UK Director: Lone Scherfig
In the post-war, pre-Beatles London suburbs, a bright schoolgirl (Carey Mulligan) is torn between studying for a place at Oxford and the more exciting alternative offered to her by a charismatic older man (Peter Sarsgaard). Directed by award-winning Danish filmmaker Lone Scherfig (Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself, Italian for Beginners) from a screenplay by Nick Hornby (High Fidelity, About a Boy), An Education was adapted from a memoir by journalist Lynn Barber. Alfred Molina, Dominic Cooper, Olivia Williams, Sally Hawkins, and Emma Thompson also star.
95 minutes
Denmark / Germany Director: Lars von Trier
Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg star in this dark, highly erotic psychological horror story from the controversial writer/director of Dogville, Dancer in the Dark, and Breaking the Waves. A grieving couple retreats to an isolated cabin in the woods to repair their broken hearts and troubled marriage. But nature takes its course, and things go from bad to worse.... Gainsbourg was named best actress at the Cannes Film Festival for her astounding performance.
109 minutes
France Director: Patrice Chéreau
Daniel has a talent for making life go his way, but lately he’s been put to the test by a stranger who follows him through the streets, to his job, to his apartment. And this strange relationship is not the only one wearing on him: His possessive attitude toward Sonia, his partner of three years, is slowly poisoning them both. Soon Daniel will discover how it feels to be both persecutor and persecuted…. Charlotte Gainsbourg, Romain Duris, and Jean-Hugues Anglade star in this psychological drama from provocative director Patrice Chéreau (Intimacy, Queen Margot).
French with subtitles, 100 minutes
China Director: John Woo
John Woo puts his singular stamp on the art of war in this Chinese box office smash. Based on the classic Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Red Cliff dramatizes the scandals, spies, and romance surrounding the epic battle that signaled the end of the third-century Han Dynasty. Spectacularly choreographed martial arts and heroic combat show the struggle of the southern alliance as they face off against the massive invading forces from the north, led by a corrupt prime minister bent on domination.
Mandarin with subtitles, 146 minutes
USA Director: Oren Moverman
There are war movies about the battles in the field, and there are war movies about the battle at home. Will Montgomery has just returned from Iraq a hero, but he's finding it difficult adjusting to life off the front lines. With three months to serve stateside, he's partnered with hard-bitten captain Tony Stone, whose mission it is to—day after day—shatter the lives of wives, mothers, husbands, and fathers by delivering them the news of their soldier's death. Above all, Stone believes in following the rules, but Montgomery breaks a big one. Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster (Six Feet Under) deliver Oscar®-caliber performances in this solid, intensely emotional debut.
105 minutes
USA Director: Udayan Prasad
Gorgeous in its visual execution and sublime in its emotional resonance, The Yellow Handkerchief is a timeless story of trust, forgiveness, and love. After serving six years, Brett Hanson (William Hurt) is released from prison with quiet dignity and subtle remorse. Bound for home, but unsure if his wife (Maria Bello) will welcome him, Brett accepts a ride from two wayward teens (Kristen Stewart, Eddie Redmayne). At first, he keeps to himself, but in time he becomes a trusted father figure and begins to slowly reveal the secrets of his troubled past. As Brett watches young love blossom between his two new friends, he is reminded that true love is worth waiting for, and sometimes fate gives you a second chance.
102 minutes
