Films & Schedules - L

Every day, dozens of decommissioned school buses leave the United States and migrate through Mexico to Guatemala where they are repaired, repainted, and reborn as the brightly colored camionetas that bring most Guatemalans to work. Kendall’s lyrical film follows the migration of one Pennsylvania bus as well as the personal stories of five individuals whose lives become intertwined with its transformation. Like the bus that unites their stories, the choice between obsolescence and innovation defines their decisions, propelling them toward an increasingly uncertain future in a country where civil institutions and authorities are powerless to protect citizens from organized crime....

Every day, dozens of decommissioned school buses leave the United States and migrate through Mexico to Guatemala where they are repaired, repainted, and reborn as the brightly colored camionetas that bring most Guatemalans to work. Kendall’s lyrical film follows the migration of one Pennsylvania bus as well as the personal stories of five individuals whose lives become intertwined with its transformation. Like the bus that unites their stories, the choice between obsolescence and innovation defines their decisions, propelling them toward an increasingly uncertain future in a country where civil institutions and authorities are powerless to protect citizens from organized crime. What slowly emerges is a vivid and rich meditation on the universal quest for mobility—and survival. (71 mins.)

First Feature.

In Spanish with English subtitles.

Sponsored by KBOO.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: New Directors, Documentary.

It is estimated that between 2005 and 2010 more than 30,000 Africans set off for Europe in small boats, with more than 5,000 dying on the journey. La Pirogue is the moving story of a group of Senegalese taking the chance in hopes of a better life. Baye Laye is the captain of a fishing pirogue—an open-top, wooden boat—who dreams of earning a better living for his family. When he is offered to lead one of the many pirogues that head from Dakar to Spain via the Canary Islands, he reluctantly accepts the job, knowing the dangers that lie ahead....

It is estimated that between 2005 and 2010 more than 30,000 Africans set off for Europe in small boats, with more than 5,000 dying on the journey. La Pirogue is the moving story of a group of Senegalese taking the chance in hopes of a better life. Baye Laye is the captain of a fishing pirogue—an open-top, wooden boat—who dreams of earning a better living for his family. When he is offered to lead one of the many pirogues that head from Dakar to Spain via the Canary Islands, he reluctantly accepts the job, knowing the dangers that lie ahead. Adroitly capturing the dilemmas and dangers facing these desperate men, La Pirogue is a powerful depiction of a story that is universally human. (87 mins.)

Selected Filmography: Toubab Bi (92), TGV (98)

In French with English subtitles.

Sponsored by Chipotle.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: Narrative Feature, Family Fare, French Language.

With moving intimacy, Vega depicts the challenges and obstacles that face Colombia’s indigenous population—not just the struggle to sustain cultural traditions and values but simply to stay alive in the strife that has long beset the country. Fleeing the fighting in her hometown that has taken her family, 19-year-old Alicia arrives at her aunt and uncle’s ramshackle inn, La Sirga, on the isolated shores of a lake high in the Andes. By day, Alicia assists the couple in fixing up the inn, hoping the area’s tourists will return next season, but at night, perhaps due to the trauma she has...

With moving intimacy, Vega depicts the challenges and obstacles that face Colombia’s indigenous population—not just the struggle to sustain cultural traditions and values but simply to stay alive in the strife that has long beset the country. Fleeing the fighting in her hometown that has taken her family, 19-year-old Alicia arrives at her aunt and uncle’s ramshackle inn, La Sirga, on the isolated shores of a lake high in the Andes. By day, Alicia assists the couple in fixing up the inn, hoping the area’s tourists will return next season, but at night, perhaps due to the trauma she has witnessed, Alicia sleepwalks. Against this setting of evocative natural beauty, a quiet drama of identity and healing plays out in enthralling fashion. (88 mins.)

First Feature.

Sponsored by OPB.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: New Directors, Narrative Feature, Spanish Language.

The Last Sentence is a biographical drama chronicling the career of celebrated Swedish journalist Torgny Segerstedt, who conducted his own crusading campaign against the Nazis while navigating a fraught personal life. Officially neutral, Sweden’s leaders did their best to silence Segerstedt, fearing German reprisal, especially as the journalist began inciting the ire of top Nazi officials. Troell adds an element of the supernatural as Segerstedt is visited by the ghosts of his lovers, something that, rather than haunting him, gives him bleak pleasure in a chaotic world. Reminiscent of Ingmar Bergman’s Wild Strawberries, The Last Sentence tells a melancholic tale...

The Last Sentence is a biographical drama chronicling the career of celebrated Swedish journalist Torgny Segerstedt, who conducted his own crusading campaign against the Nazis while navigating a fraught personal life. Officially neutral, Sweden’s leaders did their best to silence Segerstedt, fearing German reprisal, especially as the journalist began inciting the ire of top Nazi officials. Troell adds an element of the supernatural as Segerstedt is visited by the ghosts of his lovers, something that, rather than haunting him, gives him bleak pleasure in a chaotic world. Reminiscent of Ingmar Bergman’s Wild Strawberries, The Last Sentence tells a melancholic tale about aging, told through the story of a man of great importance to Swedish journalism and politics. (126 mins.)

