Christoph Friedel Movies

A supermarket security guard forms powerful fixation on the pretty cleaning woman who scrubs the aisles during the graveyard shift in this deeply personal tale of obsession and voyeurism from first time feature filmmaker Adrian Biniez. When the sun goes down, Jara (Horacio Camandule) clocks in to monitor the security cameras at a suburban Montevideo supermarket. The job can be pretty dull at times, so in order to keep himself occupied Jara often passes the time watching videos, doing crossword puzzles, and playing music. One night, as Jara glances at the monitors, pretty cleaning woman Julia (Leonor Svarcas) wanders into frame and the portly security guard is immediately transfixed. With each passing day, Jara's fixation on Julia grows stronger, to the point where he eventually begins following her outside of work as well. Before long, Jara's entire life is centered on Julia's daily routine; he watches as she lounges on the beach, goes to a movie, and even as she meets with another man. When rumors of layoffs begin circulating around the supermarket and Jara discovers that Julia is one of the workers about to be handed her walking papers, the smitten security guard must choose between letting go of his obsession and laying bare his suppressed feelings for the object of his affections, or remaining silent and letting his one chance at happiness slip away. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Time and romantic attraction threaten to sour a family relationship in this drama from writer and director Claire Denis. Lionel (Alex Descas) is a middle-aged widower who makes his living driving a train and shares an apartment with his twentysomething daughter, Joséphine (Mati Diop). Lionel and Joséphine have a warm and caring relationship, and while it's not Lionel's nature to say very much, his affection for his daughter is clear. Lionel's on-and-off girlfriend Gabrielle (Nicole Dogue) and their footloose friend Noé (Grégoire Colin) live in the same building, and together the four have fallen into a casual family relationship. However, when Lionel's close friend and fellow driver René (Julieth Mars Toussaint) announces he's retiring, Lionel becomes painfully aware that he's not as young as he once was, and realizes how much he depends on his daughter. This knowledge sets Lionel on edge when Joséphine's friendship with Noé begins to evolve into a romantic relationship. 35 Rhums (aka 35 Shot of Rum) received its North American premiere at the 2008 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Forced Israeli evictions from the Gaza Strip yield tremendous personal strife for a pair of cross-cultural lovers in Disengagement, director Amos Gitai's meditation on the complex relationship between interpersonal and national politics in the Middle East. Juliette Binoche stars as Ana, a woman of mixed Dutch and Palestinian origin residing in Avignon, where her biological father has just died. Newly arrived in town is her adoptive brother, the Franco-Israeli Uli (Liron Levo), with whom Ana shares a relationship so passionate that it consistently transgresses sibling boundaries. While Uli comes to terms with his foster father's passing and prepares for an upcoming work assignment that involves aggressively shuttling Israeli settlers out of Gaza, Ana visits her father's attorney (French screen legend Jeanne Moreau), takes the steps to end her unfulfilling marriage, and hopes to make contact with her long-abandoned daughter, currently residing in the Israeli settlement of Gaza. To achieve this goal, Ana insists on accompanying Uli during his trip -- but doesn't count on numerous complications that arise, including a forced separation from Uli and lengthy travels with the settlers themselves, who have grown doggedly certain that God would never allow their geographic displacement to occur. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

In the tradition of such films as Taxi Driver and Falling Down, Rodrigo Moreno's character study El Custodio meditates on deep-seated loneliness - the pain and alienation of being an outcast, a nobody - of being tagged as irrelevant. Julio Chavez is Ruben, the bodyguard to the Minister of National Planning (Osmar Nunez)). Ruben watches constantly from a distance as life (in the form of the Minister's activities) passes him by, but is never once allowed to participate. His life consists, exclusively, of constantly shadowing the Minister - in the limousine, in quiet conference rooms, in vacant hallways. Laconic, soft-spoken and introverted, his only external activity consists of occasional sketching in a notebook, and of tending to his mentally ill sister (Cristina Villamor). Inside, however, a quiet rage and a need for self-expression begins to build, that -- in the film's startling conclusion - pushes Ruben to the brink of explosion. Moreno shoots everything in the film from Ruben's point of view and relies heavily on lengthy, static takes to capture the monotony and emptiness of the bodyguard's life. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

Martin Rejtman's downbeat comedy Los Guantes Mágicos (The Magic Gloves) follows a large cast of characters as they attempt to get out of their poor circumstances. Alejandro (Gabriel Fernandez Capello) hires himself out as a driver. He chauffeurs Sergio (Fabian Arenillas), who incorrectly believes Alejandro knows his brother Luis (Diego Olivera), an actor in pornographic films. Sergio invites Alejandro to move into Luis' apartment. Alejandro breaks up with his girlfriend Cecilia (Cecilia Biagini), but Cecilia strikes up a friendship with Sergio's wife Susana (Susana Pampin). Susana arranges a trip for Cecilia to a vacation spa, where Cecilia becomes acquainted with a stewardess who begins dating Alejandro. Soon the two men and Luis pool their meager monies and invest in a supply of "magic gloves" that are supposed to fit anyone -- but are rumored to grant their owner special powers. This film was screened in competition at the Locarno Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Director Sergei Bodrov takes a break from his usual socio-political dramas in Bear's Kiss, a surreal fairy tale following Lola (Rebecca Liljeberg), the 14-year-old daughter of long-time circus employees, and her love affair with a shape-shifting bear who calls himself Misha (Sergei Bodrov Jr.). When her father, Marco (Maurizio Donadoni), is killed in a tragic car accident, the circus caravan travels to Spain, where several gypsy fortune-tellers explain the mysterious art of shape-shifting and the responsibilities it entails. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

Sandra Nettelbeck spins this gentle drama about how a child's presence can change the lives of the most shy and career-minded of adults. Martha (Martina Gedeck) is the chef of a popular Hamburg eatery who fusses and obsesses over each dish before it leaves the kitchen. The demands of her job and her natural shyness keep her from breaking out of her routine to meet new people. When her sister suddenly dies in a car accident, Martha adopts Lina, her eight-year-old niece. Martha's life soon completely changes -- not only must she adjust herself to new parental role, but she must help Lina deal with her grief over the loss of her mother. Martha gets unexpected help from Mario, Martha's hunky new sous chef, who is not only a whiz on the chopping block but knows sundry magic tricks and jokes to keep Lina's spirits afloat. Just as Martha starts to grow attached to the girl, however, the possibility of Lina returning to the custody of her father arises. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide