Films & Schedules - Saturday, February 25, 2012

In its glory years, Darwin, Calif., was a thriving mining town in Death Valley. Today, just 35 hard scrabble survivors hold on in a near ghost town with no jobs, government, or much connection to the modern outside world. Survival depends on a fragile waterline running down the mountain from a secret weapons test range. Brandestini’s evocative film interviews the town’s citizens, each of them driven to their solitary Mojave Desert outpost by poignant circumstances. Capturing his subjects with empathy and the place’s atmospheric tone with uncanny sensitivity, a compelling portrait emerges of a uniquely American place. “Darwin is a...

In its glory years, Darwin, Calif., was a thriving mining town in Death Valley. Today, just 35 hard scrabble survivors hold on in a near ghost town with no jobs, government, or much connection to the modern outside world. Survival depends on a fragile waterline running down the mountain from a secret weapons test range. Brandestini’s evocative film interviews the town’s citizens, each of them driven to their solitary Mojave Desert outpost by poignant circumstances. Capturing his subjects with empathy and the place’s atmospheric tone with uncanny sensitivity, a compelling portrait emerges of a uniquely American place. “Darwin is a beautiful, elegiac work with unexpected impact and meaning.”—Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times. “Undeniable poetry ... affectionately documented.”—Peter Debruge, Variety (88 mins.)

Filmography: Return to Florence (06), Legacy of the Great Aletsch (09).

Sponsored by Alaska Airlines.

FILM REVIEW

DIGITAL

Interests: History, Documentary.

A broken family under incestuous patriarch Salih lives uneasily within the gated courtyard of a dilapidated house in Baghdad. Meriam, Salih’s pregnant daughter, has fallen silent, refusing to tell her father what’s wrong. She finds some protection from Salih’s young second wife, Kerima, and his pre-teen son, Muhanad. Meanwhile, with the family struggling for money, Muhanad must work in the street shining shoes, and, more ominously, the entire household must live with a sullen and imperious boarder, a man who works as a white-collar killer and who has taken Kerima under his spell. Rasheed moodily captures Baghdad’s beautiful, colorful surroundings...

A broken family under incestuous patriarch Salih lives uneasily within the gated courtyard of a dilapidated house in Baghdad. Meriam, Salih’s pregnant daughter, has fallen silent, refusing to tell her father what’s wrong. She finds some protection from Salih’s young second wife, Kerima, and his pre-teen son, Muhanad. Meanwhile, with the family struggling for money, Muhanad must work in the street shining shoes, and, more ominously, the entire household must live with a sullen and imperious boarder, a man who works as a white-collar killer and who has taken Kerima under his spell. Rasheed moodily captures Baghdad’s beautiful, colorful surroundings and the brooding angst of life in a militarized society, slowly juxtaposing the suffering with unexpected flashes of loveliness that reveal unexpected resilience in the wake of catastrophe. (90 mins.)

Filmography: Underexposure (05).

In Arabic with English subtitles.

QARANTINA is co-presented by the Global Film Initiative and is part of the Global Lens 2012 film series. For more information, visit www.globalfilm.org.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: Narrative Feature, Middle Eastern.

In the build-up to the most important day of their lives, two young Dominican baseball players confront competition and corruption to achieve their Big League dreams. Baseball is a way of life in the Dominican Republic. From the streets to the stadiums, young boys dream of one day emerging from the dugout onto a Big League field. From the time they can walk, kids practice with rolled-up sock balls and broomsticks, waiting for the day they are old enough to sign. That day comes at age 16 when they try out for professional teams. Pelotero follows two of the nation’s...

In the build-up to the most important day of their lives, two young Dominican baseball players confront competition and corruption to achieve their Big League dreams. Baseball is a way of life in the Dominican Republic. From the streets to the stadiums, young boys dream of one day emerging from the dugout onto a Big League field. From the time they can walk, kids practice with rolled-up sock balls and broomsticks, waiting for the day they are old enough to sign. That day comes at age 16 when they try out for professional teams. Pelotero follows two of the nation’s most talented hopefuls and their long, rocky road towards achieving their dreams. While their stories reveal a dark side of Dominican baseball—age falsification, steroid use, unrealistic dreams, and corruption—at the heart is a story of two boys battling incredible odds to play the game they love. (73 mins.)

First Feature.

In English and Spanish with English subtitles.

Sponsored by Peter Corvallis Productions.

FILM REVIEW

DIGITAL

Interests: Family Fare, Documentary.