Selected Filmography: The Emigrants (71), Flight of the Eagle (82), Hamsun (96), As White as in Snow (01), Everlasting Moments (08)

Winner of the New Director Award at the Montreal Film Festival.

Sponsored by New Sweden and the Scandinavian Heritage Foundation.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: Narrative Feature, History.

Renato Zucchelli lives in the beautiful mountain farmlands just outside Milan. He is the last traveling shepherd in the region, the last man tending sheep in Lombardy, an area ever consumed by urbanization. Renato has a dream: to lead his flock into the heart of Milan to meet children who have never seen someone like him, showing them that dreams and freedom will always exist as long as there is still room to believe in a last shepherd. At once funny, touching, and serious, The Last Shepherd is ultimately a warm and endearing portrait of a man, his dog, his...

Renato Zucchelli lives in the beautiful mountain farmlands just outside Milan. He is the last traveling shepherd in the region, the last man tending sheep in Lombardy, an area ever consumed by urbanization. Renato has a dream: to lead his flock into the heart of Milan to meet children who have never seen someone like him, showing them that dreams and freedom will always exist as long as there is still room to believe in a last shepherd. At once funny, touching, and serious, The Last Shepherd is ultimately a warm and endearing portrait of a man, his dog, his family, and his sheep, who conquer a city with nothing more than the power of imagination. (76 mins.)

First Feature.

Sponsored by the Italian Cultural Institute, San Francisco and the Italian Film Commission, Los Angeles.

Interests: New Directors, Family Fare, Documentary.

An elderly couple marks time toward a not-so-inevitable end. (7 mins.)

See SHORT CUTS V: MADE IN OREGON to purchase tickets.

An elderly couple marks time toward a not-so-inevitable end. (7 mins.)

See SHORT CUTS V: MADE IN OREGON to purchase tickets.

Interests: Short Cuts.

Set in 1990s Montreal, Laurence Anyways narrates the story of Laurence, a handsome high school teacher and writer who is madly in love with his girlfriend, Fred, a film producer. Their joyful life is turned upside down when Laurence announces his transsexuality and his choice to live as a woman. Fred vows to support Laurence during his transition, but the couple’s new lifestyle clashes with friends, family, and society in general. Told with a visual flair and signature style that bespeaks 23-year-old Dolan’s astonishing talent, Laurence is, above all, an epic, 10-year love story that examines a couple’s inability to...

Set in 1990s Montreal, Laurence Anyways narrates the story of Laurence, a handsome high school teacher and writer who is madly in love with his girlfriend, Fred, a film producer. Their joyful life is turned upside down when Laurence announces his transsexuality and his choice to live as a woman. Fred vows to support Laurence during his transition, but the couple’s new lifestyle clashes with friends, family, and society in general. Told with a visual flair and signature style that bespeaks 23-year-old Dolan’s astonishing talent, Laurence is, above all, an epic, 10-year love story that examines a couple’s inability to exist without each other. “This big, dreamy, audacious picture has large questions about relationships and identity. Can anyone be true to his or her inner self in the context of romantic love?”—Tara Brady, Irish Times (168 mins.)

Filmography: I Killed My Mother (09), Heartbeats (10)

Sponsored by QDoc: Portland Queer Documentary Film Festival.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: Narrative Feature, Queer.

From anime master Hiroyuki Okiura comes this touching, fantastical tale of a young girl’s grief and the three mischievous spirits sent to look after her. After the death of her father, 13-year-old Momo and her mother move from Tokyo to the remote island of Shio. Here, Momo is haunted by the discovery of an unfinished letter her father was writing to her—and plagued by the presence of three heaven-sent goblins whose bumbling efforts to protect her tend to cause more chaos than good. “As gorgeous as Momo is to behold, the film’s sensitive portrayal of a teenager dealing with grief...

From anime master Hiroyuki Okiura comes this touching, fantastical tale of a young girl’s grief and the three mischievous spirits sent to look after her. After the death of her father, 13-year-old Momo and her mother move from Tokyo to the remote island of Shio. Here, Momo is haunted by the discovery of an unfinished letter her father was writing to her—and plagued by the presence of three heaven-sent goblins whose bumbling efforts to protect her tend to cause more chaos than good. “As gorgeous as Momo is to behold, the film’s sensitive portrayal of a teenager dealing with grief proves its most compelling element. ... With its complex characterizations and multiple storylines, [Momo] rivals mature live-action drama.”—Variety (120 mins.)

Selected Filmography: key animator on Roujin Z (91), Ghost in the Shell (95), Jin-Roh, The Wolf Brigade (99), Paprika (06)

Winner of the Grand Prize at the New York International Children’s Film Festival.

