) discovers a forbidden cassette of rock music on her 15th birthday. She’s never heard anything like it – but is it enough to have caused an immaculate conception, as she believes? “Irresistibly fizzy as a sachet of Pop Rocks.” Variety... more
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English Vinglish
India, 2012, 133 min.
An Indian wife and mother rediscovers her self-worth when she secretly enrolls in an accelerated English class during a stay in New York. This sweet, funny audience-pleaser proves a winning comeback vehicle for Indian megastar Sridevi after a lengthy hiatus.... more
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Fill the Void
Israel, 2012, 90 min.
An 18-year-old in Tel Aviv’s Hassidic community must choose between her heart’s desire and familial duty in a drama that makes the conventions of the marriage plot feel brand new. Winner, 7 Israeli Academy Awards, including Best Film, Best Director and Actress.... more
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First Comes Love
USA, 2012, 108 min.
Filmmaker Nina Davenport chronicles her decision to become a single mother at 41 and unexpected developments she confronts in the act of conceiving and carrying the child (including speedbumps in her relationship with the sperm donor, her gay best friend), in this funny, moving and revealing explor... more
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Flying Blind
United Kingdom, 2012, 93 min.
In this smart, slow-burn mystery, lauded stage actor Helen McCrory commands the screen as a confident, 40-ish aerospace engineer working on secret government projects whose passionate affair with a young Muslim student may not be as innocent as first thought.... more
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Ginger & Rosa
United Kingdom, 2012, 89 min.
Growing up in Great Britain in the sixties, best friends Ginger (Elle Fanning) and Rosa (Alice Englert) are on the cutting edge of the sexual revolution. But the new freedoms come with a heavy price in this salutary tale from writer-director Sally Potter.... more
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Hannah Arendt
Germany, 2012, 113 min.
In Margarethe von Trotta’s stirring and emotionally rewarding biopic, Barbara Sukowa perfectly embodies the philosopher famous for her concept of “The Banality of Evil” and her controversial reporting on the 1961 trial of Nazi war criminal Adolph Eichmann.... more
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Inch’ Allah
Canada, 2012, 101 min.
Every day young Canadian obstetrician Chloe crosses the checkpoint between Jerusalem and Ramallah, fraternizing with locals on both sides of the border but increasingly pushed towards taking a stand of her own. A thoughtful, humane take on the Israel/Palestine divide.... more
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Inescapable
Canada, 2012, 91 min.
Rubba Nadda follows her hit Cairo Time with this timely thriller about a father returning to Syria to try to find his missing daughter. Starring Alexander Siddig, Marisa Tomie and Joshua Jackson.... more
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Kid
Belgium, 2012, 90 min.
Reminiscent of the Dardenne brothers' recent Kid with a Bike, this is a pared down, minimalist heartbreaker – a portrait of an alienated seven-year-old child whose father has long since abandoned him and his brother, and who then attempts to help his mother as she deals with the impending los... more
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Lore
Australia, 2012, 109 min.
Spring 1945. As Allied forces sweep across the Motherland, Lore and her four younger siblings are stranded after their parents are imprisoned and embark on a daunting 900km trek across a devastated Germany. Winner, Audience Award, Locarno Film Festival.... more
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Love, Marilyn
USA, 2012, 105 min.
A dozen contemporary actresses (including Glenn Close, Viola Davis and Marisa Tomei) read from Marilyn Monroe’s recently discovered private papers in Liz Garbus’s multi-faceted, beautifully-made portrait of the quintessential twentieth century sex symbol.... more
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Margarita
Canada, 2012, 91 min.
A cash-strapped middle-class Toronto family reluctantly fires their Mexican-born nanny Margarita, only to discover just how indispensable she really is. Unfortunately she is also illegal, which makes everything that much stickier in this quirky lesbian-themed comedy-drama.... more
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Midnight’s Children
Canada, 2012, 148 min.
Salman Rushdie adapts his own monumental novel – a picaresque that doubles as a history of modern India – into a rich, sprawling, unruly movie, full of romance, satire, magic and anger.... more
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Molly Maxwell
Canada, 2012, 91 min.
Molly Maxwell is a precocious 16-year-old who attends an alternative school where every student is perceived to be a prodigy. Molly develops a close relationship with a young teacher who opens her world but the relationship potentially threatens her future.... more
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Pad Yatra: A Green Odyssey
USA, 2012, 70 min.
In this adventure eco documentary, 700 people trek 450 miles on foot across the rooftop of the world, the Himalayas, bringing environmental education, planting 33,000 trees, and carrying off half a ton of litter on their backs.... more
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The Pervert’s Guide to Ideology
United Kingdom, 2012, 134 min.
Courtesy of director Sophie Fiennes, this follow-up to her instant classic The Pervert’s Guide to Cinema, once again stars sly frontman and philosophical provocateur Slavoj Zizek; it’s the fun philosophy course you wish you could have taken in college - loaded with clips from classic films.... more
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Satellite Boy
Australia, 2012, 92 min.
Stunningly shot in the Australian Outback, Catriona McKenzie’s deeply felt exploration of Aboriginal folkways focuses on a ten-year-old boy forced to rely on the wisdom imparted by his grandfather when he gets lost in the wilds.... more
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The Shine of Day
Austria, 2012, 90 min.
In this low-key charmer, unexpected connections prove the spice of life. From the directors of La Pivellina, another gritty, semi-improvised drama about inter-generational bonding as a young stage actor befriends his father’s black sheep brother. Best Actor, Locarno Film Festival.... more
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Sister
Switzerland, 2012, 97 min.
An affecting, authentic portrait of an enterprising12-year-old thief finding rich pickings among the Swiss ski set, and the older sister (Léa Sedoux) who is supposed to be taking care of him.... more
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This Life - Some Must Die, So Others Can Live
Denmark, 2012, 122 min.
Based on a true story, this authentic, moving tale of Danish resistance to Nazi occupation has rivaled Flame & Citron as a local box office sensation. Audience Award, Hamburg Film Festival.... more
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Una Noche
Cuba, 2012, 90 min.
Elio’s twin sister, Lila, begins to suspect that her brother is planning to take off with his sexy, volatile coworker Raul on a dangerous bid to escape Cuba on a makeshift raft. Lucy Molloy’s award-winning film is vibrant, sophisticated, and emotionally intense. ... more
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When I Saw You
Palestine, 2012, 93 min.
This compassionate film about an intrepid Palestinian lad’s adventures in the wake of the Six Day War wraps the tragedy of being unable to return to ancestral lands in an extremely sympathetic package. Best Director, Abu Dhabi Film Festival.... more
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Yema
Algeria, 2012, 93 min.
A Greek tragedy by way of Algeria, the film tells the tale of two brothers set at odds by their different religious and political convictions, and the mother who mourns both a real and a symbolic loss when tensions explode.... more
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