Introduction to Red Riding: A Roadshow Recollection

by Lissette Decos

NEW YORK - I can officially say that Terence Stamp and I once went to the movies together. Well, I went to the movies, and he sat seven rows behind me. And it was actually a series of three movies that played back to back when The Red Riding Trilogy premiered at the 47th New York Film Festival in October. Yes, The Limey and I stuck it out through all three feature-length films (a 7-hour experience) for the love of independent cinema. Personally, I also hoped there'd be an “I survived The Red Riding Trilogy Marathon” t-shirt on the way out.

These films, which could also be called “Too Many Cigarettes in the 70’s and 80’s,” are adaptations of the Red Riding Quartet novels (with a cult following in England) written by David Peace. The stories are set against real-life serial murders that took place in Yorkshire, England. The movie trilogy is a great reflection of the times delivered in a beautiful film noir package, creating it’s own subgenre—Yorkshire Noir—with its own class of crooked cops, dirty businessmen, redemption-requiring heroes and the best femme fatales Northern England has to offer. The characters are superbly acted by some of England’s top talent including Mark Addy, Sean Bean, Andrew Garfield, Rebecca Hall, David Morrissey, Peter Mullan, and Paddy Considine... well, you'd recognize them if you saw them. Each film was given a different director and each one interweaves seamlessly between a 3 year time period, within the crimes, and even the lives of the crime-stoppers themselves.

In one scene, two detectives who've had an affair (a man and a woman) sit in a car as they check out a crime scene where a woman has been brutally murdered. As they discuss the crime they switch to their affair. He observes the roped-off area as he tells her how he regrets their affair and feels it was immoral. You clearly get the sense that they are framing their affair as its own metaphorical crime, a crime of passion, the slick, cool stuff of noir.

I really enjoyed the first two films, 1974 and 1980. Unfortunately, as the mystery begins to get solved the last film loses some steam for me. The good news is each film stands on its own. But even with its weaknesses you may want to see the final film, 1983, just to get some closure.

After the screening, the directors of the first two films, Julian Jarrold and James Marsh, answered questions along with producers Andrew Eaton and Wendy Brazington. One woman whined that the subtitles weren’t necessary. I actually agree. There were a few words that weren’t in my British vernacular, but I could have gone without the subtitles throughout. One film-student-looking guy wanted to know if the directors watched any films in particular for inspiration. After trying to dodge the question, Jarrold finally admitted to watching films like The Conversation (1974) and other conspiracy theory films of the 70s for ideas.

My arm in the air was completely ignored so I didn’t get to ask about the decision to use a different format for each film. The first was shot on 16mm, the second on 35mm, and the last one with a Red One digital camera. The last film looks the most unusual, with a less polished feel. But on my way out, I did get to meet the distributor and ask him how they plan to release the films in theatres, covertly asking him if he expects people to sit for seven hours... and if they would get t-shirts. He said they are still figuring it out, but perhaps a few places will show them all in one day while others will space them out.

I actually do hope that they play them all in one day. This unique movie-going experience allows for audience camaraderie and discussions during the intermission. Hopefully, your seats are as comfy as the ones at the Walter Reade Theater in New York.

Red Riding: Special Roadshow Edition plays today through February 11th exclusively at the IFC Center, 323 Sixth Avenue at West Third Street, New York, NY 10014, (212) 924-7771

Click here for more posts on Red Riding.

NYFF09 CLOSING NIGHT Movie Review: Los abrazos rotos (Broken Embraces)

by Tony Dayoub



Forgive me for dropping names for a moment here, but sitting behind me at the press screening for Pedro Almodóvar's Los abrazos rotos (Broken Embraces) were directors Mira Nair and—if memory serves—Jonathan Demme. I say, If memory serves, because sometimes the mind can play tricks on you, especially when you start building associations. I had heard Demme's name being bandied about by colleagues just prior to the screening, and I did see him at another film, so maybe... ah, well. I digress. But the reason I brought these two filmmakers up, were because each of their cinematic sensibilities overlap. They all have a weakness for heightened drama, colorful backdrops, and moments that border on camp. As Los abrazos rotos wrapped up, and the last credit rolled offscreen, the critic next to me (who shall remain nameless) asked that loaded question I always hate, "So... what'd you think?" I gave her a non-answer, as I usually do. I wouldn't expect you to give me the answers to your "pop quiz," why should I give you mine? But she offered, "I thought it was a little too telenovela."

Well, that's sort of the point, isn't it?

NYFF09 Movie Review: Barbe Bleue (Bluebeard)

by Tony Dayoub



I'm starting to see a trend at this year's festival. Barbe Bleue (Bluebeard) is another film in this year's fest by a director who has earned a reputation for shocking moviegoers, Catherine Breillat. However, with Barbe Bleue she seduces us with the fearsome fairy tale's intrinsic luridness instead of her usual sensational embellishments. This exquisitely mounted fairy tale also, surprisingly, turns out to be quite a personal film for Breillat, making Barbe Bleue one of the festival's most wonderful surprises.

NYFF09 Movie Review: Life During Wartime

by Tony Dayoub



Director Todd Solondz revisits the characters of his most (in)famous movie, Happiness (1998), in the sort-of sequel, Life During Wartime. In Happiness, the gag was how Solondz could mask the sickening acts perpetrated by a child molester/psychologist and an obscene caller—and how those acts affected their friends and family—with a defiant Leave it to Beaver vibe that made one's skin crawl even more. Life During Wartime is decidedly less repulsive, exploring the impact the events of the first film had on those characters more than a decade later, and whether forgiveness or redemption are even possible given the heinousness of such acts.

NYFF09 Movie Review: White Material

by Tony Dayoub



White Material must be the type of film that passes for an action flick in France. And you know what? That's not such a bad thing. Claire Denis' political thriller takes place in an unnamed African country and stars Isabelle Huppert as Maria Vial, a Frenchwoman who manages her ex-father-in-law's coffee plantation. A parallel story follows a wounded revolutionary, known as the Boxer (Isaach De Bankolé), who hides on her plantation while the local militia searches for him.

NYFF09 Movie Review: Das weisse band (The White Ribbon)

by Tony Dayoub



The best new work I've seen at the festival so far is Michael Haneke's Das weisse band (The White Ribbon). That shouldn't surprise me too much since it did win the Palme d'Or at Cannes this year. The film is a meditation on the cycle of violence that begets more violence in a small German village just after the turn of the (20th) century. Handsomely mounted in crisp black and white, part of the reason it is so remarkable is because of Haneke's deftness at eliciting consistently strong performances from his entire cast. Not that one shouldn't expect it from a major director, but when the cast is as large as this one, and a significant portion of the actors are very young children, it is even more conspicuous.

NYFF09 Movie Review: Al-mummia (The Night of Counting the Years aka The Mummy) (1969)

by Tony Dayoub



Forgive me for posting a blurry still for this movie. It does not do justice to the stunning imagery of the Egyptian masterpiece, Al-mummia. Restored so beautifully by the Cineteca di Bologna in conjunction with Martin Scorsese's World Cinema Foundation, Chadi Abdel Salam's picture looks absolutely breathtaking. And the new digital restoration captures the nuance of the shadowy cinematography effectively; the film was shot primarily in the twilight of the dawn and dusk. Coupled with the constant sound of the blowing wind, the lighting creates a disquieting mood of melancholy that mixes with the mystical atmosphere among the Egyptian tombs which serve as the backdrop for this haunting film.

Schedule for NYFF09's Final Week

by Tony Dayoub



The 47th New York Film Festival ends on Sunday. But part of the reason I came this week was because it is thick with films and events that I consider to be especially noteworthy.

NYFF09 Movie Review: Antichrist

by Tony Dayoub



There have been movies that continue to intrude on my psyche weeks after first having seen them. Movies that despite my initial negative opinion so surprised me with their subtle way of insinuating themselves into my thoughts that I couldn't help but reassess them. But there's rarely anything subtle about Lars von Trier's Antichrist. The film is like a bully that bludgeons you into submission when it really doesn't need to. Lars von Trier is known for his desire to take risks. Sometimes they pay off, like in the wonderful theatrical staging of Dogville (2003). But Antichrist betrays its director's lack of confidence in his own proven ability to move you.

Pasolini Retrospective - La rabbia di Pasolini (2008) at NYFF09's Views From the Avant Garde

by Tony Dayoub



While shooting his sequence for RoGoPaG (1963)—"La ricotta," which featured Orson Welles—Director Pier Paolo Pasolini created a Marxist film out of found footage called La rabbia (The Rage) (1963). A restored simulation (more on that shortly) screened last night as the 47th New York Film Festival's opener for its 13th annual Views from the Avant Garde series, running this weekend. While experimental films have never really been my bag (last night's moviegoers wondering who was intermittently snoring at the Walter Reade theater need look no further... it was me), the story behind the scenes is quite interesting.

This Week's NYFF09 Schedule

by Tony Dayoub



So I'll be arriving to New York on Friday. Until then—and possibly through the weekend, depending on how many films I go see—things might be light around here, with the occasional review popping up here and there. But in the meantime, the 47th New York Festival continues.

The 47th New York Film Festival (NYFF 09) Begins Tonight

NEW YORK - Tonight is the opening for the 47th New York Film Festival. I have been invited to cover it, but due to the recession (and as this site is self-financed), I will not be able to attend its full schedule; however, fear not... I will begin covering it from the Big Apple a week from today. The coverage will take much the same form as it did last year, with a series of dispatches to cover the day-to-day stuff, and full length reviews for whatever press screenings I attend. Tonight's opening film is by the French New Wave master Alain Resnais (Hiroshima, mon amour) who is previewing Les herbes folles (Wild Grass) before its American release in 2010. At age 87, Resnais is already receiving kudos for this film that is being touted by some as a masterpiece. The light-hearted film concerns the ripple effect created by a simple purse-snatching. It stars Sabine Azéma (Un dimanche à la campagne), André Dussollier (Un coeur en hiver), and Mathieu Amalric (Quantum of Solace). The premiere is scheduled for 9 p.m. at the Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall, with red carpet arrivals beginning at 8 p.m. In addition to Resnais, Dussollier, and Amalric, celebrity attendees include actress Jennifer Jason Leigh, Sidney Lumet, Julianna Margulies, Mira Nair, Parker Posey and Julie Taymor among others. Though tickets are sold out, rush tickets will be made available before the show, and a second screening has just been added earlier at 6 p.m Also, the first part of this year's Masterworks ­repertory collections, highlighting the history of global cinema, are programs of films from China. (Re)Inventing China: A New Cinema for a New Society, 1949-1966, is a twenty-film anthology of works from the crucial early years of the People's Republic of China. This mini-festival runs from September 26 - October 6. Here's a schedule for this weekend: EVENT TITLES NYFF – Festival main slate film CHN – NYFF MASTERWORKS: (Re)Inventing China SE – Festival special event SCREENING LOCATIONS ATH – Alice Tully Hall, Broadway and 65th Street WRT – Walter Reade Theater, 65th St. between Amsterdam and Broadway, upper level KP – Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse, 65th St. between Amsterdam and Broadway, 10th Floor Friday, Sept. 25 6:00 OPENING NIGHT: Wild Grass, 113m (NYFF/ATH) 8:00 OPENING NIGHT: Wild Grass (NYFF/ATH) Saturday, Sept. 26 11:00am The Wizard of Oz, 103m (SE/ATH) 2:00 Bridge/Qiao, 100m (CHN/WRT) 2:15 Sweetgrass, 105m (NYFF/ATH) 4:00 Platton Commander Guan, 120m (CHN/WRT) 5:30 Eccentricities of a Blond, 64m, with Get Your Ya-Yas Out!, 27m (NYFF/ATH) 6:20 Two Stage Sisters, 112m (CHN/WRT) 8:30 Vincere, 129m (NYFF/ATH) 8:45 Visitors on the Icy Mountain, 100m (CHN/WRT) Sunday, Sept. 27 11:00am PANEL: Approaching the Wizard: Flying Monkeys, Ruby Slippers and Yellow Brick Roads in American Cinema and Culture (SE/WRT) 11:30am Kanikosen, 109m (NYFF/ATH) 2:00 HBO FILMS DIRECTOR'S DIALOGUES: Marco Bellocchio (SE/KP) 2:00 This Life of Mine, 110m (CHN/WRT) 2:15 Ghost Town, 169m (NYFF/ATH) 4:20 Before New Director Arrives, 70m (CHN/WRT) 6:00 The Red Detachment of Women, 115m (CHN/WRT) 8:30 Li Shuang Shuang, 110m (CHN/WRT) Wild Grass is playing at the 47th New York Film Festival, at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. tonight, at the Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall, 1941 Broadway (at 65th Street), New York, NY 10023. For more ticket information go online here, or call (212) 875-5050 Photo Credit: Film Society of Lincoln Center/Sony Pictures Classics

The 47th New York Film Festival

Press Release:

NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL 2009 September 25 – October 11 Entire Slate Announced Opening Night: Alain Resnais’ Wild Grass Centerpiece: Lee Daniels’ Precious Closing Night: Pedro Almodóvar’s Broken Embraces NYFF Returns to the Fully Renovated Alice Tully Hall

NEW YORK, August 11, 2009––The Film Society of Lincoln Center announced today the entire slate of the 2009 New York Film Festival. The 47th edition will open with the U.S. premiere of Alain Resnais’s Wild Grass (Les herbes folles) and close with Pedro Almodóvar’s Broken Embraces (Los abrazos rotos). This year’s Centerpiece will be Lee Daniels’ Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire. The Festival returns this year to its renowned home, Alice Tully Hall, beautifully restored and renovated with superb, state-of-the-art sound and projection. In addition this year’s festival will include two Masterworks series from China and India. The 17-day NYFF highlights the best in international cinema, featuring the top films from around the world. The selection committee chose 29 films from 17 countries by celebrated filmmakers as well as fresh new independent directors. “I think this year’s slate is diverse, fresh and compelling”, said Richard Peña, Program Director of the Film Society and Chairman of the Selection Committee. “It’s been a great year for many directors who have already achieved acclaim and you can see that in some of the works of masters returning to the Festival. But the slate includes several exciting new voices, launching who we believe will become major new filmmakers that deserve world attention.” The New York Film Festival begins a new chapter in the renovated Alice Tully Hall which The New York Times called “sparkling.” “The Film Society contributed financially to the renovation of Alice Tully Hall so that in addition to being a world class performance hall, it will be a world class showcase for films with state-of-the art sound and projection”, said Mara Manus, Executive Director of The Film Society. “It will provide New Yorkers and the New York Film Festival with an incredible venue which will be wonderfully appreciated by filmmakers and audiences alike.” This Year’s Selections: A Film Society veteran, legendary French auteur Alain Resnais returns with Wild Grass, his 10th film selected for the New York Film Festival. His film Muriel appeared in the first New York Film Festival in 1963. And recently, Private Fears in Public Places showed at the 44th edition of the Festival in 2006. On the fiftieth anniversary of the French New Wave and fifty years after his groundbreaking debut with Hiroshima Mon Amour, Resnais delivers a career-crowning masterpiece with Wild Grass, a delightful roundelay based on Christian Gailly’s novel The Incident, about the fate-altering ripples triggered by a seemingly ordinary purse snatching. The purse belongs to Marguerite (Resnais regular Sabine Azema), a dentist who moonlights as an aviatrix. Its contents are retrieved by Georges (André Dussollier), a married man who soon finds himself infatuated with the purse’s owner, even though he hasn’t actually met her yet. Add in a couple of keystone cops (hilariously played by Mathieu Amalric and Michel Vuillermoz), some dizzying aerial acrobatics, and the glorious widescreen camerawork of cinematographer Eric Gautier and Wild Grass becomes a uniquely playful meditation on coincidence and desire that suggests Resnais, at age 87, is truly in his prime. Wild Grass is a Sony Pictures Classics release. Winner of both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Lee Daniels’ Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire, marks the first time the American director has been at the Festival. In his astonishing adaptation of Sapphire’s 1996 novel, Daniels unsparingly recounts the horrific life of Clareece “Precious” Jones, an obese, barely literate 16-year-old living in late ’80s Harlem who’s sexually abused by both her father and mother. But Precious is not just a tale of endless abjection—it’s also an exhilarating celebration of a young woman’s determination to free herself from the pathologies surrounding her, guided by a teacher who senses her innate talents. Without a trace of easy, unearned sentimentality, Precious might be the most spirit-affirming movie of the year. Bringing this raw, uncompromising material to the screen, Daniels has assembled a remarkable cast: Paula Patton as Precious’s devoted teacher, Mariah Carey as a tough yet compassionate welfare officer, fearless newcomer Gabourey Sidibe as Precious, and—most memorably—Mo’Nique as her monstrous mother, which won the actress a Special Jury Prize at Sundance. Precious is a Lionsgate release. Also no stranger to New York audiences, and a true NYFF favorite, Pedro Almodóvar’s newest, Broken Embraces (Los abrazos rotos), marks his eighth film in the New York Film Festival. (Seven of these have either been Opening Night, Centerpiece or Closing Night selections.) Broken Embraces tells the story of a blind screenwriter, living and working under a pseudonym, who learns of the death of a powerful industrialist, triggering a flood of memories that encompass a tale of naked ambition, forbidden love and devastating loss. Moving from Madrid sound stages to the volcanic landscapes of the Canary Islands, Almodóvar takes us on a candy-colored emotional roller coaster that barrels from comedy to romance to melodrama to the darker haunts of film noir—with even a salute to the “Making Of…” film along the way. Penelope Cruz has never been better, nor more ravishing, and she’s ably aided by Lluis Homar (Bad Education), Blanca Portillo (Volver), and a wonderful newcomer to the Almodóvar stable, Rubén Ochandiano. The luscious cinematography is by Rodrigo Prieto (Amores Perros, Brokeback Mountain). Broken Embraces is a Sony Pictures Classics release. Rounding out the 2009 slate, The Film Society welcomes a group of well-established alumni back to the New York Film Festival with new features, including Marco Bellocchio (Vincere), Catherine Breillat (Bluebeard), Claire Denis (White Material), Manoel de Oliveira, (Eccentricities of a Blonde), Michael Haneke (The White Ribbon), Jacques Rivette (36 Views of Saint-Loup Peak), Todd Solondz (Life During Wartime), Lars von Trier (Antichrist) and Andrzej Wajda (Sweet Rush). New directors to the Festival include Maren Ade (Everyone Else), Ilisa Barbash and Lucien Castaing-Taylor (Sweetgrass), Zhao Dayong (Ghost Town), Samuel Maoz (Lebanon), Raya Martin (Independencia), Joao Pedro Rodrigues (To Die Like A Man) and Sabu (Kanikosen). This year the NYFF introduces Masterworks which will feature works from India and China. • “Re-Inventing China: A New Cinema for a New Society, 1949-1966” • “A Heart as Big as the World: The Films of Guru Dutt” Both series will screen at the Walter Reade Theater. In addition, this year’s Spotlight Retrospective will be Victor Fleming’s beloved favorite, The Wizard of Oz, for its 70th Anniversary presentation in a brand new high definition restoration. The 2009 New York Film Festival was programmed by five critics and curators. Richard Peña, Selection Committee Chair and Program Director at The Film Society; Melissa Anderson, Freelance Critic; Scott Foundas, Film Editor and Chief Film Critic for LA Weekly; J. Hoberman, Senior Film Critic at The Village Voice and Visiting Lecturer at Harvard University; and Dennis Lim, Editor at Moving Image Source and Freelance Critic joined forces to hand-pick the 29 features that make up the main slate. Presented by The Film Society, the annual Festival showcases new works by both emerging talents and internationally recognized artists, including numerous New York, U.S., and world premieres. Last year’s slate lived up to the festival’s reputation as a distinguished arbiter of the best in contemporary cinema, screening Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or winner The Class and the Academy Award-nominated films The Wrestler, Changeling, and Waltz with Bashir. Sponsors: The Film Society receives generous, year-round support from 42BELOW, GRAFF, Stella Artois, Illy Caffè, The New York State Council on the Arts, and The National Endowment for the Arts. The 47th Annual New York Film Festival is sponsored by HBO Films, The New York Times, and Kodak. Since 1969, The Film Society of Lincoln Center has brought great films from all genres to American audiences. Year round, The Film Society offers Hollywood premieres, film classics, the best in foreign cinema, and cutting-edge independent films. Our two renowned film festivals attract global attention: The New York Film Festival which is in its 47th year, and New Directors/ New Films which is presented in conjunction with MoMA. The prestigious Chaplin Award is awarded by The Film Society. Recipients have included Charlie Chaplin, Alfred Hitchcock, Martin Scorsese, Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks. It also offers definitive examinations of essential films and artists to a worldwide audience through Film Comment magazine. http://www.filmlinc.com/.

