2009

September 22nd

BURN AFTER READING

USA   2008  96 min

Dir: Cohen Bros

 

All star Cohen brothers film: John Malkovich, George Clooney, Frances McDormond,
Brad Pitt, Tilda Swinton …a CIA analyst fired from the agency loses a disk containing his memoirs which ends up in the hands of two unscrupulous gym employees who attempt to sell it….

 

 

October 6th

TIMES AND WINDS*

Turkey  2006  111 min

Dir:  Reha Erdem

 

Good and fun film about rural, small town life near the Turkish coast a story full of quirky, humorous characters; children and families who are pretty real and relatable.

 

 

October 20th

THE WAVE*

Germany   2008  107 min

Dir:  Dennis Gansel

 

A teacher's unusual experiment to demonstrate to his students what life is like under a dictatorship spins horribly out of control when he forms a social unit with a life of its own.  Although the film is set in Germany it’s based on a real experiment in a school in California – frightening!

 

 

November 3rd

JAR CITY*

Iceland   2006  93 min

Dir:  Baltasar Kormákur

 

A rare film gem from Iceland. A murder opens up a bleak trail of long buried secrets and small town corruption for a worn out police detective and his squad.
Realistic and very exciting.

 

 

November 17th

THE BAND'S VISIT*

Israel  2007  87 min

Dir:  Eran Kolirin

 

Comedy ensues when a brass band comprised of members of the Egyptian police force head to Israel to play at the inaugural ceremony of an Arab arts centre, only to find themselves lost in the wrong town…

 

Preceded by the ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF RICHMOND FILM SOCIETY

 

 

December 1st

I'VE LOVED YOU SO LONG*

France  2008  115 min

Dir:  Philippe Claudel

 

The eminently watchable Kristin Scott Thomas struggles to interact with her family and find her place in society after spending fifteen years in prison.  Slowly the story behind her incarceration is revealed – a challenging look at one of the last taboos handled with sympathy and understanding.

 

 

December 15th

VICKY CHRISTINA BARCELONA

USA 2008 96 min

Dir: Woody Allen

 

Woody Allen on top form.  Two girlfriends, one the stunning Scarlett Johansson, on a summer holiday in Spain become enamoured with the same painter, unaware that his ex-wife, Penelope Cruz, with whom he has a tempestuous relationship,
is about to re-enter the picture…

 

Followed by the RICHMOND FILM SOCIETY CHRISTMAS PARTY

 

2010

January 19th

WALTZ WITH BASHIR*

Israel  2008  90 min

Dir: Ari Folman

 

An Israeli film director interviews fellow veterans of the 1982 invasion of Lebanon to reconstruct his own memories of his term of service in that conflict.  The director’s way of coming to terms with his own role, as a conscript in these events.  An extraordinary achievement, possibly the first animated documentary, redefining the genre.
Oscar nominated.

 

 

February 2nd

FLAME AND CITROEN*

Denmark 2008 130 min

Dir: Ole Christian Madsen

 

The dramatic story of the real lives of the eponymous heroes, two key fighters in the Holger Danske World War II resistance group.  A story told with plenty of action yet also managing to successfully convey the psychological pressure generated by the persistent threat of discovery and betrayal. 

 

NB THIS IS A LONG FILM SO IT WILL START PROMPTLY AT 20:00

 

 

February 9th

QUIET CHAOS*

Italy 2008 90 min

Dir: Antoni Grimaldi

 

A look at the strange but totally believable eccentric bereavement behaviour of an Italian executive. The Italian comic star Nanni Moretti gives a complex and heartfelt performance as a grieving widower in this family drama.

 

 

March 2nd

EL BAÑO DEL PAPA*

Uruguay   2007  90 min

Dir:  César Charlone

 

In this comic Cannes award winner  we follow the inhabitants of a small Uruguayan village getting in a flurry over the Pope's 1988 visit.

A visual tour de force focusing on Beto, the eternal optimist, as he sets about building a public loo - the chance for his family to make some money and escape their poverty.

 

 

March 16th

EL BOLA*

Spain  2000  88 min

Dir:  Achero Mañas

 

At the heart of the film is this deeply moving story of secrets, lies, and the power of friendship centred on El Bola, a 12 year old loner boy.

The film follows the change in El Bola's life, at almost all levels, after befriending a new classmate, which changes his attitude towards friendship and his other classmates.

 

 

March 30th (in the ALS)

MY BROTHER IS AN ONLY CHILD*

Italy  2007  100 min

Dir:  Daniele Luchetti

 

Two brothers, played by two current Italian heartthrobs come of age in a small Italian town in the '60s and '70s.   One is handsome, sometimes feckless, a leftist; the other is a trainee priest who joins the Fascists.

We follow the brothers’ experiences of family, love, attraction, politics, and the challenges of adult responsibility.

 

 

April 20th (in the ALS)

MAN ON WIRE

UK  2008  90 min

Dir:  James Marsh

 

A look at tightrope walker Philippe Petit's daring, but illegal, high-wire routine performed between New York City's World Trade Center's twin towers in 1974,

what some consider, "the artistic crime of the century."  2009 Oscar winner.

 

 

May 4th

THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU

USA  2004  119 min

Dir:  Wes Anderson

 

An hilarious all star comedy with:

Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchett, Angelica Houston, Jeff Goldblum, etc.  Oceanographer Steve Zissou rallies a crew that includes his estranged wife, a journalist, and a man who may or may not be his son to exact revenge on a mythical shark that killed his partner.

The antidote to all the Jacques Cousteau films of our youth.

 

NOTE The Society reserves the right to alter the programme if a scheduled film is unavailable

 

Films marked '*' are in the original version and will be subtitled

 

Screenings are in The Studio Theatre of Richmond Adult and Community College, Parkshot, Richmond (RACC) except for those indicated as being in the ALS, which are in the Adult Learning Suite of the Business School of RACC.