In the basement of his parents’ house in suburban Maryland lives Bobby Liebling, former vocalist with the 1970s cult legends Pentagram. A band once described as the street Black Sabbath, Pentagram’s heavy rock and heavy metal riffs blew audiences’ minds. But something went wrong in their career trajectory and Liebling ended up battling many years of drug addiction. New friend, fan, and manager Sean Pelletier believes he can help Bobby quit his addictions and launch Pentagram once again. A combination of the unexpectedly hilarious, tragic, poignant, and of course rocking, Last Days Here offers a fascinating portrait of the vocalist,...

In the basement of his parents’ house in suburban Maryland lives Bobby Liebling, former vocalist with the 1970s cult legends Pentagram. A band once described as the street Black Sabbath, Pentagram’s heavy rock and heavy metal riffs blew audiences’ minds. But something went wrong in their career trajectory and Liebling ended up battling many years of drug addiction. New friend, fan, and manager Sean Pelletier believes he can help Bobby quit his addictions and launch Pentagram once again. A combination of the unexpectedly hilarious, tragic, poignant, and of course rocking, Last Days Here offers a fascinating portrait of the vocalist, the legendary band, and the fans who long to see Pentagram get the recognition they’ve long deserved. (91 mins.)

Filmography: Rock School (05), The Art of the Steal (09).

Sponsored by Music Millennium.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: Music, Documentary.

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women. As one of the scientists interviewed puts it, “The most important risk factor in getting breast cancer is being a woman.” Léa Pool’s eye-opening film pulls the curtain back on the industry surrounding breast cancer awareness and exposes the truth of how little money actually goes toward research while corporations fatten their bottom line. Breast cancer has become the poster child of corporate cause-related marketing campaigns. Countless women and men walk, bike, climb, and shop for the cure. Each year, millions of dollars are raised in the name of...

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women. As one of the scientists interviewed puts it, “The most important risk factor in getting breast cancer is being a woman.” Léa Pool’s eye-opening film pulls the curtain back on the industry surrounding breast cancer awareness and exposes the truth of how little money actually goes toward research while corporations fatten their bottom line. Breast cancer has become the poster child of corporate cause-related marketing campaigns. Countless women and men walk, bike, climb, and shop for the cure. Each year, millions of dollars are raised in the name of breast cancer, but where does this money go and what does it actually achieve? Pink Ribbons, Inc. shows how the devastating reality of breast cancer, which marketing experts have labeled a “dream cause,” becomes obfuscated by a shiny, pink story of success. “There are plenty of women who’ll want to see it. And they’ll be seeing red, not pink.”—Variety (98 mins.)

Selected Filmography: Anne Trister (86), La demoiselle sauvage (91), Lost and Delirious (01), The Blue Butterfly (04), La dernière fugue (10).

FILM REVIEW

DIGITAL

Interests: Documentary.

Kenan is a taciturn 35-year-old tollbooth attendant shuffling between a suffocating home with his ailing but domineering father and the monotony of the traffic-hounded box where he spends his working life. Desperate to resist his father’s attempt to marry him off to a neighbor and equally determined to prove his worth by fixing his father’s idle old car, the pressure on Kenan drives him to the edge of a nervous breakdown. Temporarily reassigned to a tollbooth on a desolate country road, Kenan begins a flirtation with a beautiful woman who drives by at the same time each day—in a car...

Kenan is a taciturn 35-year-old tollbooth attendant shuffling between a suffocating home with his ailing but domineering father and the monotony of the traffic-hounded box where he spends his working life. Desperate to resist his father’s attempt to marry him off to a neighbor and equally determined to prove his worth by fixing his father’s idle old car, the pressure on Kenan drives him to the edge of a nervous breakdown. Temporarily reassigned to a tollbooth on a desolate country road, Kenan begins a flirtation with a beautiful woman who drives by at the same time each day—in a car remarkably like his father’s. Is this salvation for the aging bachelor or the further unraveling of his mind? Making use of an expert cast and keen art direction, Karaçelik crafts a wry, heartbreaking ode to lost dreams in a sleepwalking world. “Ace storytelling ... impressively light-footed and heartfelt.”—Variety (96 mins.)

First Feature.

TOLL BOOTH is co-presented by the Global Film Initiative and is part of the Global Lens 2012 film series. For more information, visit www.globalfilm.org.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: New Directors.

After a decade in Switzerland, 13-year-old Marta moves back to her family’s impoverished hometown in Calabria in southern Italy. Although Marta was born there, the local customs seem strange to her, a feeling of dislocation and confusion that only increases after she enrolls in her local church’s confirmation class. Rohrwacher’s sensitive and perceptive debut feature ironically pits a young girl’s crisis of faith and adolescence against a community struggling for survival and the ancient traditions of the Catholic Church facing waning influence. “In Italy nowadays, there’s a feeling that people don’t ask themselves questions, and the idea of community is...

After a decade in Switzerland, 13-year-old Marta moves back to her family’s impoverished hometown in Calabria in southern Italy. Although Marta was born there, the local customs seem strange to her, a feeling of dislocation and confusion that only increases after she enrolls in her local church’s confirmation class. Rohrwacher’s sensitive and perceptive debut feature ironically pits a young girl’s crisis of faith and adolescence against a community struggling for survival and the ancient traditions of the Catholic Church facing waning influence. “In Italy nowadays, there’s a feeling that people don’t ask themselves questions, and the idea of community is not there anymore. The Church doesn’t think about faith. Its main concern is to organize people’s lives.”—Alice Rohrwacher. “The big payoffs arrive in a couple of small, understated moments of grace. Thanks to restrained build-up and direction, they certainly feel well-earned.”—Variety (100 mins.)

First Feature.

Sponsored by the Italian Cultural Institute, San Francisco.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: New Directors.

“Nacho Vigalondo’s second feature solidifies his status as one of the most creative and exciting young filmmakers around. His first feature Timecrimes told the story of a man who stumbles into a time machine and the improbable events that followed. Vigalondo’s new film takes a similarly high concept premise but veers into wildly different territory. Extraterrestrial begins by announcing the arrival of massive alien spaceships above modern-day Madrid. But instead of a sci-fi space opera, we are treated to a fanciful romantic comedy. The alien invasion is only the catalyst for human deception, betrayal, and suspicion on an intergalactic scale....

“Nacho Vigalondo’s second feature solidifies his status as one of the most creative and exciting young filmmakers around. His first feature Timecrimes told the story of a man who stumbles into a time machine and the improbable events that followed. Vigalondo’s new film takes a similarly high concept premise but veers into wildly different territory. Extraterrestrial begins by announcing the arrival of massive alien spaceships above modern-day Madrid. But instead of a sci-fi space opera, we are treated to a fanciful romantic comedy. The alien invasion is only the catalyst for human deception, betrayal, and suspicion on an intergalactic scale. Glowing with incredible chemistry between lead actors Julián Villagrán and Michelle Jenner, this may be the best comic romance to feature motherships ever made.”—Lane Kneedler (90 mins.)

Filmography: Timecrimes (07).

FILM REVIEW

DIGITAL

Interests: Narrative Feature, Spanish Language.

Sisters in their twenties, Laura and Adriana live together in a dingy Buenos Aires apartment. When Adriana is diagnosed with a terminal illness that gives her only weeks to live, she makes a final request of her sister, namely that she travel with her to the literal end of the earth—Ushuaia, at the southern tip of Argentina. The problem is that the paltry income Laura earns by working at a pizzeria isn’t enough to pay for the trip. Then she hooks up with Martín, an alcoholic accordion player, and the two embark on an intense liaison while scheming to raise...

Sisters in their twenties, Laura and Adriana live together in a dingy Buenos Aires apartment. When Adriana is diagnosed with a terminal illness that gives her only weeks to live, she makes a final request of her sister, namely that she travel with her to the literal end of the earth—Ushuaia, at the southern tip of Argentina. The problem is that the paltry income Laura earns by working at a pizzeria isn’t enough to pay for the trip. Then she hooks up with Martín, an alcoholic accordion player, and the two embark on an intense liaison while scheming to raise funds for the voyage—until, that is, Martín develops an attraction to Laura’s dying sister. Mixing humor and heartfelt drama, Siero takes viewers on a journey of their own—into the complicated world of two sisters embracing life even as they face death. (84 mins.)

First Feature.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: New Directors, Spanish Language.

A middle-aged man rides his motorcycle through the silent landscape. He is a ghost who has returned to “walk the footsteps” of his youth. His name is Wit, and he died three days ago. Soon the silence gives way to the sound of a young woman’s laughter. It is now the past and this memory recalls the days when Wit fell in love with Koi, his future wife. He has brought her home to meet his parents, and though she is at first wary of rural life, she soon accepts that this will be her future. Finally the past fades...

A middle-aged man rides his motorcycle through the silent landscape. He is a ghost who has returned to “walk the footsteps” of his youth. His name is Wit, and he died three days ago. Soon the silence gives way to the sound of a young woman’s laughter. It is now the past and this memory recalls the days when Wit fell in love with Koi, his future wife. He has brought her home to meet his parents, and though she is at first wary of rural life, she soon accepts that this will be her future. Finally the past fades and we are back in the present with Koi, now a middle-aged woman. With two young children and her husband gone, she must find the strength to carry on. Poetic, philosophical, spiritual, and uniquely Thai, Eternity won the Rotterdam Film Festival’s Tiger Award. (105 mins.)

