It wasn’t long ago that FilmFest DC was on the verge of extinction. Now in it’s 30th year, the festival is back, presenting 75 movies from 35 countries. While the programmers hang on to the same crowd-pleasing series of music documentaries, thrillers, and comedies, this year it adds a program of recent films from Cuba. The festival runs from April 14-24, and opens tomorrow night with the premiere of The Dressmaker, starring Kate Winslet. You can see the whole festival program here. DCist staff previewed a fraction of this year’s offerings, and we found plenty of good movies to go around.
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Guitarist Mdou Moctar (Courtesy the AFI)Akounak: Rain the Color Blue with a Little Red In It
This striking Nigerien film, loosely based on the 1984 Prince vehicle Purple Rain, was a highlight of the AFI’s New African Film Festival last month, but it only played once. FilmFest DC gives you two more chances to see this musical drama. As I wrote in March, “First time director Christopher Kirkley is the music archivist behind the great record label Sahel Sounds, which specializes in vinyl releases of contemporary African music like a compilation that documents the kinds of West African musicians that consumers listen to on the 21st century equivalent of the transistor radio. Among those musicians is Tuareg guitarist Mdou Moctar, starring as a version of himself, a talented guitarist whose father forbids him from playing music. Despite a font scheme taken directly from Purple Rain and a rival musician who’s essentially playing Morris Day, the most dramatic element of the movie, aside from Moctar’s excellent playing, may simply be the lifestyle of people who wander among a very different world. Akounak Tedalat Taha Tazoughai, as the film is also known, is more neorealist meditation than pop melodrama, and is a must for fans of African music. Read more about the film here.” —Pat Padua
Watch the trailer.
Tuesday, April 19 at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday, April 23 at 9:15 p.m. at Landmark’s E Street Cinema.
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Sandhya Mirdul and Amrit MagheraA group of female friends gather for a wedding, but conflicts and crises ensue. Superficially progressive, this crowd-pleasing female buddy movie surveys the contemporary state of oppressed women in India as if checking off a list of hot topics And as the image may indicate, it wants to have its cake and eat it too. We meet the angry women one by one, among them aspiring Bollywood actress Jo (Amrit Maghera), who refuses to shake her hips for a sexy musical number; and tough-talking businesswoman Su (Sandhya Mridul), who gets so fed up with her male co-workers that she storms out of a meeting, strips down to a bikini and jumps in a swimming pool. Add Jo’s wet-bra shower dance and you have seriously mixed messages. After episodes of female bonding and violent melodrama, the movie had the gall to close on a note that these are the untold stories of women, neglecting to note that director Pan Nalin, a man, has subverted the dignity of these women’s stories with what amounts to cynical pandering. The movie fails through no fault of the ensemble cast, and this well-crafted film has a bold title sequence and promising soundtrack, but the movie made me angry for the wrong reasons. —Pat Padua
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Saturday, April 16 at 6:30 p.m. at Landmark’s E Street CinemaMonday, April 18 at 8:30 p.m. at AMC Mazza Gallerie.
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Charles Holcomb, who participated in the green jobs program. (Meridian Hill Pictures)Local audiences get another chance to catch this homegrown documentary that premiered at the Environmental Film Fest last month. As I wrote last month, “City of Trees follows nonprofit Washington Parks & People at a pivotal moment. Launched in 2010, the green jobs program provided job training to residents of Ward 8 and has helped revitalize neglected green space east of the river, but as the film opens, that grant is about to run out. Director Brandon Kramer follows Steve Coleman, executive director of the program, in his efforts to keep the green jobs initiative afloat. Elegantly filmed, City of Trees looks at the human side of policy, and the struggles of a community to revitalize itself. What makes this more than just a film about policy is its focus on the people of Ward 8—like Michael, trying to rebuild his and his mother’s lives after doing time for a drug infraction; and Charles, who, as the film nears its end, is desperately trying to find work for when the grant runs out.” Read my interview with Green Corps Director Karen Loeschner here. —Pat Padua
Watch the trailer.
Sunday, April 17 at 3:15 p.m at Landmark’s E Street Cinema.
