Helge Albers Movies
A shocking incident throws a seemingly healthy relationship into crisis in this drama from director Julia Loktev. Alex (Gael Garcia Bernal) and Nica (Hani Furstenberg) are a twentysomething couple who have been together for several years and enjoy traveling, taking a certain pride in their willingness to rough it rather than follow the easy path. The pair will soon be married, and to celebrate they've traveled to Eurasia to climb the Caucasus Mountains. After hiring a local guide named Dato (Bidzina Gujabidze), the couple hike through the wilderness en route to the mountains. They spend their time swapping stories and soaking in the rugged beauty of their surroundings in respectful silence, with Dato offering his own curt interjections. However, one day the hikers cross paths with a group of hunters, leading to an incident in which Alex's reaction seems either prudent or cowardly depending on one's perspective. The trio eventually pick themselves up and move on, but nothing seems the same for Alex and Nica after that. The Loneliest Planet received its North American premiere at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- 2008
David Asmmann's Football Under Cover documents the hard work involved in setting up an exhibition soccer match, known as a "friendly," between a German girls squad and Iranian women's team. In addition to showing how the two groups come from very different cultures, the documentary showcases what playing the game means to the members of both teams, and displays how passionate the fans of these two squads are. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
- 2007
Every year, approximately 40,000 heavy metal enthusiasts descend upon the sleepy Schleswig-Holstein village of Wacken - population 1,800 - for The Wacken Open Air festival - one of the biggest heavy metal concerts on the planet. While most would suspect that the peace-loving locals might be extremely upset by the flood of unsightly Cannibal Corpse and Death Angel fans who have been crowding into the town every summer since 1990, South Korean filmmaker Cho Sung-Hyung paints a much different picture. Filmed in the tradition of a German "heimat" or "homeland" film, Heavy Metal Village highlights the manner in which the tolerant citizens of Wacken have actually come to embrace the rebellious music fans who put this quaint, north German town on the map despite the annual havoc it wrecks on their tranquil routine. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Uwe Trede, Lore Trede, (more)
- 2007
A handful of characters in a small British town deal with love, disappointment and temptation in this independent drama. Nan Wilson (Patricia Loveland) has come home after a long stay in the hospital, and finds herself sharing her house with her sister Gail (Rachel McIntyre). Gail doesn't comfortably connect with the outside world, and would prefer to stay in her room reading romance novels rather than reach out to others, but Nan struggles to find a common ground between them. Mr. and Mrs. Gladwin (Frank Bench and Betty Bench) have been married for six decades, but they've slowly began to drift apart, with time and misunderstanding creating a wall that separates them from one another. And after the woman he loved dies unexpectedly, Rob (Liam McIlfatrick) turns to narcotics to dull the pain, and has visions of living happily with her again. The first feature film from writer and director Duane Hopkins, Better Things was screened as part of the Critics' Week series at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Rachel McIntyre, Emma Cooper, (more)
- 2007
In a time when Algeria has been consumed by warfare and strife for more than a decade, a man who longs to return to the peaceful streets of Rome takes his girlfriend on a desperate quest to procure the papers that will allow the pair to seek out a brighter future. With gunfire echoing in his ears, Kamel longs to leave Algeria behind and return to Italy, where he used to bake pizzas for a living. But Kamel doesn't want to go to Italy alone, he desperately wants to bring his loyal girlfriend Zina along on the journey as well. Having grown up in a country where violence in the streets is an everyday occurrence, Kamel and Zina calmly make their way out of the city and into the eerily quiet suburbs in hopes of locating the immigrant smuggler who can successfully usher them out of the country. Though the streets are a virtual maze of dead ends and danger seems to lurk just around every corner, the optimistic couple somehow manages to turn their potentially grim journey into something resembling an adventurous vacation. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Samira Kaddour, Rachid Amrani, (more)
- 2007
Eager to prove herself to her colleagues and family, the sole female detective on the Sofia Police Force attempts to crack on an especially perplexing missing persons case. A local man has vanished without a trace. Though the police have no solid evidence with which to convict him, they suspect that the man's brother Plamen (Krassimir Dokov) may have played a crucial role in the crime, and swiftly bring him in for questioning. Though the Chief Inspector (Kliment Denchev) is doubtful that fledgling investigator Alexandra Yakimova (Svetlana Yancheva) has what it takes to elicit a confession, he nevertheless gives her three weeks to do so before letting Plamen walk free. The only problem now lies in the fact that Plamen seems to have taken a vow of silence, and as the chasm between Alexandra and her family grows ever wider due to her obsession with the case, it begins to appear as if the case is slipping between her fingers. Later, as Alexandra and her assistant Ludmil (Dejan Donkov) set out to question Plamen's family and co-workers once again, she begins to wonder if the suspect will finally talk if given a chance to see his wife Nusha (Tanya Shahova). Much to her surprise, Plamen and Nusha seem to share a truly heartfelt relationship, a revelation that prompts a frustrated Alexandra to get a bit more creative with her investigatory techniques. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Svetlana Yancheva, Krasimir Dokov, (more)
