Independent Film Movement Series
(every 3rd Thursday of the month, excluding June, July, and December)

Resumes Thursday, August 15

Off White Lies
Directed by Maya Kenig
Israel / 2011 / Hebrew & English with English subtitles / 86 min

Synopsis:

After years of living apart from her dad, Libby, an introverted yet sharp-witted teenager, is sent to live with him is Israel. Her arrival coincides with the outbreak of the second Lebanon war. Libby quickly discovers that her dad, Shaul, is an infantile eccentric, and that he is 'in-between apartments' (in other words, homeless). Shaul comes up with a creative plan to put a roof over their heads - they pose as refugees from the bombarded northern region of Israel, and are taken in by a well-off family in Jerusalem. Finally in a 'normal' household, Shaul and Libby begin to build their father-daughter relationship, but their false identities can't last forever, especially as Libby unleashes teenage fury at the lies permeating her life; those she must tell now, and those she's been fed since childhood.

The Dynamiter
Directed by Matthew Gordon
United States / English / 73 min

Synopsis:

All fourteen-year-old Robbie Hendrick ever wanted was a family. Yet, as another Mississippi Summer begins, his wayward mother has run off again fearing a breakdown, and he's left to burn the days caring for his half brother, Fess. As the deep days and nights pass without her return, and with older brother Lucas dangerously in their lives again, Robbie must face the fact that his dreams may never come true. With social services looming over them, Robbie may even lose Fess, the only family he's ever really had.

Hello Lonesome

Directed by Adam Reid
United States / English / 93 min

Synopsis:

Lonely since his wife left him and alienated from his daughter, a cantankerous voice-over artist strikes up an unlikely friendship with his regular deliveryman. Many suburbs away, an elderly widow loses her license to drive and turns to her wry younger neighbor for nostalgic cuddles and comfort. Meanwhile, a young urban sports fanatic meets a girl online and unexpectedly falls in love, though the trials the couple endure prove even more unexpected. Adam Reid's enchanting, compassionate debut weaves together the worlds of six lonely individuals as they negotiate the age-old process of giving and receiving love. It isn't easy, and it never happens the way they expect it, but for these isolated souls, there's an oddball magic in the way they make connections they never imagined. Written by Jonathan Wysocki / LAFF

Teddy Bear

Directed by Mads Matthiesen
Denmark / Danish, English & Thai with English subtitles / 92 min

Synopsis:

The 38-year-old bodybuilder Dennis would really like to find true love. He has never had a girlfriend and lives alone with his mother in a suburb of Copenhagen. When his uncle marries a girl from Thailand, Dennis decides to try his own luck on a trip to Pattaya, as it seems that love is easier to find in Thailand. He knows that his mother would never accept another woman in his life, so he lies and tells her that he is going to Germany. Dennis has never been out traveling before and the hectic Pattaya is a huge cultural shock for him. The intrusive Thai girls give big bruises to Dennis' naive picture of what love should be like, and he is about to lose hope when he unexpectedly meets the Thai woman Toi.

Found Memories

Synopsis:

Like every morning, Madalena makes bread for Antonio's old coffee shop. Like every day, she crosses the railways where no trains have passed for years; she cleans up the gate of the locked cemetery, and listens to the priest's sermon before sharing lunch with the other old villagers. Clinging to the image of her dead husband and living in her memories, Madalena is awakened by the arrival of Rita, a young photographer who is arriving in the ghost village of Jotuomba, where time seems to have stopped.  A deep relationship is forged between the two women, which gradually builds to have a profound effect on both of their lives, as well as the rest of the villagers.

Directed by Julia Murat/ Brazil / Portugese with English subtitles / 98 min.

King of Devil's Island

Synopsis:

Starring Stellan Skarsgård (star of David Fincher's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo). This true story of the infamous Bastøy Boys Home correctional facility in Norway, begins with the arrival of seventeen-year-old Erling, a rumored murderer. He immediately clashes with the island facility's governor (Stellan Skarsgård), who believes manual labor, rigid discipline, and harsh punishment are the only methods that can turn the boys into honorable members of society. Refusing to accept the constant abuse, Erling slowly rouses the rest of the boys out of their resigned existence, and encourages them to fight to lift up their spirits. When tragedy finally falls at the hand of the sadistic dorm master, Erling leads his comrades in a courageous and vicious rebellion that will bring them head to head with no less than the Norwegian Army.

Norway | 2010 | Horror / Thriller | Norwegian

Amador

Synopsis:

Marcela, a young immigrant with financial troubles, finds a summer job looking after Amador, a bed-ridden elderly man whose family is away. She thinks her problems are solved, but Amador dies shortly thereafter, putting Marcela in a predicament. His death leaves her jobless, something she can't afford to let happen. Faced with a difficult moral dilemma, Marcela will prove that death can't always stop life.

Spain | 2011 | Drama | Spanish w/ English subtitles

Seven Minutes In Heaven

Synopsis:

Galia, a young woman from Jerusalem, and her boyfriend Oren board a local bus. The bus explodes, leaving Oren in a coma and Galia with severe burns and memory loss; she lacks memory of the day of the terrorist attack and the days leading up to it. The film begins one year after the attack, upon Oren's death. As Galia undergoes physical and mental therapy, she attempts to stitch together the shattered fragments of her life and soul. A necklace sent to her from an unidentified source sets her off on a journey to find the missing pieces of the puzzle from that fateful day.

Israel | 2009 | Drama-Thriller | in Hebrew w/ English subtitles