April 4, 2012 - "Roads to Koktebel" (2003)

Roads to Koktebel, 2003
Directors: Boris Khlebnikov, Aleksei Popogrebsky
Origin: Russia
Language: Russian
Running time: 100 min

This contemplative drama follows an unemployed alcoholic widower (Igor Csernyevics) and his 11-year-old son (Gleb Puskepalis) as they set off on a meandering road trip to Koktebel, a beach town on the Black Sea. While the father is happy to gradually make their way through the Russian countryside -- trying to bond with his son along the way -- the single-minded boy is eager to reach Koktebel, where he hopes they'll be able to get a fresh start.(from Netflix.com)

Watch the trailer on YouTube.

Read the Wikipedia entry on Koktebel (the city).

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Review of last week's film (Inch' Allah Dimanche, 3.5 stars)

Steven says:The script had us laughing one minute, fearing for the main character the next, and scratching our heads the next. Yet another movie tackles the fish-out-of-water, immigrant-culture clash genre, this time in 1974 France as families of Algerian workers are allowed to reunite with their husbands/sons in France. We see four different women who have different worries that consume their lives while French society is experiencing social change. It's a film to watch, to wonder about, and to enjoy more for its details, subtleties and charms than for its overall plot and message.

March 28, 2012 - "Inch' Allah Dimanche" (2001)

Inch' Allah Dimanche, 2001
Director: Yamina Benguigui
Origin: France | Algeria
Languages: Arabic | French
Running time: 98 min

French-Algerian director Yamina Benguigi brings us the passionate story of an immigrant struggling against old world traditions. Zouina (Fjeria Deliba) leaves her homeland with her three children to join her husband in France, where he's been living for the past 10 years. In a land and culture foreign to her, Zouina struggles against her mother-in-law's tyrannical hand and her husband's distrustful bitterness as she adjusts to her life in exile.  (from Netflix.com)

Watch the trailer on YouTube.

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Review of last week's film ("When We Leave", 4 stars)Steven says: Great acting from the lead actress and a heartbreaking story line about families choosing between a daughter or the "community." Not easily forgettable.

March 21, 2012 - "When We Leave" (2010)

When We Leave, 2010
Director: Feo Aladag
Origin: German
Languages: German | Turkish
Running time: 119 min

Umay, 25, is torn between two cultures when she leaves her abusive husband and takes their young son, Cem, from Istanbul to her family home in Germany. Seeking refuge with her parents, Umay hopes to start anew, but her family disapproves. She finds work in a restaurant and falls in love with a German co-worker, Stipe, who happily welcomes her and Cem into his life, but turmoil erupts when Umay's family decides to return Cem to his father. (from Netflix.com)

U.S. box office: $14,128

Watch the trailer on IMDB.

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Review of last week's film, "Lake Tahoe"

Steven said:
You find yourself asking "why?" and "is this it?", and then suddenly it all makes sense. Nothing is concrete, but everything is there to help you experience a day with a troubled teen in what seems to be a desolate landscape. It is a gem of a film, yes, and it is more nuanced then it initially seems.

March 14, 2012 - "Lake Tahoe" (2008)

Lake Tahoe, 2008
Director: Fernando Eimbcke
Origin: Mexico | Japan | USA
Languages: Spanish | English
Running time: 89 min

When he wraps the family car around a telephone pole on the outskirts of his small town, teenager Juan (Diego Cantaño) searches for help but finds himself thrust into a strange odyssey filled with unusual characters. Writer-director Fernando Eimbcke's award-winning indie dramedy also stars Hector Herrera as quirky mechanic Don Heber and Daniela Valentine as wannabe punk star Lucia. (from Netflix.com)

U.S. box office: $5,685

Watch the trailer at IMDB.