Synopsis

In a working-class Swedish neighborhood, 16-year-old Laura cares for her two younger sisters, left on their own by an absent mother. For the trio and their friends, summer is wild, indulgent, and anarchic, full of ritual and mischief. But when social services schedules a meeting with their mother — who is nowhere to be found — Laura must find someone to step in or the girls risk being separated in foster care. Keeping the impending threat a secret from her sisters creates a palpable tension and conflict, sending each of them on an individual journey of discovery and connection. As the meeting with social services draws nearer, the boundaries of the girls’ radical freedom are tested by the harsh realities of growing up.

Echoing the chaotic freedom of films like The Florida Project, Mika Gustafson’s striking fiction debut is as bold as it is tender, a refreshingly forthright coming-of-age story and an intimate portrait of sisterhood.

Synopsis

Lubo, a traveling busker, is conscripted into the Swiss army to defend against a potential German attack. While serving, he receives the news that his wife has died and his three small children have been taken by the state as a part of a national reeducation program for Yenisch children. He flees his unit, adopts a new identity, and begins a desperate search to reunite his fractured family.

Featuring stunning production design and a sterling performance from Franz Rogowski (Transit, Passages), the film tracks Lubo’s odyssey as he uncovers the shocking truth about his children. Based on real-life events, the film is both an emotional character study and a penetrating historical epic.

Synopsis

Serbia, 1996. 15-year-old Stefan is torn. His close relationship with his mother, the television spokesperson for the authoritarian Milosevic regime, is causing him grief at school.  An election is approaching, and the nation — and his classmates — expect foul play from the party in power. When it becomes clear that the vote has been rigged, the students take to the streets to protest the fraudulent results, and the party meets the demonstrations with violence. His mother’s obvious corruption makes Stefan’s friends doubt his loyalty to their cause, forcing him to decide between his family and his generation.

Clean, incisive cinematography and intricate production design with a clear eye for period detail backdrop this passionate, politically-charged coming-of-age saga. A powerful performance anchors the proceedings, as actor Jovan Ginic’s bewildered stare conveys the complex pains of uncertain youth.

Synopsis

A noir-tinged cat-and-mouse thriller told through the lens of tribal politics, Joram examines India’s Indigenous communities via the story of Dasru, a laborer from the remote jungle region of Jharkhand. When we first meet Dasru and his wife, Vaano, they’re living in a makeshift shelter on a construction site in Mumbai. Then a shocking — and seemingly random — act of violence sends Dasru fleeing through the city with the couple’s infant daughter, Joram, strapped to his back.

With nowhere else to go, Dasru makes his way back to his home state with Joram still in his arms. Father and daughter are pursued by Ratnakar, a Mumbai policeman whose modern sensibilities clash with the tribal lifestyle that still prevails in Jharkhand. (One scene sees the cop reacting in disbelief when a motorcycle driver tells him that locals have cell phones, but rarely use them.) But Dasru and Ratnakar have more in common than either man thinks. And what role does Phulo Karma, a local matriarch tacitly aligning with the government forces seeking to strip the region of its natural resources, play in Dasru’s plight?

Joram paints an expansive picture of its characters and their worlds, creating essential context for the power struggles and societal forces that shape the lives of everyday Indians caught up in — and left behind by — modernization.

Synopsis

Sensing that something isn’t right, 15-year-old Holly calls in sick one morning. Later that day, a fire breaks out at her school, killing several students. The tragedy deeply impacts the community, which is thrown into a state of collective mourning. Intrigued by the teen’s uncanny premonition, high school teacher Anna invites her to join a volunteer group dedicated to comforting the grieving. Holly’s presence has a calming effect on those she encounters, bringing them a sense of peace, warmth, and even hope. Soon, people begin to seek out Holly and her cathartic energy, demanding more and more from the young woman.

Modulating between darkness and light, stillness and motion, cinematographer Frank van den Eeden (Close) beautifully translates the sense of unease that pervades the film, the characters, and the community. Award-winning director Fien Troch’s fantastical and provocative drama  explores the power and limits of faith.