First Feature.

Sponsored by Steven Smith Tea.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: New Directors.

“Love can blossom at the most inopportune moments—and that’s what happens to Mia and Frida, two thirty-something professionals who meet at a party celebrating the engagement of Frida’s mother and Mia’s father. As future stepsisters—not to mention the fact that Mia is herself engaged—theirs will not be an easy path. From this beginning, Keining fashions a nuanced and deeply felt drama that does not avoid confronting the barriers—both personal and social—faced by her same-sex couple. For the heretofore-hetero Mia, her attraction to Frida—a lesbian very comfortable in her own skin—is a shock. But as their relationship develops emotionally and sexually,...

“Love can blossom at the most inopportune moments—and that’s what happens to Mia and Frida, two thirty-something professionals who meet at a party celebrating the engagement of Frida’s mother and Mia’s father. As future stepsisters—not to mention the fact that Mia is herself engaged—theirs will not be an easy path. From this beginning, Keining fashions a nuanced and deeply felt drama that does not avoid confronting the barriers—both personal and social—faced by her same-sex couple. For the heretofore-hetero Mia, her attraction to Frida—a lesbian very comfortable in her own skin—is a shock. But as their relationship develops emotionally and sexually, the film’s most impressive feat comes through showing just how organic their growing love for each other is. That love knows no boundaries is confirmed in a fresh and thoroughly involving way.”—Palm Springs Film Festival (107 mins.)

Filmography: Hot Dog (03).

Sponsored by Celia Lyon, Principal Broker, Meadows Group Inc. Realtors.

FILM REVIEW

DIGITAL

Interests: Narrative Feature, Queer.

During the 1990s, a dozen people were murdered in an area north of Adelaide. All were killed by the same group of people, under the leadership of John Bunting, Australia’s most notorious serial killer. With harrowing authenticity, Kurzel’s account of how this happened and what brought the killings to an end is disturbingly memorable. The central character is 16-year-old Jamie, who is taken under the charismatic Bunting’s wing and gradually manipulated into becoming one of his gruesome gang. Jamie has been a victim in the past, and although he is in a sense still a victim, Bunting manages to make...

During the 1990s, a dozen people were murdered in an area north of Adelaide. All were killed by the same group of people, under the leadership of John Bunting, Australia’s most notorious serial killer. With harrowing authenticity, Kurzel’s account of how this happened and what brought the killings to an end is disturbingly memorable. The central character is 16-year-old Jamie, who is taken under the charismatic Bunting’s wing and gradually manipulated into becoming one of his gruesome gang. Jamie has been a victim in the past, and although he is in a sense still a victim, Bunting manages to make him feel as if he is powerful for the first time in his life through hate-fueled, righteous rhetoric empowering for those who have little else. One of the most highly praised Australian films of the decade, Snowtown was the winner of the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. “A sincere examination of violence that is no cheap slasher movie.”—The Guardian (120 mins.)

First Feature.

Mature audiences.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: New Directors.

Young-Gun is a lonely man who spends his nights protecting the innocent as a self-appointed crime fighter and general tidier-upper of the streets. “Disguised” in a raincoat and bad fake mustache, one night he saves a strange, beautiful woman named Monica being harassed by a gang of hoodlums. Shaken up, Monica comes back to his apartment with him, where he soon discovers that she is an extraterrestrial on a very special mission. Unfortunately, it turns out to be in serious conflict with Young-Gun’s strict vow of chastity. Featuring kung fu fights, a gorgeous babe with tentacles, and an extremely erotic...

Young-Gun is a lonely man who spends his nights protecting the innocent as a self-appointed crime fighter and general tidier-upper of the streets. “Disguised” in a raincoat and bad fake mustache, one night he saves a strange, beautiful woman named Monica being harassed by a gang of hoodlums. Shaken up, Monica comes back to his apartment with him, where he soon discovers that she is an extraterrestrial on a very special mission. Unfortunately, it turns out to be in serious conflict with Young-Gun’s strict vow of chastity. Featuring kung fu fights, a gorgeous babe with tentacles, and an extremely erotic game of Jenga, this inventively stylized, gleeful sendup of B science fiction films was made on a budget of less than $5,000. As you will see, it’s a true testament to the possibilities of creative independent filmmaking. (75 mins.)

Filmography: The Neighbor Zombie (10).

DIGITAL

Interests: After Dark.