- 2006
A handful of people separated by temperament, politics and geography are linked by a common dream of sharing their love for movies with the world in this documentary. Anup Jagdale is a movie buff in the Indian village of Shingnapur who has found a way to turn his hobby into a career by showing the latest Bollywood hits to eager audiences in an old circus tent. In the small town of Big Piney, Wyoming, Penny Tefertiller is a longtime community activist who also runs the Flick Theater, a converted barn where she brings entertainment to everyone from bored teenagers to lonely elders. North Korean Han Yong-sil wants to show movies that will deliver positive messages for women and working people, as well as providing a respite from the monotonal propaganda that dominates the North Korean media. And Lassane Badiel, Lamoussa Luc Kabore and Zakaria Gnegnie are film fans and entrepreneurs from Burkina Faso who take over a shuttered open-air theater to bring the movies to their West African village. While the common problems of booking the right movies and getting paying customers to show up are experienced everywhere, filmmaker Uli Gaulke demonstrates how the love of good movies fuels these six people and helps keep their dreams alive. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
A romance takes place against some of the most turbulent events in recent Chinese history in this epic-scale story from filmmaker Lou Ye. Yu Hong (Hao Lei) is a beautiful 17-year-old girl who is soon to leave the small border town where she was born and raised to attend college at Beijing University. Shortly before Yu Hong leaves for school, she gives her virginity to her longtime boyfriend, Xiao, and pledges to remain faithful to him. At Beijing University, Yu Hong makes friends with Li Ti (Hu Ling), another girl dealing with a long-distance relationship, and meets Zhou Wei (Guo Xiaodong), a handsome student who soon steals her heart. Yu Hong leaves her relationship with Xiao behind to commit herself to Zhou Wei, and she's swept up by her feelings for him as they embrace the new social and economic freedoms which are being felt on campus. The empowerment felt by the students in Beijing comes to a head during a series of demonstrations in Tiananmen Square; the protests have tragic consequences, and the excitement of new possibilities gives way to a feeling of defeat. Yu Hong and Zhou Wei are separated and the heavy hand of the state is brought to bear on the rebellious students. The first Chinese film to feature full-frontal male and female nudity, Yiheyuan (aka Summer Palace) received its world premiere as an official selection at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Hao Lei, Guo Xiaodong, (more)
Turkish director Yesim Ustaoglu (Journey to the Sun) explores the meaning of identity and the power of home with this drama set along Turkey's northeastern Black Sea coast. When the Turkish war of independence ended in the early-1920s, Greeks were forcefully deported from Turkey. For the five decades that followed, a Greek woman and her sister remained in Turkey while taking great pains to cover their true origins. When her younger sister dies, the elder sibling travels to Greece in search of her long-lost brother. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ruchan Caliskur, Dimitris Kamberidis, (more)
- 2003
Documentarians Jeannette Eggert and Uli Gaulke's 2003 film Heirate mich (Marry Me) follows a Cuban woman in her late twenties and her young son as they relocate to Germany in order to start a new life. Havana native Gladis met and fell in love with German vacationer Erik at the dawn of the new millennium -- which prompted a rather spontaneous marriage proposal. While anxious to begin her new life in a new country, Gladis is also reticent over leaving behind her family and friends, as well as more than a little concerned about how her seven-year-old son, Omarito, will adjust. When the Cubans finally arrive in Hamburg after the wedding, culture clash quickly becomes the norm for them as they completely immerse themselves into their new environment while trying to maintain their own unique cultural identity -- an identity that also places some significant burdens on Gladis and Erik's new marriage. Marry Me was selected to screen at the 2003 Berlin International Film Festival. ~ Ryan Shriver, Rovi
Pakistani filmmaker Sabiha Sumar directs the political drama Khamosh Pani (Silent Waters). Set in a small Pakistani village in 1979, the film follows widowed family matriarch Ayesha (Kirron Kher) as she struggles under the martial law that declares her country a Muslim state. Her teenage son Saleem (Aamir Malik) is encouraged by his wealthy girlfriend Zubeida (Shilpa Shukla) to get a job. However, he ends up hanging out with a bunch of Muslim fundamentalists and causing trouble for the Sikh pilgrims. Meanwhile, Ayesha remembers secrets from her past awakened by the arrival of the Sikh pilgrim Jaswant (Navtej Johar). Silent Waters won the Golden Leopard award at the 2003 Locarno International Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kirron Kher, Aamir Malik, (more)
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