New York Film Festival 2009 September 25 – October 11 Main Slate

OPENING NIGHT Wild Grass / Les herbes folles Alain Resnais, France, 2009; 113m The venerable Alan Resnais creates an exquisite human comedy of manners, mystery and romance with some of France’s – and our – favorite actors: Sabine Azéma, André Dussollier, Emmanuelle Devos and Mathieu Almaric. A Sony Pictures Classics release. CENTERPIECE Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire Lee Daniels, USA, 2009; 109m Precious is sixteen and living a miserable life. But she uses all the emotional energy she possesses to turn her life around. Director Lee Daniel’s audacious tale features unforgettable performances by Mo’Nique, Mariah Carey and newcomer Gabourey Sidibe. A Lionsgate release. CLOSING NIGHT Broken Embraces / Los abrazos rotos Pedro Almodóvar, Spain, 2009; 128m Almodóvar’s newest masterwork is a candy-colored emotional roller that barrels from comedy to romance to melodrama to the darker haunts of film noir and stars his muse, Penélope Cruz, in a multilayered story of a man who loses his sight and the love of his life. A Sony Pictures Classics release. 36 Views of Saint-Loup Peak / 36 vues du Pic Saint-Loup Jacques Rivette, France, 2009, 84m The legendary Jacques Rivette returns with an elegiac look at the final days of a small-time traveling circus. Antichrist Lars von Trier, Denmark, 2009, 109m Surely to be one of the year’s most discussed films, Lars von Trier’s latest chronicles a couple’s efforts to find their love again after a tragic loss, only to unleash hidden monsters lurking in their souls. An IFC Films release. The Art of the Steal Don Argott, USA, 2009, 101m Bound to be controversial, this intriguing account of the travails of the legendary Barnes collection of art masterworks and the foundation set up to protect it raises vital questions about public vs. private “ownership” of art. Bluebeard / La Barbe Bleue Catherine Breillat, France, 2009, 78m Two sisters reading Charles Perrault’s 17th century tale of perhaps the first “serial killer” becomes a meditation on the enduring fascination with a character who has served as inspiration for countless novels, plays and films. Crossroads of Youth / Cheongchun’s Sipjaro An Jong-hwa, Korea, 1934, 73m The oldest surviving Korean film, this recently-rediscovered masterwork will be presented with live musical accompaniment as well as a benshi (offscreen narrator). Eccentricities of a Blonde Manoel de Oliveira, Portugal/France, 2009, 64m One hundred years young, director Manoel de Oliveira returns with another gem: a wry, moving tale of a pure if frustrated love adapted from a novel by Eça de Queiroz. Everyone Else / Alle Anderen Maren Ade, Germany, 2009, 119m The ups and downs, joys and jealousies, frustrations and fulfillments of a young couple on a summer holiday provide the premise for this brilliant meditation on modern coupling. Ghost Town Zhao Dayong, China, 2008, 180m A revealing, one-of-a-kind look at China far away from the glittering urban skylines, this portrait of a contemporary rural community in China offers extraordinary insights into everything from the role of religion to gender relationships to the place of social deviants. Hadewijch Bruno Dumont, France, 2009, 105m A young woman searches for an absolute experience of faith—and in the process grows increasingly distant from the world around her. Independencia Raya Martin, Philippines, 2009, 77m Maverick director Raya Martin offers a kind of alternative history of the Philippines and its struggle for nationhood in this stylized tale of a mother and son hiding in the mountains after the US takeover of the islands. Inferno / L’Enfer Serge Bromberg, France, 2009, 100m A film buff’s delight, Serge Bromberg film resurrects the surviving footage of Clouzot’s aborted, experimental film L’Enfer, revealing a slightly mad but beguiling project that will always remain one of