Thanassis Karathanos Movies

A mid-level businessman learns something about human nature and himself when he's given an unusual assignment in this comedy drama from Israeli filmmaker Eran Riklis. Yulia (Galina Ozerner) is a longtime employee at a major baking company in Jerusalem, but when she stops coming to work, it's two weeks before anyone thinks to look into her absence. As it happens, Yulia, a Russian émigré, died in a politically oriented bombing, and a journalist covering the story is preparing an inflammatory piece that criticizes the bakery for their lack of compassion toward an employee. The situation becomes all the more embarrassing when it's discovered Yulia had been fired from her job but was still getting paid thanks to the actions of an employee who fancied her. Determined to keep the bakery from getting a black eye in the press, the owner of the company (Gila Almagor) orders her human resources manager (Mark Ivanir) to pick up Yulia's remains and escort them back to her family in Russia. As the manager meets a variety of people who had some connection with Yulia, it forces him to think about his own relationships with others and the ways he's disappointed his own wife and children. The Human Resources Manager was an official selection at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Tomas Lunak's rotoscoped drama Alois Nebel tells the tale of a Czechoslovakian train dispatcher who is haunted by events he was a part of during the Second World War involving a shooting and an orphaned child. In 1989, just as the Berlin wall falls, Alois ends up in an asylum, but when he gets out there he has no job and can't quite adjust to the new social and political realities. Thankfully, he meets a woman who might just provide the love he so badly needs. Alois Nebel screened at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Palestinian Scandar Copti and Israeli Yaron Shani collaborated on this independent drama, which examines how the troubled relationship between their countries colors everyday life in the Middle East. Nasri (Fouad Habash) is a teenager whose family is in crisis: his uncle got into an altercation with a local crime boss, and in reprisal, his cousin has been murdered. The shooters, it seems, originally intended to kill Nasri's younger brother, Omar (Shahir Kabaha), in lieu of the cousin. Abu Elias (Youssef Sahwani), a restaurateur and respected member of the community, steps in to negotiate. Omar agrees to make a cash payment to the gangsters to prevent further violence, but since he doesn't have the money, he raises it by dealing drugs. Abu has a daughter, Hadir (Ranin Karim), who works at his restaurant; she's fallen in love with Omar, but since she's Christian and he's Muslim, they can't acknowledge their feelings in public. Also working at the restaurant is Malek (Ibrahim Frege), a 16-year-old illegal immigrant who is looking for any kind of job to help pay for his mother's medical treatments. And elsewhere, Dando (Eran Naim) is a policeman drawn into the chaotic life of Binj (Scandar Copti), a suspected drug dealer who has been arrested for attacking a Jewish neighbor; Dando is also preoccupied with the fate of his brother, who has suddenly gone missing. Ajami won a special distinction award at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A search for both family and cultural identity takes place on a tandem bicycle in this emotional drama from Bulgarian filmmaker Stefan Komandarev. Alexander was born in 1975, when Bulgaria was being ruled by an oppressive political regime that encouraged distrust among its people. Alexander (Carlo Ljubek) was raised in an extended family, with his parents Vasko (Hristo Mutafchiev) and Yana (Ana Papadopulu) sharing their home with Yana's folks Bai Dan (Miki Manojlovic) and Sladka (Lyudmila Cheshmedzhieva). Free-spirited Bai Dan shows little respect for Bulgaria's leadership, and Vasko is approached by authorities who want him to file intelligence reports on his father-in-law. Afraid of where this could lead, Vasko brings together the family and flees the country, making their way to Germany after a stay in a refugee camp. When Alexander, now in his early thirties, is involved in an auto accident with his parents in the car, he survives but they perish. Alexander's memory of his past has been shattered by his injuries, so Bai Dan proposes a journey to lift his spirits and refresh his mind. Bai Dan gets a two-seater bicycle and together they set out to travel from Germany to Bulgaria strictly by pedal power. Adapted from a novel by Ilija Trojanov, Svetat e golyam i spasenie debne otvsyakde (aka The World Is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner) was voted best Bulgarian feature presentation at the 2008 Sofia Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

An ambitious lawman finds love while working his first big case in this comedy from Greece. Leonidas (Aris Servetalis) is a young policeman who is eager for a new assignment, but instead of being sent to a big and bustling city as he requested, he finds himself walking the beat in a tiny coastal village, where he usually doesn't have much to do besides chasing nude sunbathers off the beach. Angeliki (Vicki Papadopoulou) is the hostess of a popular television chat show and the only celebrity to have come from the town; Angeliki is a local heroine, and everything stops in the village when her show comes on the air. Just when Leonidas thinks he'll never shake the boredom that's been following him since he came to town, he has a real crime to investigate -- the body of Zaharias (Antonis Katsaris), one of the townspeople, is discovered hear the base of a tall cliff, and while Leonidas's boss is certain the man simply fell to his death after too much booze, the young cop is certain foul play was involved. As Leonidas launches a criminal investigation, a major distraction is thrown in his path when the lovely Angeliki arrives in town for an unexpected visit. Leonidas's research suggests Angeliki may be linked to the death in some way, but when he tries to question her, their mutual infatuation quickly becomes an issue. Mikro Eglima (aka Small Crime) received its American premiere at the 2009 Palm Springs International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A trio of friends residing in an urban Czech housing project finds that happiness can come from the place where you least expect it in this quirky and heartfelt drama from Wild Bees director Bohdan Sláma. As the shadow of the country's largest chemical factory looms large over their bleak industrial suburb, Monika (Tatiana Vilhelmová), Tonik (Pavel Liska), and Dasha (Anna Geislerová) hold out hope for a brighter future in another place. While supermarket employee Monika's dreams are built around the hope that she will someday venture to America to be with her boyfriend, George, Tonik secretly pines for Monika, and single mother Dasha finds comfort in the arms of a married man while slowly drifting from reality. As Tonik flees his conservative parents to live on the farm of his eccentric aunt, Dasha's grip on reality finally slips -- leaving her two young children in the care of Tonik and Monika. As things begin to look up for the willing but inexperienced new parents, a lifetime of happiness is finally within their reach. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi