Films & Schedules - Thursday, February 21, 2013

Assayas’s evocative portrait of the upheaval in France in the early 1970s is seen through the eyes of a group of youth living in suburban Paris amidst a whirlwind of new politics, art, and sex. Gilles is a high school student torn between left-wing activism and his aspiration to become a painter or filmmaker. He and his friends take to the streets in running battles with the police, continuing the struggle that in May 1968 took France to the brink of revolution. When someone is badly injured, Gilles and his friends must flee to Italy, where they live a bohemian...

Assayas’s evocative portrait of the upheaval in France in the early 1970s is seen through the eyes of a group of youth living in suburban Paris amidst a whirlwind of new politics, art, and sex. Gilles is a high school student torn between left-wing activism and his aspiration to become a painter or filmmaker. He and his friends take to the streets in running battles with the police, continuing the struggle that in May 1968 took France to the brink of revolution. When someone is badly injured, Gilles and his friends must flee to Italy, where they live a bohemian life drifting between parties, rallies, and agitprop film screenings. But while politics are central, the group discovers that at their age, everything is mutable, every day holds new possibilities, and life awaits the curious … (122 mins.)

Selected Filmography: Irma Vep (96), Les Destinées (00), Boarding Gate (07), Summer Hours (08)

Winner of the Best Screenplay Prize at the Venice Film Festival.

Sponsored by TV5Monde and King Estate Winery.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: Narrative Feature, French Language, Art, History.

Following the failed 1956 Hungarian Revolution, the Soviet-appointed prime minister—a very paranoid János Kádár—orders that each and every national security office’s loyalty be tested according to new and rigorous directives. András supervises a network of civilians spying on their neighbors and coworkers. But little does he know that the government is now monitoring him as well. His superiors have chosen Christmas Eve to implement “the exam,” a procedure designed to challenge an agent’s loyalty without his or her knowledge. The problem with finding surprises is that you may find surprises. Bergendy’s sardonic thriller twists and turns through a world where...

Following the failed 1956 Hungarian Revolution, the Soviet-appointed prime minister—a very paranoid János Kádár—orders that each and every national security office’s loyalty be tested according to new and rigorous directives. András supervises a network of civilians spying on their neighbors and coworkers. But little does he know that the government is now monitoring him as well. His superiors have chosen Christmas Eve to implement “the exam,” a procedure designed to challenge an agent’s loyalty without his or her knowledge. The problem with finding surprises is that you may find surprises. Bergendy’s sardonic thriller twists and turns through a world where nothing can be taken for granted and personal loyalty is subservient to survival. (89 mins.)

Filmography: Stop Mom Theresa! (04)

Winner of the New Directors Prize at the Chicago International Film Festival.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: Narrative Feature, History.

“How exactly do six million people maintain control over several million stateless neighbors for 45 years? That’s how long the Israeli occupation of the West Bank has lasted. Some of the occupation’s instruments are obvious—border crossings, military checkpoints, soldiers on patrol. But the most vital and lethal lurk beneath the surface: the vast and ubiquitous intelligence network of the Shin Bet, Israel’s feared internal security organization. Using intelligence operatives and informants, interrogators and assassins, the directors of the Shin Bet enable Israel to fight any who take up arms—or suicide bombs—against it. Dror Moreh’s path-breaking documentary interviews six former directors...

“How exactly do six million people maintain control over several million stateless neighbors for 45 years? That’s how long the Israeli occupation of the West Bank has lasted. Some of the occupation’s instruments are obvious—border crossings, military checkpoints, soldiers on patrol. But the most vital and lethal lurk beneath the surface: the vast and ubiquitous intelligence network of the Shin Bet, Israel’s feared internal security organization. Using intelligence operatives and informants, interrogators and assassins, the directors of the Shin Bet enable Israel to fight any who take up arms—or suicide bombs—against it. Dror Moreh’s path-breaking documentary interviews six former directors who describe in chilling detail how they did this and how their bosses, Israel’s elected leaders, led the Jewish state into a deadly quagmire of unending occupation and perpetual conflict.”—Telluride Film Festival (95 mins.)

Filmography: Sharon (08)

Sponsored by the Institute for Judaic Studies.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: Middle Eastern, Documentary.

A gripping suspense drama focusing on negotiation tactics and complex human psychology, A Hijacking chronicles the nightmare endured by the small crew of a Danish cargo ship when Somali pirates suddenly take them hostage in the Indian Ocean. Back in the shipping company’s office in Copenhagen, the demand for a $15 million ransom sets in motion tense negotiations, which, against the advice of professional hostage negotiators, the macho (and frugal) president decides he will handle himself. Plunging the company, the crew and their families, and the pirates into an extended battle of wills, we watch as the fear and tension...

A gripping suspense drama focusing on negotiation tactics and complex human psychology, A Hijacking chronicles the nightmare endured by the small crew of a Danish cargo ship when Somali pirates suddenly take them hostage in the Indian Ocean. Back in the shipping company’s office in Copenhagen, the demand for a $15 million ransom sets in motion tense negotiations, which, against the advice of professional hostage negotiators, the macho (and frugal) president decides he will handle himself. Plunging the company, the crew and their families, and the pirates into an extended battle of wills, we watch as the fear and tension aboard the ship is on course for disaster. At once a procedural thriller, an almost documentary-like look at modern, high-tech piracy, and a telling reminder of economic disparity, Lindholm’s (also the screenwriter of The Hunt) gripping saga rings true. (110 mins.)

Selected Filmography: R (10)

FILM REVIEW

Interests: Narrative Feature.

Lovey-dovey Tina and Chris set out on an erotic holiday in their camper through the North of England, aiming to take in Yorkshire, the Lakes, and hit such must-sees as the Ribblehead Viaduct and the Keswick Pencil Museum. But things get off to a bloody start when Chris casually rolls over a litterbug at the Crich Tramway Village, revealing a certain antisocial behavior. As more people meet his disapproval, Tina, initially confused, quickly opts to stand by her man, joining him on a rolling murder spree that whacks anyone who happens to intrude on their bliss. As this Midlands Bonnie...

Lovey-dovey Tina and Chris set out on an erotic holiday in their camper through the North of England, aiming to take in Yorkshire, the Lakes, and hit such must-sees as the Ribblehead Viaduct and the Keswick Pencil Museum. But things get off to a bloody start when Chris casually rolls over a litterbug at the Crich Tramway Village, revealing a certain antisocial behavior. As more people meet his disapproval, Tina, initially confused, quickly opts to stand by her man, joining him on a rolling murder spree that whacks anyone who happens to intrude on their bliss. As this Midlands Bonnie and Clyde motor through the countryside, the laughs and mayhem unfold in equal, deranged measure. “Darkly funny, quasi-sweet, and incredibly bloody.”—Ain’t It Cool News “Hugely entertaining ... Hilarious.”—Indiewire (88 mins.)

Selected Filmography: Down Terrace (09), Kill List (11)

Sponsored by Music Millennium.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: Narrative Feature, Comedy.

This year’s Japanese submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar tells the moving story of a family divided by the historic political conflicts between Korea and Japan. During Japan’s colonial rule of Korea before World War II, thousands of Koreans were brought to Japan where they suffered painful discrimination. After the war, thousands chose to be repatriated to North Korea in hope of a better life. Few managed to escape their fateful choice. Japanese-Korean director Yong-hi Yang, born in Japan but from a North Korean family, tells the story of her brother Son-ho, who after living in North Korea...

This year’s Japanese submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar tells the moving story of a family divided by the historic political conflicts between Korea and Japan. During Japan’s colonial rule of Korea before World War II, thousands of Koreans were brought to Japan where they suffered painful discrimination. After the war, thousands chose to be repatriated to North Korea in hope of a better life. Few managed to escape their fateful choice. Japanese-Korean director Yong-hi Yang, born in Japan but from a North Korean family, tells the story of her brother Son-ho, who after living in North Korea for 25 years after leaving Japan at age 16, is given rare permission to visit his Japanese family and receive specialized medical care. Under the tense surveillance of a North Korean agent, Son-ho must come to grips with whether he has a place in either culture. (100 mins.)

Filmography: Dear Pyongyang (05), Sona, the Other Myself (09)

FILM REVIEW

Interests: Oscar Submissions, Narrative Feature, Asian, History.

Vinterberg’s devastating drama follows an upstanding member of a small, close-knit Danish community charged with an unthinkable crime. Lucas (Mads Mikkelsen) is a kindergarten aide beloved by students and parents alike, until a girl in his class accuses him of inappropriately touching her. No sooner is the charge leveled than Lucas is deemed guilty in the public eye and then ostracized—indeed, hunted—by his former friends and neighbors. Knowing that Lucas is indeed innocent adds a chilling layer of horror to an already breathless tale. A provocative, all-too-believable study in mob mentality and the unfailing belief of adults in the innocence...

Vinterberg’s devastating drama follows an upstanding member of a small, close-knit Danish community charged with an unthinkable crime. Lucas (Mads Mikkelsen) is a kindergarten aide beloved by students and parents alike, until a girl in his class accuses him of inappropriately touching her. No sooner is the charge leveled than Lucas is deemed guilty in the public eye and then ostracized—indeed, hunted—by his former friends and neighbors. Knowing that Lucas is indeed innocent adds a chilling layer of horror to an already breathless tale. A provocative, all-too-believable study in mob mentality and the unfailing belief of adults in the innocence of children, The Hunt is a gripping psychological drama with a stellar performance by Mikkelsen, who won the Best Actor Prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. (115 mins.)

Filmography: The Celebration (98), It’s All About Love (03), Dear Wendy (04), Submarino (10)

Winner of the Audience Award at the Vancouver International Film Festival.

Sponsored by the ScanDesign Foundation and the Scandinavian Heritage Foundation.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: Narrative Feature.

Following up on his provocative The Pervert’s Guide to Cinema, confrontational Slovenian philosopher and film theoretician Slavoj Žižek continues his riveting search for the hidden languages of cinema, exploring the idea of films as collective fantasies that shape our beliefs, practices, and society. Žižek’s high-concept take on what psychoanalysis reveals about ideology is a treat for cineastes seeking profound yet accessible analysis of the classics and is guaranteed to provide fresh perspective. Fiennes captures Žižek (amusingly inserted into scenes from the films he talks about) as he examines a wide range of works (also music, history, and current events) including...

Following up on his provocative The Pervert’s Guide to Cinema, confrontational Slovenian philosopher and film theoretician Slavoj Žižek continues his riveting search for the hidden languages of cinema, exploring the idea of films as collective fantasies that shape our beliefs, practices, and society. Žižek’s high-concept take on what psychoanalysis reveals about ideology is a treat for cineastes seeking profound yet accessible analysis of the classics and is guaranteed to provide fresh perspective. Fiennes captures Žižek (amusingly inserted into scenes from the films he talks about) as he examines a wide range of works (also music, history, and current events) including Robert Wise’s classic epic The Sound of Music, John Carpenter’s alien invasion B-movie They Live, Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket, Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver, and dozens more. Little did you know! (134 mins.)

Selected Filmography: Hoover Street Revival (02), The Pervert’s Guide To Cinema (06), Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow (10)

FILM REVIEW

Interests: Documentary.

Following a car accident, Roberto is left grieving the death of his wife and raising his emotionally distant yet self-sacrificing daughter Alejandra alone. The broken family uproots their lives in Puerto Vallarta and moves to Mexico City in hopes of starting anew. After Lucia focuses on Alejandra as she simultaneously attempts to deal with both her mother’s death and a drunken, teenage mistake that makes her the target of cruel harassment and abuse from her classmates. Ashamed and unable to tell her distressed father or anyone else about the escalating bullying at school, Alejandra’s silence ultimately takes a dreadful toll....

Following a car accident, Roberto is left grieving the death of his wife and raising his emotionally distant yet self-sacrificing daughter Alejandra alone. The broken family uproots their lives in Puerto Vallarta and moves to Mexico City in hopes of starting anew. After Lucia focuses on Alejandra as she simultaneously attempts to deal with both her mother’s death and a drunken, teenage mistake that makes her the target of cruel harassment and abuse from her classmates. Ashamed and unable to tell her distressed father or anyone else about the escalating bullying at school, Alejandra’s silence ultimately takes a dreadful toll. This exquisitely told tale of the heartbreaking pain of insensitive bullying won the main prize in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival and is this year’s Mexican submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar. (93 mins.)

First Feature.

Sponsored by the Consulate of Mexico in Portland and Chipotle.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: New Directors, Narrative Feature, Spanish Language.

This year’s Portuguese submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar and a critical and popular hit in Portugal, Canijo’s film balances nuanced social realism and intense melodrama to fashion a sprawling, humane portrait of a troubled working class family. Márcia is a weary matriarch who lives with her lonely sister Ivete and grown children—delinquent Joca and nursing student Cláudia—in suburban Lisbon. Cláudia’s affair with a married professor and Joca’s involvement with drug dealers threaten Márcia’s attempts to keep her family afloat. Employing tracking shots and overlapping dialogue, Canijo follows the family through the cramped spaces of the household, mapping...

This year’s Portuguese submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar and a critical and popular hit in Portugal, Canijo’s film balances nuanced social realism and intense melodrama to fashion a sprawling, humane portrait of a troubled working class family. Márcia is a weary matriarch who lives with her lonely sister Ivete and grown children—delinquent Joca and nursing student Cláudia—in suburban Lisbon. Cláudia’s affair with a married professor and Joca’s involvement with drug dealers threaten Márcia’s attempts to keep her family afloat. Employing tracking shots and overlapping dialogue, Canijo follows the family through the cramped spaces of the household, mapping the physical and emotional distances between the characters in a way that lends a sense of vivid vérité. (131 mins.)

Selected Filmography: Get A Life (01), In the Darkness of the Night (04), Misbegotten (07)

FILM REVIEW

Interests: Oscar Submissions, Narrative Feature.

In the dangerous, poverty-stricken slums of Buenos Aires, two Catholic priests tirelessly fighting for the dispossessed take very different paths in their struggle against violence, corruption, and injustice. The older Julian uses his political connections to see to the construction of a critical hospital, while the younger Nicholas, troubled by his lack of faith in the Church’s ability to help the poor, questions his calling. Between them is Luciana, an atheistic social worker who works with one as she becomes romantically involved with the other. Enduring constant struggle, torn apart by the conflicting interests of rival drug cartels, venal politics,...

In the dangerous, poverty-stricken slums of Buenos Aires, two Catholic priests tirelessly fighting for the dispossessed take very different paths in their struggle against violence, corruption, and injustice. The older Julian uses his political connections to see to the construction of a critical hospital, while the younger Nicholas, troubled by his lack of faith in the Church’s ability to help the poor, questions his calling. Between them is Luciana, an atheistic social worker who works with one as she becomes romantically involved with the other. Enduring constant struggle, torn apart by the conflicting interests of rival drug cartels, venal politics, rampant police corruption, and the basic needs of the people, a moment of reckoning tests friendship, faith, and the worth of their commitment. (110 mins.)

Selected Filmography: Crane World (99), Rolling Family (04), Carancho (10)

Sponsored by OregonLive.com.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: Narrative Feature, Spanish Language.

Despite the stark choices around them, three Havana teens defiantly maintain their self-worth and dreams for a better future. After a run-in with a tourist puts the police on his tail, hotheaded Raul impulsively decides it’s time to escape to Florida and begins planning with his friend Elio. When Elio’s twin sister Lila discovers what the two are up to, her dismay gives way to a decision to join them on the perilous sea journey. Brimming with the nervous energy of Havana’s restless youth and the evocative cinematography of the sun-bleached capital, One Night follows one sweltering day, full of...

Despite the stark choices around them, three Havana teens defiantly maintain their self-worth and dreams for a better future. After a run-in with a tourist puts the police on his tail, hotheaded Raul impulsively decides it’s time to escape to Florida and begins planning with his friend Elio. When Elio’s twin sister Lila discovers what the two are up to, her dismay gives way to a decision to join them on the perilous sea journey. Brimming with the nervous energy of Havana’s restless youth and the evocative cinematography of the sun-bleached capital, One Night follows one sweltering day, full of hope and fraught with tensions, that burns to a shocking climax. (90 mins.)

First Feature.

Winner of the Best New Narrative Director, Best Cinematography, and Best Actor Awards at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Sponsored by the Heathman Hotel.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: New Directors, Narrative Feature, Spanish Language.