Gigante by Adrin Biniez (2009, 88 min). A gentle giant, Jara works as a security guard in a supermarket. He whiles away his time at work by filling in crossword puzzles and listening to music. Life takes an unexpected turn, however, when he falls in love with co-worker Julia. During supermarket layoffs, voyeuristic Jara is finally moved to action and must decide if he wants to continue his romance or remain a spectator. Offbeat and original, Gigante reflects on the possibility of change and hope despite modern-day tedium. Description adapted from the Toronto International Film Festival.
one day only
find a trailer
find/upload a trailer
The Blind Sunflowers (Los girasoles ciegos) by Jos Luis Cuerda (2008, 98 min.). Francos Spain haunts Elenas family. She struggles to hide the truth about her family: her teenage daughter, Elenita, ran away with her boyfriend, who is wanted by police; Elenas husband Ricardo lives hidden away in the couples bedroom, and her young Larenzo cannot figure out why his father is hiding in his own home. Believing Elena to be a widow, Salvadora young deacon who considers leaving the priesthood after seeing so much chaos and deathbecomes obsessed with her, turning up at her house to harass her, prompting Ricardo to come out of hiding.
one day only
find a trailer
find/upload a trailer
Directed by John Ford.
With Henry Fonda, Dolores Del Rio, Pedro Armendariz
US 1947, 35mm, b/w, 104 min.
Among Ford’s least known yet deeply memorable major works is his beautifully stylized adaptation of Graham Greene’s celebrated 1940 novel The Power and the Glory - a gripping allegory about religious faith and the State which follows the final desperate days of the last priest in an unnamed Latin American country where religion has been declared illegal. Shot entirely in Mexico by the preeminent Mexican cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa, The Fugitive accents and adds nuance to its stark tale of guilt and difficult retribution by returning to the Expressionist lighting and shadows favored by Ford earlier in his career. Henry Fonda brings an unusual pathos and humanity to his portrayal of the whiskey priest struggling to understand the moral and spiritual turpitude of his country and religion.
one day only
find a trailer
find/upload a trailer
Directed by John Ford.
With Ben Johnson, Harry Carey, Jr., Joanne Dru
US 1950, 35mm, b/w, 86 min.
One of Ford’s unsung masterpieces, Wagon Master at first seems a
variation of Stagecoach, with another motley assortment of character types embarking on a perilous journey through the Wild West. Wagon Master takes on a Fellinian picaresque quality in the almost musical combination, separation and recombination of the various groups formed when two young cowboys cross paths with a Mormon wagon train, a traveling theater troupe and a gang of outlaws. Wagon Master exhibits that lyrical sense of the everyday so often encountered in postwar filmmaking and usually labeled “neorealist” not only in its episodic narrative but also in the relaxed framing of its images. One of Ford’s favorites, Wagon Master can be seen as the beginnings of the revisionist Western in its espousal of the idea that the West was always multicultural and a haven for outcasts, individualists and the oppressed.
one day only
find a trailer
find/upload a trailer
West of Pluto (A Louest de Pluton) by Henry Bernadet and Myriam Verreault (2008, 96 min.). In 2006, after Pluto loses its status as a planet, Pierre-Olivier is most distressed, Jrme wants to reveal his feelings to his true love, Nicolas and Steve are trying to decide on a name for their punk band, and milie reluctantly organizes a party. A day in the life of 12 suburban teenagers, West of Pluto probes the heart of adolescence, the intense and fascinating period of life when everyone tries to nd their place, as well as the meaning to the absurdity of daily life.
one day only
find a trailer
find/upload a trailer