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Mart Avandi and friend (Little Film Co.)The kind of art house flick that terrify regular schmoes, the well-made The Fencer is easy to imagine as an extended “Simpsons” gag. Endel (Märt Avandi) is a German hiding out from the Soviet Secret Police in 1950s Estonia. To keep his head down, he takes a job as a gym teacher, but a boss who suspects his duplicity pressures Endel into running an extracurricular program. Despite a lack of resources, he teaches the kids fencing. That’s the whole movie: a paint-by-numbers feelgood sports picture about a sorta-Nazi teaching children how to fancy sword fight. Yes, this well-photographed film has something to say about classism during the Cold War, but this is a straightforward exercise that, in the States, would at best be a middling studio comedy starring Vince Vaughn. The tropes are all too familiar, and a foreign tongue barely hides how telegraphed every story beat is. Yet the cast avails itself quite nicely, particularly Liisa Koppel, a fencing student who suggests a young Drew Barrymore. Director Klaus Härö does his best to distilling the pageantry of fencing into a thrilling enough pastime, but all the intrigue in the world doesn’t raise this above the level of The Mighty Ducks. —Dominic Griffin
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Wednesday, April 20th at 8:30 p.m. and Saturday, April 23rd at 5:00 p.m. at AMC Mazza Gallerie
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(Film Factory Entertainment)Two detectives, one with high morals and the other with a questionable past, work together to solve the brutal murders of girls in a small town. From beginning to end, Marshland juxtaposes poverty and inhuman acts with gorgeous scenery and wildlife in the wetlands. If the locale were the Bayou, this could be the first season of True Detective; the setup, tone, even the sepia lighting throughout this film parallel the HBO series, but this story is set in Spain. It’s hard not to compare the series with the film. Drector Alberto Rodriguez offers an arguably more satisfying ending when it comes to solving the murders, but he leaves the viewer with questions. Pedro (Raúl Arévalo), the idealistic detective, survives this harrowing case and even thrives from it, but what of the second detective, Juan (Javier Gutiérrez)? Throughout the film Juan seems steady and confident in public, but one-on-one (especially in interrogations) he can lose control. In private, Juan is even more unsteady, the weight of darkness and death flutters around him like a hawk ready to carry off its prey. —Elisabeth Grant
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Tuesday, April 19 at 8:45 p.m., Thursday, April 21 at 8:45 p.m., and Saturday, April 23 at 4:45 p.m. at AMC Mazza Gallerie
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Kimberley MotleyIt addresses terrorism, xenophobia, and armed conflict, but the most illuminating moments in the documentary Motley’s Law are personal: a Skype call across continents, a casual conversation about a deadly grenade, a snotty PTA president. Kimberley Motley is a defense lawyer working out of Kabul during the height of the War on Terror. As the only foreigner licensed to work in the Afghan courts, Motley faces prejudice at every level, and is constantly on alert for threats against herself as well as her country. Meanwhile, she struggles to maintain her relationship with her husband and three children, who have their own problems on top of missing their wife and mother. Director Nicole Nielsen Horanyi tells this story entirely from a fly-on-the-wall perspective, without a talking head in sight. That said, Motley spends a lot of time talking—to herself, to her colleagues; to her phone and computer. She’s such an engaging screen presence, so strong in the face of opposition and self-deprecating in the face of weakness, that she tells the entire story without the need for cinematic artifice. —Mark Lieberman
Watch the trailer.
Monday, April 18 and Wednesday, April 20 at 6:30 p.m. at Landmark E Street
Cinema.
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Sareh Bayat (Memento Films Distribution)Divorce can be a painful cinematic subject, perhaps even more so in Iran, where it’s possible to arrange custody for children such that a woman can retain it—provided she never marries again. That’s what happens to Nahid (Sareh Bayat) in this absorbing, dreary drama. She loves her son Amir Reza (Milad Hasan Pour), but he can be a pain, especially when he falls in with the crowd and gets himself hurt. She’s content with her new boyfriend Mas’ood, but settles for a temporary marriage to avoid the legal ramifications of a full-fledged partnership. And she’s increasingly bludgeoned by the self-destructive tendencies of her ex-husband Ahmad (Navid Mohammad Zadeh), whom she’d just as soon dismiss if it weren’t for her maternal mandate. This all-consuming gloominess requires a dynamic actress to prevent the movie from wallowing in murk, and Bayat’s performance depicts a complex human, not a saintly archetype. Unfortunately, male characters are painted in broader brushstrokes, despite charismatic actors that give them a lived-in quality. Nahid probes the depths of emotion in a situation that will be all too familiar to most Americans, exacerbated by the constraints of the culture in Iran. —Mark Lieberman
Watch the trailer.
