PSIFF 2012

TIFF, Wim Wenders' dance docu "Pina" reps multidimensional entertainment that will send culture vultures swooning. A tribute to Pina Bausch, one of modern dance's most groundbreaking choreographers, pic lets the artist's work speak for itself via big, juicy slabs of performance.

CANADIAN FRENCH, TIFF SP, JEAN-MARC VALLEE, PSIFF, . It is also the best fictional Canadian film of the year, thus far. Vallée follows the lives of four people in present day Montreal and 1969 Paris as their experiences with love and loss become intertwined. Antione Godin (Kevin Parent) is a jet-set living DJ with two kids from a previous marriage who are offended that he wants to marry his new girlfriend so soon after divorcing their mother, Carole (Hélène Florent), who has been experiencing crippling nightmares and an increased penchant for sleepwalking and silently screaming at night. Carole is experiencing visions of a woman named Jacqueline (Vanessa Paradis) from Paris who is similarly going through pains of the heart. The father of her son wants nothing to do with the child because he has down syndrome. As her son ages, he falls in love with another similarly afflicted classmate at school and they become quite literally inseparable.

AKA L'HIVER DERNIER, FRENCH, BELGIUM, JOHN SHANK(USA), TIFF CWC, John Shank, an American living in Belgium, has made a stark and beautiful feature debut that, though shot in a small farming com­munity in France, owes much to Steinbeck, Faulkner and countless other American writ­ers, artists and filmmakers who have placed the land at the centre of their work. This is a stirring homage to the people who work the earth despite countless natural challenges, and who also learn how difficult it is to sur­vive in the face of modern forces that have no truck with their values.

TIFF MASTERS, BELGIUM IN FRENCH, JEAN-PIERRE AND LUC DARDENNE, THE PROMISE, ROSETTA, LORNA'S SILENCE, L'ENFANT...AND OTHERS THAT ARE ALSO EXCELLENT. THESE BROTHERS ARE TWO OF THE BEST IN THE BUSINESS ALTHOUGH POORLY KNOWN IN U.S.

FRANCE, ANOTHER RUSH TO JUDGMENT WITH TRAGIC CONSEQUENCES. What if you woke up one day and found the police at your door? What if they told you that the woman you had always thought of as a mother was murdered and that, moments before she died, she wrote in her own blood that it was you who killed her? Those were the bewildering facts presented to Omar Raddad (Sami Bouajila) on June 23, 1991, when the body of a rich widow — 65-year-old Ghislaine Marchal (Liliane Nataf) — was found brutally stabbed and beaten to death in the basement of her villa in the south of France. Marchal’s gardener Omar, a young Moroccan who spoke little French, was immediately arrested for the crime. Despite a complete lack of forensic evidence and gaping holes in the investigation — one of the only clues was the inscription “Omar m’a tuer,” written in incorrect French with the blood of the victim — Omar was ultimately convicted of the murder and sentenced to eighteen years in prison

POLAND, WOJCIECH SMARZOWSKI, Smarzowski’s harrowing tale of survival centres on Rose, a Polish woman, whose husband, a German soldier, was killed in the war, leaving her alone on their farm. A single woman had no defence against Russian soldiers who raped as a form of revenge, nor against plundering Poles who found themselves in desperate straits. The law of the jungle had replaced the rule of law. Help arrives for Rose in the form of Tadeusz, a former officer in the Polish Home Army who survived the Warsaw uprising and is attempting to hide his ident

FRANCE/POLAND/UK PRODUCTION IN FRENCE AND ENGLISH, D-PAWEL PAWLIKOWSKI(THE LAST RESORT, MY SUMMER OF LOVE), with KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS, ETHAN HAWKE, Ethan Hawke plays Tom Ricks, a novelist who comes to Paris to be closer to his young daughter. Robbed upon arrival, he sets out with nothing to his name to find a place to stay. To add insult to injury, his estranged wife turns her back on his plight. Eventually Tom finds himself installed in a small, dingy hotel, whose owner offers him a job so he can pay his way. Events begin to take another turn when Tom falls into the clutches of the beguiling Margit (Kristin Scott Thomas). She seems eager for distraction, and Tom is keen to make friends, but life becomes even more complicated when the voluptuous young hotel chambermaid starts to turn her attention to the by now genuinely confused American.

BELA TARR, A HUNGARIAN DISLIKED IN HUNGARY, THUS THIS IS A FRENCH PRODUCTION, VERY SLOW BUT BRILLIANT BLACK AND WHITE CINEMATOGRAPHY, LIKE HIS WERKMEISTER HARMONIE AND THE MAN FROM LONDON, YOU WILL NEED GREAT PATIENCE TO SIT THROUGH THIS FILM AND WILL CONTINUOUSLY LOOK AT YOUR WATCH BUT THE IMAGERY WILL LAST A LIFETIME.

1889. German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche witnessed the whipping of a horse while traveling in Turin, Italy. He tossed his arms around the horse's neck to protect it then collapsed to the ground. In less than one month, Nietzsche would be diagnosed with a serious mental illness that would make him bed-ridden and speechless for the next eleven years until his death. But whatever did happen to the horse? This film, which is Tarr's last, follows up this question in a fictionalized story of what occurred. The man who whipped the horse is a rural farmer who makes his living taking on carting jobs into the city with his horse-drawn cart. The horse is old and in very poor health, but does its best to obey its master's commands. The farmer and his daughter must come to the understanding that it will be unable to go on sustaining their livelihoods. The dying of the horse is the foundation of this tragic tale

aka THE SILVER CLIFF, BRAZIL, KARIM AINOUZ, Crushed, Violeta experiences a catharsis, by way of a nocturnal ramble through Rio, as she comes to terms with her abandonment. From its nightclubs to its bustling avenues to the breaking waves on Copacabana Beach, the cityscape provides a distinctive backdrop to accompany her on her journey. Brought further to life by a gorgeous colour palette that highlights the textures and natural beauty of Rio, The Silver Cliff has a strong visceral impact. Sparse dialogue, precise camera work and Negrini’s standout performance add vitality to this poignant tale about the tempestuous nature of human relationships.

“ TIFF....LYNNE RAMSAY AND TILDA SWINTON ARE 2 OF THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY TALENTS IN CINEMA NOW. THIS FILM DOES NOT DISAPPOINT. "We Need to Talk About Kevin" is about a nightmare on your street, not Elm Street. It's a domestic horror story that literally gets to us where we live, a disturbing tale told with uncompromising emotionality and great skill by filmmaker Lynne Ramsay. Working from Lionel Shriver's celebrated novel, Ramsay and her equally unflinching star, the mesmerizing Tilda Swinton, present a troubling, challenging examination of what Ramsay, speaking at Cannes, called "one of the last taboo subjects: You're meant to instantly love your baby from the moment he's born, but what if you don't?" And what if that baby grows into someone terrifying? If this were a just world, Ramsay's name would be more celebrated than it is. Her extraordinary debut, 1999's "Ratcatcher," won her the British Academy of Film and Television Arts prize for best newcomer in British film. Kenny Turan ” - sharmatt

AKA BIR ZAMANLAR ANADOLU'DA, TURKEY/BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVNIA, TURKISH LANGUAGE, NURI BILGE CEYLAN IS ONE OF THE VERY BEST OF THE CURRENT WORLD AUTEUR FILM MAKERS. PLEASE REMEMBER THAT HE MADE THREE MONKEYS WHICH MOST OF MY CINEPHILES HATED WITH THE EXCEPTION OF HOWARD VOGEL, MAYBE ALSO LINDA. A VERY SIMPLE MURDER CASE IS EXPLORED ONE NIGHT IS THE NARRATIVE.

BELGIUM, TRULY A PERF FILM....Driven by a telling performance by Emma Levie in the title role, Christophe Van Rompaey’s Lena follows its heroine as she struggles to find a place in the world despite a cross-addicted mother who considers her nothing more than a burden and constantly berates her about her weight. Lena’s only outlets are dancing and sex until she meets Daan, whom she rescues as he’s running from the police. But is Daan really all he claims to be? Lena thoughtfully and powerfully examines divides of class, gender and body type.

FROM GREECE AND IF YOU DISLIKED DOGTOOTH....STAY AWAY....SAME FILM MAKER....WEIRD, BUT AT TIMES EXTREMELEY GOOD INSIGHTFUL CINEMA. Two young women, standing a foot apart, lean towards each other, tongues squirming out, touching, and then slithering into the other’s mouth: a hands-on tutorial between two friends. That’s the opening provocation in Athina Rachel Tsangari’s Attenberg, whose title derives from the name of natural history filmmaker Sir David Attenborough. Like Attenborough, Marina (Ariane Labed) observes, taking an anthropological view of life, especially when it comes to men. Humans are the animals on display here. But like last year’s outsider entry, Dogtooth, also from Greece, Attenberg keeps the viewer at bay, deliberately trying to raise eyebrows—Marina asks her father if he has ever imagined her naked; some things should remain taboo, his reply. He’s dying of cancer and wants his 23-year-old daughter to live outside her odd, insular bubble, and Marina begins taking tentative steps, clinically approaching her first sexual experience. (In exasperation, her partner/specimen pleads, “I beg you, stop describing what you’re doing.”) Maybe after Dogtooth’s transgressions, it’s a little harder to surprise us with eccentric behavior. Kent Turner

“ NORWAY, TIFF, Intense and entertaining thriller packed with twists and based on award winning mystery writer Jo Nesbo's novel, Headhunters' stars Aksel Hennie (Max Manus) as an elite headhunter who finances his lavish lifestyle by stealing art from his own clients. Roger Brown (Aksel Hennie) lives a fantasy life of the early twenty-first century variety. He’s a successful headhunter for Fortune 500 inductees and lives in an opulent modern home. Though he’s happily married to Diana, a statuesque art gallery owner, he spends his few spare moments with his enthusiastic mistress Lotte (Julie Ølgaard). The only problem is that Roger suffers from a crippling Napoleon complex. He’s so terrified of losing Diana that he continually lavishes her with absurdly extravagant gifts. He blows so much cash he’s been forced to moonlight, stealing rare artworks from his clientele. But this latest job uncovers something that could bring his frantically maintained lifestyle crashing down around him.

"Atmen" is an artistic triumph. Not only is the script brilliantly written, but it is also flawlessly executed. The direction seems almost effortless, as if Markovics was already an old master. He seems to know intentionally what to show when, he's got a great eye for frames and unagitated pictures, and, an actor himself, he naturally knows how to direct other actors. "Atmen" is a touching and believable movie about life and death, tight-lipped, but never boring, bleak, but in the end optimistic. It's very authentic in its depiction of Vienna, its depiction of a boy who hasn't been dealt the best cards in life. And, most of all, it's got its heart in the right place. This really deserves an Oscar win

FRENCH CANADA, OSCAR, TIFF, PSIFF, But it’s safe to say that few have had to deal with finding their grade school teacher’s lifeless body hanging from their classroom ceiling. That’s precisely what Simon (Émilien Néron) and Alice (Sophie Nélisse) are left to wrestle with in Montreal filmmaker Philippe Falardeau’s absolutely sublime Monsieur Lazhar, which charts the kids’ progress as they must grieve the death of their teacher, and adapt to the new schooling methods of Bachir Lazhar (Fellag), an Algerian immigrant who takes over the mourning classroom. Let’s not kid ourselves: the film has already become a bona fide festival darling. Prizes at Locarno, Namur, Toronto

DENMARK, OLE CHRISTIAN MADSEN(PRAGUE, FLAME & CITRON), TIFF CWC, YOU WILL END UP LOVING ALL THE CHARACTERS IN THIS ROMANTIC HILARIOUS FEATURE. THE MAID WAS ONE OF MY FAVORITES. ” - sharmat And so Christian does what he feels is necessary when Anna sends him divorce papers so that she can marry her new lover. He packs up their son and heads off to convince her otherwise. It doesn't matter that she left because they weren't happy even when they were together. It doesn't matter that she's moved off to another continent and that her new lover is one of the most famous football players on the planet who he has zero chance of winning her back from. Life was better when she was with him and so Christian wants her back and off he goes.FF, PSIFF,

ICELAND, PSIFF, A gruff, working-class retiree relearns what makes life precious in the small but heartrending "Volcano," the feature debut of Icelandic helmer Runar Runarsson. With well-rounded characters and an overall tone reminiscent of Mike Leigh and Ken Loach, the realist drama shows that tender sex is not incompatible with senescence. Although witnessing the indignities of aging and infirmity won't be everyone's cup of tea, the poignantly performed pic strikes grace notes that feel both universal and uniquely Icelandic. ALISSA SIMON

IRAN OSCAR NOM, PSIFF, TIFF, ASGHAR FARHADI, NOW IN IRANIAN PRISON FOR CENSORSHIP VIOLATION, TO ME IRAN IS ONE OF THE TOP 3 FILMAKING COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD, POLITICALLY THEY ARE OF COURSE REPRESSIVE WHICH IS THE ANGST THAT ELICITS THE BRILLIANT CREATIVITY, When Asghar Farhadi's "A Separation" begins, a middle-class husband and wife in Tehran are arguing about her petition for divorce in front of an unseen judge. For a while the judge indulges their anger, which is compounded by hurt. "My finding," he finally says, "is that your problem is a small problem. Please sign here and good day." The judge is no fool. Neither is anyone else in this contemporary masterpiece from Iran; everyone has their reasons. But the couple's problem isn't small, at least not for them, and their ensuing separation opens up a succession of fissures, chasms and moral dilemmas that define an entire society. Thematic sweep and dramatic specificity are the movie's hallmarks, with the one always growing out of the other. The marriage is beset by fatefully conflicting circumstances. Simin, the wife, wants the family to seek a better life abroad for the sake of their 11-year-old daughter, Termeh. Nader, the husband, refuses to leave Iran; he's taking care of his father, who's impaired by Alzheimer's, and won't consent to Termeh living elsewhere with her mother. JOE MORGENSTERN, A Separation is a beautifully crafted, fascinating film, both as a portrait of modern Iranian society and as a drama involving intensely controlling men and supportive but also assertive women. The director has all of his characters withhold information as they make their cases — at times, directly to the camera — which makes A Separation a constant surprise, a film that captures the drama and suspense of real life as urgently as any picture released this year. (Recommended) BOB MONDELLO

MEXICO OSCAR NOM, TIFF, PSIFF, GERARDO NARANJO, With the blistering firecracker that is "Miss Bala," next-gen Mexican director and AFI grad Gerardo Naranjo delivers on the promise of such well-respected early pics as "Drama/Mex" and "I'm Gonna Explode," revealing them as dry runs for this "Scarface"-scary depiction of south-of-the-border crime run amok. Presenting an explosive gang war through the eyes of a beauty pageant contender haplessly sucked into its morass, the pic could easily land Naranjo his choice of Hollywood projects -- assuming he cares to head in that direction -- as well as distribution in the U.S. and abroad. With the blistering firecracker that is "Miss Bala," next-gen Mexican director and AFI grad Gerardo Naranjo delivers on the promise of such well-respected early pics as "Drama/Mex" and "I'm Gonna Explode," revealing them as dry runs for this "Scarface"-scary depiction of south-of-the-border crime run amok. Presenting an explosive gang war through the eyes of a beauty pageant contender haplessly sucked into its morass, the pic could easily land Naranjo his choice of Hollywood projects -- assuming he cares to head in that direction -- as well as distribution in the U.S. and abroad.With the blistering firecracker that is "Miss Bala," next-gen Mexican director and AFI grad Gerardo Naranjo delivers on the promise of such well-respected early pics as "Drama/Mex" and "I'm Gonna Explode," revealing them as dry runs for this "Scarface"-scary depiction of south-of-the-border crime run amok. Presenting an explosive gang war through the eyes of a beauty pageant contender haplessly sucked into its morass, the pic could easily land Naranjo his choice of Hollywood projects -- assuming he cares to head in that direction -- as well as distribution in the U.S. and abroad. Peter Debruge

MOROCCO, TIFF, PSIFF, An Arab worker becomes the scapegoat for a brutal murder in this gripping thriller based on one of the most shocking miscarriages of French justice in the last 20 years. Shining a revealing light on racism, class problems and prejudice, Omar Killed Me makes chillingly clear that justice for the powerful is different from that for the poor. Marseille, February 2, 1994. Omar Raddad, a Moroccan gardener is sentenced to 18 years for the murder of a wealthy widow for whom he was working. Numerous elements seem to indicate that the investigation has not been conducted properly, such as the alteration of the victim’s date of death, no fingerprints taken at the crime scene, and the disappearance of a witness who might have helped Omar. However, the legal system reveals itself as self-satisfied, incapable of admitting its own errors, and deeply prejudiced

NETHERLANDS OSCAR NOM, MARIA PETERS, The true story of the relationship between Waldemar Nods, a 19-year-old student from Suriname, and Rika van der Lans, a married Dutch woman in her 40s, and mother of 4 children. The pair meet in the 1920s, fall in love, and Rika becomes pregnant soon thereafter, causing a scandal with far-reaching consequences, leading up to World War II

KOREA OSCAR NOM, JANG HUN, Set on the Eastern front line, in an area of intense fighting between the North and South forces over a strategic hill, the film follows intelligence officer Kang Eun-pyo (Shin Ha-kyun), sent there to uncover the secret behind a Captain who died from friendly fire, whom his superiors believe was killed by a spy. Kang arrives and to his surprise, discovers his old friend Kim Soo-hyuk (Go Soo), who he thought was killed or captured years ago, now an officer fighting in the battle hardened Alligator unit. He also soon learns that the rules and the conditions out here are far different than what he expected

