Simon and the Oaks Directed by Lisa Ohlin Written by Lisa Ohlin and Marnie Blok Sweden, 2011 During the late 1930’s and 1940’s, young Simon Larsson (Jonatan S. Washer) and his family live in the idyllic Swedish countryside. There, he and his father (Stefan Gödicke) are at constant odds, with Simon wanting to go to …
My Best Enemy Directed by Wolfgang Murnberger Written by Wolfgang Murnberger and Paul Hengge Austria/Luxembourg, 2010 Some have wondered if a movie will ever be able to provide a catharsis for the Holocaust. While there are films (Schindler’s List, Sophie’s Choice, The Pianist) that cast a macabre and cautionary depiction of the Shoah, the only …
Polish Bar Directed by Ben Berkowitz Written by Ben Berkowitz and Ben Redgrave USA, 2010 For those who aren’t in the know, there is an amazing phenomenon in the music community known as Matisyahu. With an eclectic style ranging from hip-hop, rock, and reggae fusion, Matisyahu is known as “the most intriguing reggae artist in …
My First Wedding Directed by Ariel Winograd Written by Patricio Vega Argentina, 2011 Grooms on their wedding day usually consider themselves the luckiest man in the world, but in Ariel Winograd’s My First Wedding, nothing can be further from the truth. Filled with humour, heart, cynicism, and misadventure, My First Wedding’s whirlwind narrative culminates into …
The Prize Written and directed by Paula Markovitch Mexico, 2011 After winning an essay contest at her school, seven-year old Cecilia (Paula Galinelli Hertzog) is showered with praise. Her teacher has the entire class form a line, and one-by-one, she has everyone give Cecilia a congratulatory kiss on the cheek. That is, except for one. …
Dorfman Directed by Bradley Leong Written by Wendy Kout USA, 2011 After her mother dies, Deb Dorfman (Sara Rue), a timid accountant, has to live with her perpetually grumpy father (Elliot Gould) in the San Fernando Valley. A hopeless romantic, Deb is irreparably enraptured with Jay (Johann Urb), her brother’s war-zone reporter friend. When …
Off-White Lies Directed by Maya Kenig Written by Maya Kenig and Dana Diment Israel/France, 2011 As a parent, you can’t prepare the world for your children; the best you can do is prepare your children for the world. So what happens when a homeless, estranged father readopts his teenage daughter amongst the backdrop of a …
Let My People Go! Directed by Mikael Buch Written by Mikael Buch and Christophe Honoré France, 2011 While confiding with his Rabbi, Ruben (Nicolas Maury) begins checking off his laundry list of foibles. From his precarious relationship with a schoolteacher in Finland to his exhausting family problems back home in France, Ruben becomes disillusioned with …
Naomi Directed by Eitan Tzur Written by Edna Mazia Israel/France, 2010 If prostitution is the world’s oldest profession, then tales of infidelity must be one of the oldest forms of storytelling. From the bible to Nabokov, Adele’s entire discography to Adrian Lyne’s entire filmography, the devastating consequences of adulterous liaisons have provided ample inspiration for …
Something Wild Directed by Jack Garfein Written by Jack Garfein and Alex Karmel USA, 1961 For an era as socially untactful as the 1960’s, Jack Garfein’s Something Wild, a story about a young rape victim struggling with the aftermath of her attack, must’ve been nothing short of avant-garde. As daring and inventive as it might’ve …
The Day I Saw Your Heart Written and directed by Jennifer Devoldère France, 2011 In Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise, Julie Delpy prophetically describes what it means to be French. Delpy’s Celine, while philosophizing with Ethan Hawke’s Jesse, says, “Each time I wear black, or like, lose my temper, or say anything about anything, you know, …
My Australia Written and directed by Ami Drozd Israel/Poland, 2011 In the social and economic fallout that followed World War 2, ten-year old Tadek and his older brother Andrzej become victims of the decaying zeitgeist in post-war Poland. They benightedly join a gang of hooligans with neo-Nazi attitudes, but after being arrested for beating up …
The Last Flight of Petr Ginz Directed by Sandra Dickson and Churchill Roberts USA, 2012 An old adage stipulates how history is written by the winners, so it’s extremely rare when it’s told by someone who has suffered the ultimate loss. Not since Anne Frank has there been such a deeply affecting postmortem autobiography, but …
Hitler: The Comedy Years Jacques Peretti UK, 2007 In 1939, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain asked the BBC to gather their best comedy writers to create satirical caricatures to delegitimize and discompose Germany’s leader, Adolf Hitler. With a diminutive stature, ludicrous hair and a literal comedic moustache, Hitler became instant ‘comedy gold’, and in Hitler: …
How to Re-Establish a Vodka Empire Directed by Dan Edelstyn UK, 2011 When Dan Edelstyn imported his first batch of the Ukrainian vodka, Zorokovich 1917, to Britain, he presented them to Ian Wisniewski, one of the country’s most “eminent and influential vodka experts”. After a careful tasting, Wisniewski deemed the spirit disappointing, and that competitive …
The Flat Directed by Arnon Goldfinger Israel, 2011 Following the death of his grandmother, Arnon Goldfinger and his family take it upon themselves to clear out her now abandoned Tel-Aviv flat. Wanting to annex the place of dilapidated memories, Goldfinger and his family, instead, discover documents that lead them on a journey that uncovers forbidden …
This Is Sodom Directed by Adam Sanderson and Muli Segev Written by Muli Segev, David Lifshitz and Asaf Shalmon Israel, 2010 At an arranged marriage, a Rabbi tries to break the ice by telling a joke. “Why was the first man the happiest?” he asks. No one answers. “Because he didn’t have a mother-in-law!” No …
OSS 117: Lost in Rio Directed by Michel Hazanavicius Written by Jean François Halin France, 2009 Before Michel Hazanavicius and Jean Dujardin were Oscar-winning artists, they collaborated on the spy spoof comedy, OSS 117: Lost in Rio, the sequel to OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies. Although Hazanavicius’ love for the genre is quite evident, …