Sunday, April 17 at 3:15 p.m. at AMC Mazza Gallerie and Saturday, April 23 at 9 p.m. at Landmark E Street Cinema.
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Stephen GrahamSandy Duffy (Conleth Hill) is a successful novelist whose one book, A Patch of Fog, has afforded him a palatial home, a luxury vehicle, and an impressive wardrobe. But despite his wealth and success, Duffy is a thief, addicted to the high he gets from illegal activity. That high quickly plummets when a small-time security guard named Robbie (eerily played by Stephen Graham) catches Sandy in the act. What transpires is an arms race of truth and power, blackmail and retribution. As Sandy and Robbie’s relationship becomes more complicated and entwined, the feeling of unease escalates. There is more truth to be uncovered, but when it’s all revealed, where will each man stand? Director Michael Lennox’s 2015 film, set in Northern Ireland, is a calculating psychological thriller beautifully acted by Hill and Graham. It’s difficult to root for either character, each with his own different but equally distasteful personality flaws and questionable behaviors, and yet it’s impossible to walk away without seeing where they both end up. A minor distraction in the film is a mini Game of Thrones reunion. Conleth Hill plays Varys (“The Spider”) in the HBO series and in A Patch of Fog his literary agent is Ian McElhinney (the noble knight Barristan Selmy). —Elisabeth Grant
Saturday, April 16 at 7:00 p.m. and Monday, April 18 at 8:30 p.m. at AMC Mazza Gallerie
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To kowtow is to bow by kneeling down, sliding forward on your hands until your belly is flat on the ground, your forehead touching the earth, your hands then pressed palms together and lifted up in prayer. In Paths of the Soul, a group of Tibetans make a 746 mile pilgrimage to Lhasa on foot, where every few steps they stop and kowtow. They wear wooden blocks on their hands and leather aprons around their fronts to protect themselves from the repetitive sliding-forward motion. The pilgrims’ journey takes months as they kowtow through dust, gusting snow, flooded roads, and up and over mountains. As they walk along the road, large trucks rush past dangerously close. The trip is harrowing and difficult, which it is meant to be, since it’s an effort to atone for sin —# their own, and those of others. With incredible scenery, the film offers a fascinating peek into the daily life of the Tibetan people as they care for their yaks, chant evening prayers, and share tea with friends and strangers. However, as a docu-drama, many scenes are clearly scripted, with dialogue coming across as stilted and inauthentic. Some of the challenges that come up in the film are either reenacted or completely made up, and seem comical (that dead body is still breathing) when they’re meant to be powerful. Still, the film is a wonderful, intimate look into the physical trials one can endure when seeking spiritual ends.—#Elisabeth Grant
Watch the trailer
Friday, April 15 at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday, April 17 at 7:30 p.m. at Landmark’s E Street Cinema
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Eskindir Tameru and Fereweni GebregergsThis amateurish microbudget Ethiopian film from first-time director Hermon Hailay falls short on any number of measures for cinematic success, yet it teems with charisma and style. Despite weak writing and untrained, wooden actors, Hailey imbues every frame with a startling vitality, dripping with promise and potential. The film is about the unconventional romance between Addis Ababa taxi driver Teddy (Eskindir Tameru) and Fere (Fereweni Gebregergs), the prostitute he crosses paths with. Fere turns Teddy’s his life upside down when his cab is stolen by her ex, an all-purpose villain who is part harem owner, part auto magnate. Visually, the film recalls the kind of unsteady but charming early Sundance fare you can still catch on IFC at 2 a.m., but thematically, it has the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink morality of a Tyler Perry picture. Dubious spirituality dukes it out with some discomfiting opinions on the lives of sex workers, but underneath it all, it’s a kinetic, emotionally honest love story marred only by inexperienced storytelling and a deeply stupid ending. For all its flaws, it’s hard not to recommend this fascinating and rapturous debut.—Dominic Griffin
Watch the trailer.
Friday, April 15 at 8:30 p.m. and Friday, April 22 at 8:45 p.m. at Landmark’s E Street Cinema
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(Carol Wexler)Throughout his storied career, the late cinematographer Haskell Wexler balanced cinematic talent with political responsibility. In this relatively short documentary, director Pamela Yates eschews talking heads in favor of a conversation between herself and Wexler that criss-crosses his filmography and activist efforts. This no-frills approach focuses on the convergence of his work as a celebrated, Oscar-winning DP (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?), and as a documentarian who shed light on crucial issues of the day. For cinephiles, there’s precious little to pore over of Wexler’s actual work, as the visual language of his CV is explored only in brief vignettes. More screen time is spent on his politics, but this murky focus asks bland questions with uninteresting answers. The film fails to draw strong thematic lines between his films and his beliefs, so the finished product feels disjointed, rarely rising above the level of a modestly engaging podcast interview with the added bonus of archival footage. Rebel Citizen feels like a smart, well-observed starting point for Wexler’s extraordinary career, but it’s hardly an indispensable portrait.—Dominic Griffin
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Friday, April 22nd @ 6:30pm & Saturday, April 23rd @ 9:00pm at Landmark’s E Street Cinema
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Zied Ayadi and Sara Hanachi)Naive and unemployed, Zizou (Zied Ayadi) leaves his small village for the Tunisian capital in search of a job. Hired as a cable dish installer, he falls in love with Aicha (Sara Hanachi), a young woman held prisoner by a wealthy family. Set in 2010, just before the Arab Spring was about to unfold, this French-Tunisian production places its simple Candide-like figure in the center of romantic intrigue and government upheaval. (Though to be honest, the first thing Zizou’s country bumpkin outfit reminded me of was Adam Sandler.) Director Férid Boughedir has a long history with FilmFest DC, and his latest depicts a pivotal moment in history with a deceptively light touch. It’s no accident that Zizou is charged with providing cable access; the suggestion that the media is left in the hands of a bundling anti-hero is a subtly scathing indictment of media saturation. Yet the character’s ultimate heroism is heartwarming nonetheless. —Pat Padua
Watch the trailer.
Friday, April 15 at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday, April a6 1t 9:30 pm at AMC Mazza Gallerie.
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A movie about five guys painting road lines sounds like a torturous parody of film festival fare, but that is the premise of this unusually gripping film. Toño (Damián Alcázar) has just been fired from a ten-year post as a scrapyard night watchman — replaced by a dog. When an old colleague hires him to run a road line painting crew, his crew mates include a thief, a former circus worker, a stoic ex-truck driver, and a young man who may or not be his long lost son. The film is light on twists and turns but long on subdued depth and genuinely stirring conflict. With efficiency and dignity, director Celso Garcia depicts the world of five men who are grateful for even such a modest occupation. Alcázar delivers an affecting performance as a man in his twilight, forged of little more than regret and an irascible work ethic. The third act gets a mite melodramatic, but the film remains a resonant experience.—Dominic Griffin
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Saturday, April 16 at 9:00 p.m. and Friday, April 22 at 6:30 p.m. at AMC Mazza Gallerie
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(Gullane)Skilled violinist Laerte (Lazaro Ramos) blows an audition after letting his nerves get the better of him. When he faces the seemingly impossible task of lifting underprivileged public school kids from musical ineptitude to competence and artistry; well, you imagtine this movie will end like countless other personal stories of triumph over adversity. But The Violin Teacher is not completely bankrupt. In Ramos, it boasts an eye-catching lead performance that transcends cliches and finds poignant notes of melancholy and the stirrings of joy. The young actors shine, in particular Elzio Vieira as Samuel, an orphan with a lot to learn. The plot occasionally veers into interesting subcultures of the Brazilian city Heliopolis, including a sequence that touches on police brutality. And the music is first-rate, worthy of the otherworldly talent and teaching prowess that Laerte supposedly possesses. You may have seen this movie before, but you’ve never seen it quite like this. —Mark Lieberman
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Thursday, April 21 and Friday, April 22 at 6:30 p.m. at AMC Mazza Gallerie.
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Stone and Karena LamIn the aftermath of a fatal truck accident, Ming (Karena Lam) mourns the death of her fiancee, while Yuwei (Taiwanese rocker Stone) mourns his pregnant wife. This somber Taiwanese drama from director Tom Shu-Yu Lin follows the 100-day Buddhist cycle of death as Yuwei follows up with his late wife’s piano students and Ming takes the Okinawa food tour that was meant to be her honeymoon. This heartbreaking film has something of the melancholy tone of Japanese director Hirokazu Koreeda, and while it threatens to become maudlin at any moment, it skirts obvious sentiment for a powerfully restrained tone.—Pat Padua
Watch the trailer.
Saturday, April 16 at 4:30 p.m and Saturday, April 23 at 4:45 p.m. at Landmark’s E Street Cinema.
