|
Foreign Films December 2018
|
|
|
|
|
Angels Wear White (Chinese)
In a small seaside town, two schoolgirls are assaulted by a middle-aged man in a motel. Mia, a teenager who was working on reception that night, is the only witness. For fear of losing her job, she says nothing. Meanwhile, twelve-year-old Wen, one of the victims, finds that her troubles have only just begun. Trapped in a world that offers them no safety, Mia and Wen will have to find their own way out.
Director: Vivian Qu
Starring: Meijun Zhou, Ke Shi, Le Geng, Weiwei Liu, Qi Wen
"Serious female noir" - Los Angeles Times
|
|
|
Believer (Korean)
A low-level drug dealer facing prosecution conspires with a dangerously ambitious cop to bring down a major cartel's psychotic kingpin in this electric crime thriller
Director: Hae-Yeong Lee
Starring: Jin-Woong Cho, Sung-ryung Kim
|
|
|
Black Venus (French)
Baartman was taken from South African home as a 21-year-old and shipped to Georgian London, where she would be caged and exhibited as a freak show. Presented semi-nude, her physique, especially her large buttocks, was the source of much curiosity. However, as her 'fame' spread, so too did her exploitation.
Director: Abdellatif Kechiche
Starring: Yahima Torres, Andre Jacobs, Olivier Gourmet
|
|
|
Bye Bye Germany (German)
Frankfurt, 1946. David Bermann and his Jewish friends have escaped the Nazi regime and are now dreaming of leaving for America. But how will they get the money in these tough post-war times? The smooth-talking businessman focuses on what the Germans now need most: fine bed linens nicely wrapped in amusing stories. The six talented entertainers go from home to home, praising housewives with ashy chutzpah until the flattered ladies have no choice but to buy their irresistible items.
Director: Sam Garbarski
Starring: Moritz Bleibtreu, Antje Traue, Tim Seyfi, Mark Ivanir, Anatole Taubman
"A droll and well-acted look at navigating life after the Holocaust." - Los Angeles Times
|
|
|
The Cakemaker (Hebrew)
Thomas, a young German baker, has an affair with Oren, a married Israeli man. After Oren unexpectedly dies in a car crash, Thomas travels to Jerusalem seeking answers about his death. Under a fake identity, Thomas enters the life of Anat, his lover's newly widowed wife. There, he begins to work for Anat, baking pastries that bring her cafe to vibrant life. Thomas becomes deeply involved in her life beyond his own expectation and stretches the lie about himself to a point of no return.
Director: Ofir Raul Graizer
Starring: Sarah Sadler, Zohar Shtrauss, Tim Kalkhof
"Sad and sweet, and with a rare lyricism, 'The Cakemaker' believes in a love that neither nationality, sexual orientation nor religious belief can deter." - New York Times
"The Cakemaker is more of a petit four than a belly bomb, but it's striking in its particularity." - Village Voice
"Fascinating! Provacative, unexpected and finally very moving." - Los Angeles Times
|
|
|
A Chiambra (Italian)
Fourteen-year-old Pio wants nothing more than the respect of his older brother, whom he emulates in every way, including his career as a petty criminal. When both his father and brother are arrested, Pio is determined to prove that he can step up and be the head of his Romani family. But a fateful night and a wrenching decision soon test just how ready he is.
Director: Jonas Carpignano
Starring: Pio Amato, Koudous Seihon, Damiano Amato
|
|
|
Custody (French)
A broken marriage leads to a bitter custody battle with an embattled son at the center, a domestic thriller that will keep audiences guessing and leave them with their hearts in their throats. Miriam and Antoine Besson have divorced, and Miriam is seeking sole custody of their son Julien to protect him from a father she claims is violent. Antoine pleads his case as a scorned dad whose children have been turned against him by their vindictive mother.
Director: Xavier Legrand
Starring: Lea Drucker, Denis Menochet, Thomas Gioia
|
|
|
The Desert Bride (Spanish)
The story of Teresa, a 54 year old woman who works as a domestic employee in a family home in Buenos Aires. For decades she has taken refuge in the routine of her tasks, but now that the family has decided to sell the house, her life begins to totter.
Director: Cecilia Atan, Valeria Pivato
Starring: Paulina Garcia, Claudio Rissi
|
|
|
Detective Dee, The Four Heavenly Kings (Mandarin)
A bold and exciting new entry into the smash hit wuxia fantasy franchise from master action director Tsui Hark, this sees the detective embroiled in his most difficult case yet. Accused of wrongdoing by Empress Wu, Detective Dee must defend himself against this formidable foe, all while investigating a crime wave that has engulfed the city, marked by strange and seemingly supernatural occurrences.
Director: Hark Tsui
Starring: Carina Lau, Mark Chao, Shaofeng Feng
"You will never have to wait long before ninjas strike, a gigantic eyeball demon attacks, or a monster's blood rains from the sky and transforms into flower petals in midair." - Village Voice
|
|
|
Egon Schiele: Death and The Maiden (German)
At the beginning of the 20th century, Egon Schiele is one of the most provocative artists in Vienna. Beautiful women and an era that is ending drive his life and work. Two women will have a lasting impact on him his sister and first muse Gerti, and seventeen-year-old Wally, arguably Schiele's one true love, immortalized in his famous painting Death and the Maiden. Schiele's radical paintings scandalize Viennese society.
