Foreign Films Newsletter

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The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, directed by Liu Chia-Liang

(in Cantonese, with English subtitles)

Considered one of the best martial arts films, this movie follows a gentle scholar, who must learn how to fight in order to seek revenge for the massacre of his family and friends by Manchu warriors.  He studies at the temple of Shaolin, and upon the completion of his studies, the revenge epic begins.

Electric Shadows, directed by Xiao Jiang

(in Mandarin, with English subtitles)

Nearly epic in its scope, Electric Shadows tells the story of two children, whose love of the cinema seals their friendship, as they view outdoor movies in their rural Chinese village.  Later, after years of separation, they reuninte.  

Falling, directed by Barbara Albert

(in German, with English subtitles)

The death of a beloved teacher is the catalyst for the reunion of five women, who over the years have gone their very separate ways.  An actress, a clerk, an unemployed mother-to-be, a schoolteacher, and a criminal, the five find this time of reconnection to consider the paths taken and not taken and all the differences due to those decisions.  Through it all, their freindship endures.

Grbavica, directed by Jasmila Zbanic

(in Serbo-Croatian, with English subtitles)

Wars tend not to go away even after they've ended.  Esma is trying to raise her daughter Sara in post-war Sarajevo, trying to keep up the image of her dead husband, a war hero, trying to prevent her daughter from falling in with the wrong people, trying to survive amidst memories best left unstirred.  A school field trip for Sara acts as a catalyst for truth and revelation for Esma and Sara both. 

Joy, directed by Julie Shles

(in Hebrew, with English subtitles) 

For 22 years, a secret has hung over the Levine family.  Now, Joy Levine has an opportunity to establish reconciliation between her parents and their many estranged friends, through her family's participation in the filming of a reality show, "Gotta Be Happy." 

The Valet, directed by Francis Veber

(in French, with English subtitles)

A valet at a restaurant is unwittingly drawn into a plan by a rich industrialist to deceive his wife.  When the paparazzi happen to photograph the industrialist with his mistress, he hopes to throw them off course by posing the valet, who happens to be in the picture as well, as the real object of her affections.  But is his wife really that stupid to buy this trick?  This French farce is full of fast, witty dialogue and lots of laughs.