VEDelia is a young woman who survived a river-flood ten years ago among her mother and her two sons. The have been forced to live in a poor neighborhood of Caracas. She works hard trying to rebuilt their lives, but she soon discovers that her sons, William (17) and Santiago (11) are exposed to the violent and dangerous environment they live in. And Raiza, the grandmother is the living image of hopelessness. The four characters will show us that the hope of reconstruction is possible, because the force of love, despite all, keep them unitedNEZUELA, PSIFF,

aka APARTMENT IN ATHENS..ITALY..with LAURA MORANTE...Set against a backdrop of the German occupation of Athens in 1943, this taut drama introduces us to the Helianos family, whose life undergoes a profound change when their apartment is commandeered by an exacting German officer with a strict and inscrutable attitude. The officer, Captain Kalter (Richard Sammel, Inglorious Basterds), essentially treats the family as indentured servants, expecting them to cater to his every whim. While the father, to protect his family, falls into a habit of doing the Captain’s bidding without protest, his young son is altogether less acquiescent, and his wife and daughter display their own ambivalent feelings about their unexpected intruder. Survival instincts being what they are, the family soon establishes a routine of going about daily life as if things are normal. But when their unwanted guest abruptly leaves for Germany, then returns as suddenly as he left, things take a turn for the unexpected....Winner: Young Italian Filmmaker Award, Rome Film Festival.

SPAIN OSCAR NOM, PSIFF 2011 2012, TIFF, Since Agusti Villaronga’s compelling film had its North American Premiere at last year’s Palm Springs International Film Festival, it has gone on to win 9 Goya Awards. It is the official Spanish submission for the 2011 Academy Awards®, the first time that a Catalan-language film has represented Spain at the Oscars®. In the harsh post-Civil War years in rural Catalonia, a shockingly vicious attack takes place. Ten-year-old Andreu comes across the victims, a father and son. Leaning over the dying boy, Andreu hears him whisper “Pitorliu”—the name of a monster supposedly haunting the village.When Andreu’s father is wrongly accused of the murder, the boy sets out to find the real killers and brings to light long-hidden secrets. Villaronga keeps the story moving relentlessly to dark and sinister places with breathtaking cinematography and a brilliant ensemble cast, led by Francesc Colomer as Andreu and Nora Navas as his mother. Though the film contains a scene that may offend those with a heightened sensitivity regarding cruelty to animals, no animals were harmed during the shooting of the film.

FRANCE OSCAR NOM, PSIFF, Subject matter and style have rarely seemed so far apart as in Valérie Donzelli’s semi-autobiographical sophomore feature. That the story of a couple whose baby is diagnosed with a brain tumor is played in a quirky, funny, and life-affirming way is strange indeed, but even stranger is the fact that it all works beautifully.Donzelli and co-screenwriter Jérémie Elkaïm star as a young couple whose sick baby is revealed to have cancer. The formerly carefree bohemians begin the long slog through hospitals and doctors’ meetings, hoping for the best, but fearing the worst. The “declaration of war,” however, is not just on the tumor threatening their child—it is on the deadly serious but inevitably ponderous methods films usually employ when telling a story like this.Using the jump cuts, musical numbers, bright color palette, and low-budget enthusiasm one normally associates with the French New Wave filmmakers of the 60s, Donzelli infuses her tale with an energy and joie de vivre that make this an infectious delight. It is also profoundly moving–Donzelli is a unique and very gifted talent.

CHINA OSCAR NOM, PSIFF, ZHANG YIMOU....MY FAVORITE CHINESE FILM MAKER, Having proven himself a top-flight purveyor of spectacle with the likes of House of Flying Daggers (and the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony), Zhang Yimou now reminds us that his films pack an emotional punch to rival their visual impact. With the Japanese Imperial Army rampaging through Nanking in 1937, missionary John Haufman (Christian Bale) defiantly refuses to flee the city. Taken with the plight of the schoolgirls and prostitutes who are being victimized by the invading troops, Haufman endeavors to help them escape the atrocities that history now remembers as the Nanking Massacre.Steven Spielberg has asserted that the central theme in Zhang's work is that “the conflict of man foretells the desire for inner peace,” and this latest feature is a splendid example of that fixation. While boasting the audacious set-pieces expected of a wartime epic, its narrative ultimately hinges on the internal conflicts and crises of conscience facing Haufman and other key players. War's abundant mayhem will certainly leave you rattled but it's the human drama that will linger with you long after the final shot has been fired. Zhang Yimou's visually stunning style is evident throughout his latest, and most ambitious film, The Flowers of War, an international production that represents China's most expensive ($90+ million) ever and stars Oscar winner Christian Bale as an American trapped with a group of women in Nanking during the invasion of the Japanese army in 1937.