Director: Dieter Berner
Starring: Noah Saavedra, Maresi Riegner, Valerie Pachner
|
|
|
Hostages (Hebrew)
When four masked men violently break into the Danon family home, taking them hostage, the family of four are shaken to the core and their lives are changed forever. The kidnappers demand that Yael, the matriarch of the family and a brilliant surgeon, kill the Israeli Prime Minister during a routine surgery. If the Prime Minister does not die, Yael's family soon will. Desperate to save her family, Yael uses her wits to delay the decision until the last possible moment.
Director: Omri Givon, Rotem Shamir
Starring: Jonah Lotan, Tomer Kapon, Nevo Kimchi
|
|
|
Legend of the Mountain (Mandarin)
A traveling scholar is tasked with translating a Buddhist sutra said to have immense power over the spirits of the afterlife. During his research, he loses his way in the mountains, encountering ghostly presences amid a haunting fantasia of color, light and landscape.
Director: King Hu
Starring: Shih Chun, Hsu Feng, Sylvia Chang
|
|
|
Monster Hunt 2 (Mandarin)
The story continues with Wuba after he parts way with his human parents Tian and Lan for his own journey. Peace has not been restored in the monster world after the death of the evil monster king.
Director: Raman Hui
Starring: Tony Chiu-Wai Leung, Baihe Bai, Boran Jing
|
|
|
Naachiyaar (Tamil)
A police officer uncovers the truth about Kaathavarayan, a young man who is accused of assaulting his girlfriend.
Director: Bala
Starring: Jyothika, G.V. Prakash Kumar, Rockline Venkates
|
|
|
No Dress Code Required (Spanish)
Victor and Fernando, a devoted, unassuming couple from Mexicali, Mexico, find themselves in the center of a legal firestorm over their desire to get married. Weighing all their options, the pair opt to stay in their hometown of Mexicali and fight for their legal rights. With the help of two committed attorneys, Victor and Fernando withstand a seemingly interminable series of bizarre hurdles and bureaucratic nitpicking with grace and dignity.
Director: Cristina Herrera Borquez
"A masterful, layered story." - Village Voice
|
|
|
Operation Red Sea (Mandarin)
PLA Navy Marine Corps launches a hostage rescue operation in Ihwea and undergoes a fierce battle with rebellions and terrorism.
Director: Dante Lam
Starring: Yi Zhang, Johnny Huang, Hai-Qing
|
|
|
A Story from Chikamatsu (Japanese)
An exquisitely moving tale of forbidden love struggling to survive in the face of persecution. Based on a classic of eighteenth-century Japanese drama, the film traces the injustices that befall a Kyoto scroll maker's wife and his apprentice after each is unfairly accused of wrongdoing. Bound by fate in an illicit, star-crossed romance, they go on the run in search of refuge from the punishment prescribed them: death.
Director: Kenji Mizoguchi
Starring: Kyoko Kagawa, Kazuo Hasegawa
|
|
|
Summer 1993 (Catalan)
Six-year-old Frida looks on in silence as the last objects from her recently deceased mother's apartment in Barcelona are placed in boxes. Punctuated by moments of youthful exuberance and mature ruminations, this coming-of-age drama, set amongst summery hues, is an extraordinarily moving snapshot of being a child in an adult world.
Director: Carla Simon
Starring: Laia Artigas, Paula Robles, Bruna Cusi
|
|
|
Thai Jashe! (Gujarati)
Pranav Joshi works as an industrial designer in Ahmedabad. When his fathers' dying factory in Jetpur goes bankrupt, his parents are forced to move with him in Ahmedabad. When they are insulted by his landlady, Pranav decides he has had enough and decides to buy his own house in the city. Pranav and his fiancée Kajal finalize a house, but the house owner backs out after the deal is finalized.
Director: Nirav Barot
Starring: Malhar Thakar, Manoj Joshi, Monal Gajjar, KumKum Das, Hemang Dave
|
|
|
Vivegam (Tamil)
An Interpol agent betrayed by his friends sets out to take revenge against the friends who work for a secret agency.
Director: Siva
Starring: Ajith Kumar, Vivek Oberoi, Kajal Aggarwal
|
|
|
Western (German)
An intense, slow-burning thriller, this film follows a group of German construction workers installing a hydroelectric plant in remote rural Bulgaria. The foreign land awakens the men's sense of adventure, but tensions mount when Meinhard, the strong, silent newcomer to the group, starts mixing with the local villagers. The two sides speak different languages and share a troubled history. Can they learn to trust each other, or is the stage being set for a showdown?
Director: Valeska Grisebach
Starring: Meinhard Neumann, Reinhardt Wetrek, Syuleyman Alilov Letifov
|
|
|
Mercer County Library System 2751 Brunswick Pike Lawrenceville, NJ 08648 Phone: (609) 882-9246 E-mail: nrsupprt@mcl.org |
|
|