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Stig is 15 years old and lives in neutral Sweden while the rest of the world is swept up in World War II. Like many other boys in his school, he’s in love with biology teacher Viola, but, unlike other boys, he secretly starts seeing her. Viola confesses to Stig that he provides her with much-needed comfort since her marriage to Kjell, a drunk, is falling apart. Their relationship grows complicated when Kjell discovers their affair.
A prince of industry abandons his bride when his head is turned by a mysterious and beautiful woman. Catching a glimpse of Staacha through a train window, Henri LeBlanc is instantly bewitched. His resolve crumbles as she pleads for his help to escape her sinister travelling companion Dr. Karoff. She only reveals the truth after Henri is hopelessly under her spell.
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The Tied up Balloon was one of the most innovative and challenging works by Bulgaria’s pioneering female director, Binka Zhelyazkova. Set during WWII, a barrage balloon inexplicably appears in the sky above a remote peasant village creating an atmosphere of alarm, speculation and debate.
At the beginning of the 20th century, a young servant provokes an independent Irish farm community by her relationship with two brothers. Pregnant, she refuses to reveal the name of the father.
Henrik Ibsen’s 1877 play Samfundets Stotter (Pillars of Society) was the source for this German drama. The plot centers upon a flagrant case of municipal corruption, carried out by the town’s “finest” people. The selfishness of the elite results in widespread tragedy, yet still the perpetrators hypocritically blame everyone but themselves.
Kazuo Hara, who rattled the Japanese establishment with The Emperor’s Naked Army Marches On and Goodbye CP, turns his camera on controversial writer Mitsuharu Inoue in this powerful documentary. Originally intending to spend years on the project, Hara was forced to change his plan when he discovered that Inoue was dying from cancer. The result is a moving film that captures the essence of the contentious writer’s life–and the significance of his death. A Dedicated Life is not only a tribute to a courageous man, but it also reveals Hara’s own dedication to outsiders, mavericks, and nonconformists who chaff against the constraints of normal society.
Chantal and Louisette don’t feel like they have a place in the world. That’s partly why the teenage girls feel such a close bond with each other. In an effort to make connections with others, they indulge in extremes: Chantal ingratiates herself with a solitary bus driver, while Louisette sneaks onto a cargo ship and attempts to befriend one of its crew members. As their respective plans go awry, the girls come to the brink of a deadly decision.
