The Well Digger’s Daughter

La fille du puisatier 26 Sept 2012 Director: Daniel Auteuil France 2011 107 min Love and forgiveness are the overwhelming themes of Daniel Auteuil’s beautifully shot and hugely enjoyable directorial debut. It is no coincidence that this film reminds viewers of ‘Jean de Florette’ and ‘Manon des Sources’ – all three stories share a writer… Continue reading The Well Digger’s Daughter

The Debt

10 Oct 2012 Director: John Madden USA 2010 113 min This gripping thriller uses a clever time-shifting technique to keep the audience wondering right until the end just how the events of the past might come to revisit themselves upon the present. The story focuses on a Mossad mission in 1966, when three agents tracked… Continue reading The Debt

A Separation

24 Oct 2012 Director: Asghar Farhadi Iran 2011 123 min Director and screenwriter Farhadi has created a superbly crafted film about moral and ethical contradictions that face all of us irrespective of our surroundings. The tension is palpable throughout as the densely plotted story unfolds.Simin (Leila Hatami) wants to leave Iran with husband Nader (Peyman… Continue reading A Separation

The Skin I Live In

La piel que habito 7 Nov 2012 Director: Pedro Almodovar Spain 2011 117 min An occasionally disturbing – but nonetheless stunning – film, The Skin I Live In revisits many themes familiar from earlier Almodovar works: identity, revenge, and overwhelmingly powerful emotions. Running throughout is the idea of dark secrets and revelation. Plastic surgeon Robert… Continue reading The Skin I Live In

The Lady

21 Nov 2012 Director: Luc Besson France, UK 2011 132 min Action thriller veteran Luc Besson may not be the obvious choice of director for the story of Aung San Suu Kyi (played with understated panache by Michelle Yeoh), the woman at the core of Burma’s democracy movement. Nonetheless the Frenchman brings a deft touch… Continue reading The Lady

Even The Rain

También la lluvia 5 Dec 2012 Director: Iciar Bollain Spain 2010 103 mins The exploitation of South American natives by Christopher Columbus is the starting point of this thoughtful and intelligent Spanish film-within-a-film-within-a-film. A film crew arrives in Bolivia to tell the story of the early Spanish colonists and their impact on the New World,… Continue reading Even The Rain

Monsieur Lazhar

19 Dec 2012 Director: Philippe Falardeau Canada 2011 94 min The ‘inspirational teacher’ movie has become something of a cliché in recent years, but this Oscar nominated film from Canada avoids the usual sentiment and predictability in favour of a darker and ultimately more satisfying approach.Elderly Algerian immigrant Lazhar (the impressive Mohamed Fellag) is hired… Continue reading Monsieur Lazhar

La Fille du Puisatier

The Well Digger’s Daughter 26 Sept 2012 Director: Daniel Auteuil France 2011 107 min Love and forgiveness are the overwhelming themes of Daniel Auteuils’ beautifully shot and hugely enjoyable directorial debut. It is no coincidence that this film reminds viewers of ‘Jean de Florette’ and ‘Manon des Sources’ – all three stories share a writer… Continue reading La Fille du Puisatier

La piel que habito

The Skin I Live In 07 Nov 2012 Director: Pedro Almodóvar Spain 2011 117 min An occasionally disturbing – but nonetheless stunning – film, The Skin I Live In revisits many themes familiar from earlier Almodóvar works: identity, revenge, and overwhelmingly powerful emotions. Running throughout is the idea of dark secrets and revelation. Plastic surgeon… Continue reading La piel que habito

También la Iluvia

Even the Rain 05 Dec 2012 Director: Iciar Bollain Spain 2010 103 min The exploitation of South American natives by Christopher Columbus is the starting point of this thoughtful and intelligent Spanish film-within-a-film-within-a-film. A film crew arrives in Bolivia to tell the story of the early Spanish colonists and their impact on the New World,… Continue reading También la Iluvia