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Bart Got a Room
USA, 2008, 80 min.
Danny Stein wants what most of the guys at his school want on prom night: a little action from a hot girl. But with the clock ticking and viable girls getting snatched up, Danny's search for the perfect date becomes more desperate, and more hilarious.... more
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The Black Balloon
Australia, 2008, 97 min.
Thomas' father puts him in charge of his autistic brother Charlie. With the help of his new girlfriend he thinks he can handle it, but Charlie's unusual antics take them all on a wild emotional journey. The Black Balloon is a story about fitting in, discovering love and accepting your family.... more
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Blind Loves
Slovakia, 2008, 77 min.
The phrase "love is blind" takes on an entirely new significance in this ravishing documentary that mixes whimsical animation with the real experiences of four different blind men and women.... more
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The Burning Plain
USA, 2008, 111 min.
Starring Charlize Theron, Kim Basinger and excellent newcomer Jennifer Lawrence, Babel screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga's first feature relates how the sins of an earlier generation are visited upon the young and how we are all, essentially, connected.... more
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Cape No. 7
Taiwan, 2008, 129 min.
A big-hearted let's-put-on-a-show comedy centered on a despondent musician who gets his mojo back with a band of eccentric amateurs in his provincial hometown. This charmer won Best Film at the Hawaii Film Festival.... more
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Dunya & Desie
Netherlands, 2008, 97 min.
A heartwarming comedy/road movie centering on the 18-year-old best friends of the title, Dunya & Desie touches on issues of family and fitting in, negotiating parental expectations, and what it means to straddle two worlds with grace and élan.... more
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Every Child Is Special
India, 2007, 165 min.
Dyslexic, eight-year-old Ishaan hates school and fails every subject. His teachers subject him to constant humiliation, until a new progressive teacher arrives on the scene. Winner of the 2008 Filmfare Best Movie Award, it is Aamir Khan's (Lagaan) directorial debut.... more
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The Friend
Switzerland, 2007, 89 min.
When talented young singer Larissa asks gawky Zurich student Emil to pretend to be her "friend" in front of her family, he readily agrees. But before Emil has the opportunity to play make-believe, Larissa's sister, Nora, informs him that his "girlfriend" has died. Best Film, Swiss Film Days.... more
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The Gift to Stalin
Kazakhstan, 2008, 95 min.
Set against the sweeping beauty of the Kazakh steppes, Gift is the heartwarming tale of a young orphaned Jewish boy who is sent into exile during a Stalinist purge, but saved by a gruff older Muslim.... more
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The Girl from Monaco
France, 2008, 95 min.
The beautiful isle of Monaco serves as the backdrop for director Anne Fontaine's sparkling romantic comedy. A famous Parisian lawyer, unschooled in the ways of l'amour, falls for a flaky, long-legged local beauty after taking on the case of a wealthy woman who has killed her much younger lover.... more
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Grown Ups
France, 2008, 84 min.
A single French father and his shy teen daughter discover romance — and deal with a shift in their own relationship — during a Swedish summer holiday. Debuting director Anna Novion proves an astute observer of human interactions in this wistfully charming comic drama.... more
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The Home of Dark Butterflies
Finland, 2008, 105 min.
Based on a famous novel, the story is set in an isolated reformatory for troubled youth and focuses on 14-year-old Juhani, who is haunted and oppressed by a traumatic childhood experience.... more
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In Your Absence
Spain, 2008, 98 min.
First-time director Iván Noel fashions an elegant coming-of-age tale replete with dramatic twists, set in the gorgeous hills and fields of Andalusia in southern Spain. Young Pablo, tortured by his father's death, befriends a passing adult stranger with unpredictable and tragic results for both.... more
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Leaving Barstow
USA, 2008, 90 min.
A bright high school senior without a real sense of direction, Andrew lives with his young mom, but for years the roles of parent and child have been reversed. With the arrival of mom's hunky new boy-toy Cody, Andrew must choose between his own ambitions and his devotion to the people he loves.... more
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Mermaid
Russia, 2007, 114 min.
Five-year-old Alisa has taken a rebellious vow of silence. When she's shipped off to a special-needs school, she channels her emotional turmoil into magical telekinetic powers. Years later, she'll meet a man who inspires her to speak again.... more
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Mommy Is at the Hairdresser's
Canada, 2008, 98 min.
School's out for the summer of 1966, but for Élise, the abrupt departure of her long-suffering mother means she'll have to care for her father and two brothers. Pool uses the perfect blend of sweet aesthetics and sorrowful subject matter to tell this poignant coming-of-age story.... more
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Mumbai Meri Jaan
India, 2008, 144 min.
Mumbai Meri Jaan is a tribute to the indomitable spirit of a dynamic city — Mumbai. With soul-stirring spirit and stellar performances, the film captures the chaos that was unleashed by the 2006 terrorist bomb attacks on the local train system, and how common people faced tragedy with resilience.... more
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South Desert
Chile, 2007, 100 min.
Young Sofia finds a letter her mother had written before her recent death. Returned because the addressee was unknown, the letter leads Sofia on an adventure from Spain to the far south of Chile looking for answers. Audience Award winner, Manheim Film Festival.... more
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Tricks
Poland, 2007, 96 min.
A fatherless boy tries to tempt fate in this pitch-perfect portrait of working-class life in a provincial town — and of growing up as the much younger brother of an adored older sister. Winner, Best Film, Miami Film Festival; Best Cinematography and Critics' Award, Gdynia.... more
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Tulpan
Kazakhstan, 2008, 100 min.
The traditional lifestyle of nomadic sheepherders on the harsh Kazak steppe provides quietly sensational drama in Tulpan. An engrossing tale of a twentysomething youth who can't achieve his long-cherished dream of tending his own flock without first acquiring a wife... more
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The Wedding Song
Tunisia, 2007, 100 min.
Karin Albou's (Little Jerusalem) sophomore feature confirms her status as a rising star in the art-film firmament. The story of a Muslim girl and a Jewish girl who bond intensely during the Nazi occupation of Tunis is taboo-breaking, sensual and political, all at the same time.... more
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The Witch of the West Is Dead
Japan, 2008, 116 min.
Featuring a touching performance by Sachi Parker (the look-alike daughter of Shirley MacLaine) this enchanting film about a special summer shared by a wise grandmother and her teen granddaughter was a popular hit in Japan and should strike a chord here as well.... more
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