ISRAEL OSCAR NOM, PSIFF, TIFF, JOSEPH CEDAR(BEAUFORT) Following his Oscar-nominated, deeply moving anti-war film Beaufort (2007), director Joseph Cedar continues to raise his profile with Footnote (2011), a uniquely comedic exploration into issues of pride, sacrifice and jealousy through a fragile family dynamic which won him the prestigious best screenplay award at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. The story of a fierce rivalry between a father and son (both highly regarded academics specialising in the Talmud) Footnote skilfully mixes dry wit with high drama. The son has an obsessive thirst for the acclaim his work has awarded him, perhaps due to his father’s disdain for the modern and unscientific approach he has taken, offering him little paternal support or praise. CINEVUE, Subtly drawn and perfectly performed, Footnote was a deserved winner of the 2011 screenplay award at Cannes, as well as taking awards across the board from the Israeli Film Academy. And while the very substance of the film's plot might lead you to question the validity of such awards and ceremonial recognition, Footnote really is a refreshing original, expanding its apparently small-scale, pedantic concerns into an examination of truth itself, and of the aggression and violence which we will commit to defend our place within truth's walled façade. ANTON BITEL

FINUsing handheld lensing and kinetic editing to Dogma-esque effect, "The Good Son" builds small moments into key narrative developments, and stokes seemingly trivial tensions toward the realization that something is seriously wrong here, not stopping short of potential violence or mental illness. These 87 minutes never feel rushed or contrived, and every moment counts in setting up a resolution that might easily have seemed over-melodramatic. All perfs are tops, with Knihtila thoroughly milking Leila's brat comedics while still limning a fully rounded character; Niittymaki is exceptional in a difficult role whose roiling emotions are almost entirely expressed nonverbally.LAND, TIFF, PSIFF,

FRENCH CANADA, PSIFF,Middle aged David Wozniak has been a screw-up all his life. He works as a delivery man (self-admittedly not a very good one) for his family's butcher business, he is $80,000 in debt which he owes to less than sympathetic crime lords, he is trying unsuccessfully to grow pot plants to pay off that debt, and his girlfriend, a police officer named Valèrie, despite being pregnant with his child, wants to break up with him for not being there for her in any respect. She doesn't want him involved with the child after it's born since she believes the child is better off without him in its life. He vows to change his life around for her and the baby's sakes. Concurrently, he is informed by a lawyer representing a fertility clinic that between 1990 and 1992, when he made multiple sperm donations under the pseudonym "Starbuck" in order to earn some money (as the clinic paid $35 a donation), the clinic, in an error, used only his sperm, which has resulted in 533 children who are biologically his offspring. One hundred forty-two of them have filed a class action lawsuit demanding that his name be revealed to them. That lawyer and David's best friend, a not so adept lawyer wannabe who advises David on the matter, are the only people who know of David's unusual situation. With a file folder in hand with the names and profiles of those 142, David, as that symbolic act to prove to himself that he is indeed turning his life around, decides to be their guardian angel in an individual by individual basis without telling them who he is. As David inadvertently gets more involved in their collective lives than he was planning, he is torn between wanting to do right by his biological offspring, doing right by Valèrie and yet unborn offspring number 534, and doing right by his family, all without divulging his previous identity as Starbuck, the story of which has taken on a life of its own as it hits the medi

SWEDEN, aka SIMON OCHA EKARNA, LISA OHLIN, A MAGNIFICENT PRODUCTION...CINEMATOGRAPHY, MUSIC, ACTING, NARRATIVE...WORTHY OF MY 10/10 "Simon and the oaks" is really a great movie visually. The first thing you encounter is the wide vistas of the cliffs by the sea and the great oak that Simon is sitting at, and it looks really good. Throughout the film, it is output on top with beautiful, contemporary surroundings and costumes. The music was written by Annette Fock is grand but beautiful and perfectly suited to enhance the mood of both slower and more dramatic scenes. The acting is the film's strongest side. Above all, the German actor Jan Josef Liefers who plays Reuben made a great impression on me. SWEDISH REVIEW