They'll Come Back, by Marcelo Lordello, Brazil, 2012, is a fascinating film about two children, who because they were fighting in their parents' car, were put outside on the highway as punishment. The 12-year-old girl (a wonderful Maria Luiza Tavares) is left alone by her brother, and her adventures, in which she grows into adulthood, is the engrossing plot of the film. I heartily recommend this unusual film.
Die Welt, by Alex Pitstra, The Netherlands, 2012, is the usual Middle Eastern immigrant wanting to escape to a better life in Europe. We see his life in Tunisia, and it ends with an unexpected twist. It is a very well made film
Viola, by Matias Pineiro, Argentina, 2013, has a convoluted story, in which young people in Buenos Aires are rehearsing and repeating their lines of dialog for a play, while searching for fulfillment in their relationships with men.
Towheads, by Sharon Plumb, USA, 2013, is a film that follows the daily life of a Brooklyn mother, overwhelmed while looking after two young sons and taking care of the home. It's an off beat, quirky movie, sometimes funny and other times silly. It features the director's family, husband and two sons, which turns it into a home movie and a self indulgent vanity project.
People's Park, by Libbie D. Cohn and J.P. Snidecki, USA/China, 2012, is a single tracking shot, that films the families of Chengdu enjoying a summer day in their park. They dance, sing, eat in outdoor restaurants and relax. The film itself is quite relaxing and it shows that the Chinese respect their park.
Upstream Color, by Shane Carruth, USA, 2012, is a difficult film to follow. Although a couple are in love, the woman has been submitted to scientific experimentation, in which some scenes are horrifying. This is the cause of their weird relationship. There are also many scenes on a pig farm, which does not seem to be related to the film. I found the the film confusing and incoherent.
Stories We Tell, by Sarah Polley, Canada, 2012, is a wonderful film, in which the director discovers that her father, is not her biological father. This happens after her mother's early death. The way the film develops is intriguing.
Our Nixon, by Penny Lane, USA, 2013, is a look at the Nixon presidency, from homemade films, taken by his three closest assistants, H. R. Halderman, John Ehrlichman and Dwight Chapin, with recorded conversations. We see their devotion to the President, with intimate scenes of their relationship during his success and failure. It is a fascinating documentary.
The Interval, by Leonardo Di Costanzo, Italy/Switzerland/Germany, 2012, has a young girl being guarded by a young boy in an abandoned warehouse in Naples, because she has a problem with one of the gangs. The non professional two actors are quite convincing, but the plot isn't.
Room 237, by Rodney Ascher, USA, 2012, is about a group of fans finding hidden meanings in Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. It's an interesting view of some of the ideas of his obsessed fans. The voiceovers spoken by these fans, however, consists of "you know" and "like", which is irritating.
MoMA presented Ashes and Diamonds, by Andrzej Wajda, Poland, 1958, a neo-realistic film that takes place in Poland, about the day Germany surrendered in World War II. It is considered one of the important films of the period and the acting is quite good, with a love story existing among the tragedy of continued killings, as retribution for atrocities realized during wartime.
Ballet in Cinema from Emerging Pictures presented Notre-Dame de Paris, choreography by Roland Petit, music by Maurice Jarre, performed by the La Scala Ballet at Milan's Teatro alla Scala at a live performance on February 14, 2013. Natalia Osipova was splendid as Esmeralda. She was erotic, sensual and seems to float on air. She is a joy to watch. Roberto Bolle was superb as the hunchback Quasimodo, and Eris Nezha (Phoebus) and Mick Zeni (Frollo) contributed to the success of the ballet. The corps de ballet were simply wonderful with their quirky movements in unison. The orchestra played the score magnificently under the baton of Paul Connelly.