cinema’s great “what ifs.” Kanikosen Sabu, Japan, 2009, 109m Kanikosen is a highly stylized, stirring, manga-flavored update of a classic Japanese political novel, with labor unrest aboard a crab canning ship evolving into a cry of a younger generation aching to break the bonds of conformity. Lebanon Samuel Maoz, Israel, 2009, 92m Debut director Samuel Maoz takes us inside an Israeli tank and the emotions of its crew during the 1982 invasion of Lebanon. Life During Wartime Todd Solondz, USA, 2009, 96m Preparing for his bar-mitzvah, a young man must deal with his divorced mother’s prospective fiancé as well as rumors that his own father is not really dead. Min Yé Souleymane Cissé, Mali/France, 2009, 135m A work of startling originality, Souleymane Cissé’s first film in over a decade insightfully and incisively chronicles the dissolution of an upper-middle class African marriage. Mother/ Maedo Bong Joon-ho, South Korea, 2009, 128m Convinced that her son has been wrongly accused of murder, a widow throws herself body and soul into proving his innocence. Kim Hye-ja in the title role gives perhaps the performance of the year. Ne Change Rien Pedro Costa, France/Portugal, 2009, 103m A shimmering valentine, Costa’s latest is less a portrait than a kind of visual homage, to the artistry of actor and singer Jeanne Balibar. Police Adjective / Politist, adj. Corneliu Porumboiu, Romania, 2009, 115m Discovering a teenager with hashish, a young policeman hesitates about turning him in. But his supervisor has other ideas in this beautifully acted, provocative modern morality play. An IFC Films release. Room and a Half / Poltory komnaty ili sentimentalnoe puteshtvie na rodinu Andrey Khrzhanovsky, Russia, 2009, 131m Former animator Andrey Khrzhanovsky combines scripted scenes, archival footage, several types of animation, and surrealist flights of fancy to create this stirring portrait of poet Josef Brodsky and the postwar Soviet cultural scene. A Seagull Films release. Sweetgrass Ilisa Barbash, Lucien Castaing-Taylor, USA, 2009, 105m This breathtaking chronicle follows an ever-surprising group of modern-day cowboys as they lead an enormous herd of sheep up and then down the slopes of the Beartooth Mountains in Montana on their way to market. Sweet Rush / Tatarak Andrzej Wajda, Poland/France, 2009, 85m Celebrated master Andrzej Wajda returns with a bold, experimental work that juxtaposes a story about a terminally doctor’s wife rediscovering romance thanks with a heart-rending monologue written and performed by actress Krystyna Janda about the death of her husband. To Die Like a Man / Morrer como um homen Joao Pedro Rodrigues, Portugal, 2009,138m This touching, finely-etched portrait follows Tonia, a veteran drag performer confronting younger competition and her boyfriend’s demands that she undergo a sex change. Vincere Marco Bellocchio, Italy, 2009, 129m Mussolini’s “secret” marriage to Ida Dalser, afterwards completely denied by Il Duce, along with the son born from the relationship, becomes the springboard for this visually ravishing meditation on the fascist manipulation of history. An IFC Films release. White Material Claire Denis, France, 2009, 100m A handful of Europeans try to make sense of—and survive—the chaos happening all around them in an African country torn apart by civil war. The White Ribbon / Das weisse band Michael Haneke, Austria/France, 2009, 144m The Palme d’Or winner at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, this is a starkly beautiful meditation on the consequences of violence—physical, emotional, spiritual—in a northern German town on the eve of World War I. A Sony Pictures Classics release. The Wizard of Oz Victor Fleming, 1939, USA, 103m The 70th Anniversary of the timeless classic, presented in a spectacular newly-restored edition makes the film a new experience even for those who practically have it memorized. A Warner Bros. release.