Sponsored by the Consular Office of Japan in Portland and Chipotle.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: Narrative Feature, Animation, Family Fare, Asian.

Set in the North Atlantic, Leviathan is an amazing film about men at sea and fish on boats. Creatively (to use an understatement) deploying numerous small digital cameras, the filmmakers capture the sensory experience of the labor, ecology, sound, light, and motion of one of man’s oldest activities. “The filmmakers have made the ne plus ultra of immersive documentaries. In this stunning and unparalleled masterpiece, they have discovered new forms of cinema. ... See, hear, and feel it for yourself. It’s a monster.”—Vancouver International Film Festival “The result is a hallucinatory sensory experience quite unlike any other. To paraphrase Francis...

Set in the North Atlantic, Leviathan is an amazing film about men at sea and fish on boats. Creatively (to use an understatement) deploying numerous small digital cameras, the filmmakers capture the sensory experience of the labor, ecology, sound, light, and motion of one of man’s oldest activities. “The filmmakers have made the ne plus ultra of immersive documentaries. In this stunning and unparalleled masterpiece, they have discovered new forms of cinema. ... See, hear, and feel it for yourself. It’s a monster.”—Vancouver International Film Festival “The result is a hallucinatory sensory experience quite unlike any other. To paraphrase Francis Ford Coppola describing his Apocalypse Now, Leviathan isn’t a movie about commercial fishing; it is commercial fishing.”—New York Film Festival (87 mins.)

Selected Filmography: Taylor—Sweetgrass (09); Paravel—Foreign Parts (10)

Sponsored by Chipotle.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: Documentary.

Lore explores the tribulations faced by the young in the aftermath of World War II. When their Nazi SS parents are arrested by the Allies, five siblings are suddenly left to fend for themselves. Teenaged Lore, the oldest, takes charge, and the children set out on foot to join their grandmother in Hamburg, 500 miles away. Along the arduous journey, they encounter a populace suffering from postwar denial and deprivation and for the first time are exposed to the reality and consequences of their parents’ actions. The children meet Thomas, a young Jewish survivor who helps them negotiate their way...

Lore explores the tribulations faced by the young in the aftermath of World War II. When their Nazi SS parents are arrested by the Allies, five siblings are suddenly left to fend for themselves. Teenaged Lore, the oldest, takes charge, and the children set out on foot to join their grandmother in Hamburg, 500 miles away. Along the arduous journey, they encounter a populace suffering from postwar denial and deprivation and for the first time are exposed to the reality and consequences of their parents’ actions. The children meet Thomas, a young Jewish survivor who helps them negotiate their way but who by their teaching is the enemy, despite his help and allure. A moving film about guilt, for-giveness, and survival, Lore is this year’s Australian submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar. (109 mins.)

Selected Filmography: Somersault (04)

In German with English subtitles.

Sponsored by Lamar Transit Advertising.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: Oscar Submissions, Narrative Feature, German Language, History.

Metamorphosed images with the appearance of sculpted wood and shifting sand summon memories of a life. (4 mins.)

See SHORT CUTS V: MADE IN OREGON to purchase tickets.

Metamorphosed images with the appearance of sculpted wood and shifting sand summon memories of a life. (4 mins.)

See SHORT CUTS V: MADE IN OREGON to purchase tickets.

Interests: Short Cuts.

Marilyn Monroe may live as Hollywood’s most iconic sex symbol, but beneath the character she created and perfected was also one of the most self-possessed and ambitious artists in the industry. Drawing on Monroe’s never-before-revealed diaries and letters and never-before-seen footage and photographs, including materials from the Arthur Miller and Truman Capote estates, Garbus presents a fresh, vivid portrait of a savvy, disciplined, intellectually curious woman who, for all her tragic personal complexities (recounted in poignant detail as well), was much more than her glamorous stereotype. Expanding the conventions of traditional documentary, Garbus weaves in readings of Monroe’s writings by...

Marilyn Monroe may live as Hollywood’s most iconic sex symbol, but beneath the character she created and perfected was also one of the most self-possessed and ambitious artists in the industry. Drawing on Monroe’s never-before-revealed diaries and letters and never-before-seen footage and photographs, including materials from the Arthur Miller and Truman Capote estates, Garbus presents a fresh, vivid portrait of a savvy, disciplined, intellectually curious woman who, for all her tragic personal complexities (recounted in poignant detail as well), was much more than her glamorous stereotype. Expanding the conventions of traditional documentary, Garbus weaves in readings of Monroe’s writings by a surprising range of actresses and actors, emerging with an overall appreciation that will surprise even the most informed Monroe students. (105 mins.)

Selected Filmography: The Farm: Angola, USA (98), The Execution of Wanda Jean (02), Bobby Fisher Against the World (11)

FILM REVIEW

Interests: Documentary.