Fares Fares Movies

A man fascinated with the process of ending one's own life meets some rather disturbing kindred spirits in this dark comedy. Erik (Andreas Wilson) is a commercial photographer and would-be screenwriter who has left his native Sweden to come to Hollywood in hopes of selling his latest script. Erik quickly discovers there isn't much of a market for stories about suicide in Tinseltown, and he's looking for new inspiration when he meets Lola (Lolita Davidovich), a beautiful but wildly unpredictable woman who lures him into joining her on a road trip to Las Vegas. As it happens, Lola is drawn to Vegas by the presence of Dr. Bangley (John Larroquette), a psychologist and television chat-show host who is publicizing his latest book in Sin City -- "Stay Alive," a guide for those contemplating suicide. As part of the book launch, Bangley is arranging for a number of his more colorful patients to meet him in Las Vegas, where they'll take part in a television reality show hosted by the doctor. The clients include Katherine (Julie Benz), who has been suffering from depression since losing custody of her son; Geert (Alexander Skarsgård), a troubled cross-dresser; and Ella Toscana (Terry Moore), an elderly former movie star with remarkable mood swings. Bangley also has to deal with his teenage daughter, Sunshine (Skye McCole Bartusiak), who is willing to do anything to get her busy dad's attention. As Erik crosses paths with Bangley's entourage, he's confronted with people who are even more obsessed with killing themselves than the average Swede, and feels as if he fits in until gangster and part-time limo driver Omar (Fares Fares) reveals his sinister side. Kill Your Darlings received its North American premiere at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Police officers in a rural Swedish community are forced to come up with creative and slightly unlawful tactics in order to preserve their jobs in Kopps, the second film directed by Swedish filmmaker Josef Fares. The good citizens of Hogbodorna, Sweden, are just that -- good citizens -- and thus leave the town's law enforcement officials with little more to do than frequent cafés and drink copious amounts of coffee. After financial and criminal assessments by regional political leaders lead to the decision to close the station and lay off its employees, officers Jacob (Fares Fares, brother to director Josef) and Lasse (Göran Ragnerstam) decide to manufacture a little mischief to prove to the politicians the necessity of maintaining the force. Beginning by attempting to convince the town drunk to become a thief, Jacob and Lasse quickly get lost in their scheme as their activities escalate toward more menacing and destructive criminal acts. Meanwhile, Officer Benny (Torkel Petersson) -- who doesn't know of his co-workers' plans and fancies himself to be a maverick cop with a bit of a violent streak -- begins to suspect some sort of organized crime syndicate must be gaining a foothold in his town and sets out to apprehend or destroy the perpetrators, leading to a wildly hilarious and nearly devastating showdown. Shortly after Kopps' release in 2003, Adam Sandler and Columbia Pictures announced their plans to remake the comedy into an English-language release. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide

A young man thinks he's found the girl of his dreams, until he learns that his father has different ideas in this fast-paced Swedish comedy. Roro (Fares Fares) is the teenaged son of a Lebanese expatriate living in Sweden; Roro has a job as a park attendant where he minds the grounds with Måns (Torkel Petersson). One day while working, Roro meets a pretty girl named Lisa (Tuva Novotny). They talk, and before long, a romance has blossomed between them. But Roro's father (Jan Fares) wants his son to marry a nice Lebanese girl, and before Roro can work up the courage to tell his father about Lisa, he learns that he has been pledged to marry fellow immigrant Yasmin (Laleh Pourkarim). Yasmin is no more enthusiastic about this idea than Roro, but they both feel they have to play along for the sake of their families. However, Yasmin quickly becomes fond of Roro, and she's crushed when Roro introduces her to Lisa as his cousin; Lisa is just as devastated when she learns the truth about Roro's relationship with Yasmin. Måns, meanwhile, is having problems of his own -- he's suddenly become impotent, and as he and his girlfriend, Jenny (Sofi Ahlström Helleday), try an increasingly elaborate variety of sexual gymnastics in hopes of restoring Måns' virility, they start to wonder if their relationship can survive the ordeal. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide