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The Horde
Alamar
Why It’s Great: Father and son dramas don’t come much more beautiful than this. A divorced dad spends times with his five-year-old boy before the kid goes off to live with his mother. Alamar is a riveting stuff, merging documentary and fiction for a film that never lets its subject matter get too sickly sweet.
Out On DVD: 28 February 2011
Chico & Rita
Why It’s Great: Who says cartoons are just for kids? This lyrical animated movie - strictly for adults - is both sexy and soulful. The story revolves around two Cuban musicians whose travels bring them both love and adventure, but it’s the beautifully crafted Havana setting that really strikes a chord. That, and the jazz is to die for.
Out On DVD: TBC 2011
Wild Grass
Why It’s Great: It may be directed by an 88 year old, but Wild Grass is as spry and playful as they come. Spontaneity and unexpected twists are key to Grass ’ charms, the plot following Parisian George, who becomes increasingly obsessed with the woman whose wallet he has just discovered in an underground car park. Eccentric and enigmatic.
Out On DVD: Now
Lymelife
Why It’s Great: Liked Ang Lee’s Ice Storm ? You’ll love Lymelife . The semi-autobiographical debut of Derick Martini, it’s set in ‘70s New Jersey, where the lives of two families come together in dramatic and unexpected ways. Emma Roberts and Kieran Culkin are both great, while the witty, smart script keeps all that dysfunction rattling brilliantly along.
Out On DVD: Now
Vincere
Why It’s Great: Melodramatic to the extreme but all the better for it, Marco Bellocchio’s film tracks the relationship between Benito Mussolini’s secret first wife Ida Dalser, a beauty shop owner who has an affair with a left-wing agitator. Using news footage, silent movie snippets and dramatic re-enactments, Vincere proves especially timely considering the personality cult built up around Silvio Berlusconi.
Out On DVD: Now
Petropolis
Why It’s Great: Thought Avatar ’s lush nature visuals were the mutt’s nuts? Check out Petropolis , which captures stunning overhead shots of the oil-extraction project in Northern Alberta. This edu-doc’s expose of the sheer toxic devastation taking place in Alberta is fittingly devastating, with spare narration and a killer closing monologue.
Out On DVD: Now
The Girl On The Train
Why It’s Great: Not another Swedish adventure for Lisbeth Salander, but the tale of a young French woman who makes up a false claim that she has been the victim of an anti-Semitic hate crime. Emilie Dequenne’s lying has dramatic consequences for all those around her, including her mother and a Jewish lawyer. No reasons for Dequenne’s deceit is explicitly sought, director Andre Techine instead exploring the climate in which such falsities can be believed as fact.
Out On DVD: Now
Dogtooth
Why It’s Great: It’s a deadpan comedy whose weirdness could give Lars von Trier a run for his money. Akin to The Village, Dogtooth is better in its analysis of power gone mad as it watches what happens when a father keeps his three adult kids under lock and key while teaching them utter nonsense. Assured, absurd, love-key stuff.
Out On DVD: Now
The Market
Why It’s Great: It’s not often that a British filmmaker decides to make a movie in another language. Following on the heels of Katalin Varga , director Ben Hopkins here makes a film in Turkish. Set in ‘90s Eastern Antolia, the plot follows Mihram, who gets on the wrong side of the mafia – and his own gambling addiction – as his attempts to get into the mobile phone market go horribly awry. Deeply ironic and atmospheric.
Out On DVD: TBC 2011
