Film Festivals Featured Lists

This comedy follows a determined female election official (Nassim Abdi) and the grumpy soldier (Cyrus Abidi) assigned to escort her as she tries to collect votes on a remote Iranian island. The soldier, one of two assigned to stand guard on the island, is aghast at the thought of a woman giving him orders, and complains constantly. She is just as stubborn in her determination to wring every vote out of an island inhabited almost entirely by illiterate shepherds and smugglers who would rather that the government not even know that they exist at all. Director Babak Payami's film is an extended battle of the sexes that takes a few digs at the Iranian political process along the way. ~ Tom Vick, Rovi

Giuseppe Piccioni follows up on his 1999 opus Not of this World with this understated drama about fantasy and reality. The film centers on Antonio (Luigi Lo Cascio), a youngish chauffeur who is a model of professional promptness and courtesy. He also possesses a vivid inner world dominated by images of other worlds and other planets. A chance near-accident introduces him to Maria (Sandra Ceccarelli), a struggling single mother trying desperately to keep her frozen foods store afloat and to keep her daughter from being taken away from her by the child's grasping grandparents. Even though Maria is extremely suspicious of Antonio's intentions, the two form a slow tentative relationship. When he learns Maria's dire circumstances, he selflessly tries to intercede at the expense of his own career. Antonio makes quiet deals with the sleazy gangster (Silvio Orlando) to whom Maria owes money, drives the crime boss around on his various errands, and eventually participates in some of his shady dealings. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto and Venice Film Festivals. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

Based on the virulently antimilitary play by David Rabe, Streamers is set in a basic-training barracks. Matthew Modine is among the raw recruits who alternate between strutting around like bantam cocks to snivelling like frightened children. To test one another's manhood, the recruits indulge in violent physical and verbal game playing. Special attention is given those whose skin color or outlook on life is at odds with the "standards" of the group. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A 38-year-old man who has spent most of his life in an iron lung enlists the help of a sexual surrogate in order to lose his virginity in this drama starring Oscar-nominated actor John Hawkes and inspired by the life of poet/journalist Mark O'Brien. With the support of an unconventional priest (William H. Macy) and a devoted team of caretakers, the virginal writer hires a compassionate sex surrogate (Helen Hunt), who finds her life profoundly transformed by their tender sessions. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Filmmaker Lauren Greenfield offers this documentary profile of nouveau-riche time-share entrepreneurs David and Jackie Siegel, who witness the sudden collapse of their lifelong dream when construction on their opulent, 90,000-square-foot Versailles-inspired manor is suddenly halted after the economy collapses. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A personal ad placed for a time-travel partner prompts an investigation involving three magazine reporters in this quirky comedy produced by Mark and Jay Duplass (Jeff, Who Lives at Home) and starring Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation). Kenneth is a self-proclaimed time traveler who doesn't want to take his next journey alone. Intrigued by Kenneth's cryptic ad, a local newspaper editor dispatches cynical reporter Darius (Plaza) and a pair of other employees to get the scoop. Upon meeting Kenneth, Darius see past his peculiar front and recognizes the lonely soul inside. As genuine as Kenneth may be, however, his questionable sanity leaves Darius uncertain of how to proceed with her story. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi