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Variety Critics’ Choice

Variety Critics’ Choice
Official Selection - Competition Official Selection - Out of Competition East of the West - Competition Forum of Independents - Competition Documentary Films - Competition Special Events Horizons Another View Imagina Variety Critics’ Choice Midnight Screenings Czech Films 2014–2015 Documentary Films - Out of Competition Tribute to Larisa Shepitko A Week of Lebanese Cinema Six Close Encounters Out of the Past Future Frames: Ten New Filmmakers To Follow Prague Short Film Festival Presents
Archive of 50th KVIFF
Above and Below
(Above and Below)
Directed by: Nicolas Steiner / Switzerland, Germany, 2015, 124 min

A not-quite-documentary probing the damaged psyches of five characters floating on the margins of American society, whom the director filmed in their frequently shocking environments over a number of years. Unconcerned with sensationalism, the film presents a focused study that reveals its creator’s deft hand at social anthropology.

A Blast
(A Blast)
Directed by: Syllas Tzoumerkas / Greece, Germany, Netherlands, 2014, 83 min

This harrowing story of a young mother’s manic nervous breakdown in the face of financial ruin is coupled with a bristling socioeconomic critique that takes in the disillusionment of today’s thirtysomething generation and their resulting radicalization. Marie declares war on her family, society, and herself as she tries to find a way out of the cycle of dependence.

The Ecstasy of Wilko Johnson
(The Ecstasy of Wilko Johnson)
Directed by: Julien Temple / United Kingdom, 2015, 92 min

Onetime enfant terrible of the British punk scene Julien Temple has shot a remarkably optimistic and energetic film on historied rock guitarist Wilko Johnson, who fairly glows with his mellow good mood. All the more remarkable because Johnson has been diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer and has less than a year to live.

Fidelio: Alice’s Journey
(Fidelio, l’odyssée d’Alice)
Directed by: Lucie Borleteau / France, 2014, 95 min

Alice’s voyage on a cargo ship populated by an all-male crew transforms into a young woman’s journey toward self-awareness, with a nod to self-confident womanhood. In no way a treatise on feminism, the film captivates with its bracing tone, unique setting, and edgy performance by its female lead.

Goodnight Mommy
(Ich seh Ich seh)
Directed by: Veronika Franz, Severin Fiala / Austria, 2014, 99 min

This psychologically unnerving thriller with a thoroughly bizarre plot plays out within the four cramped walls of a remote house. Twin boys begin to suspect that their mother, whose face is wrapped entirely in bandages, is not actually who she claims to be. As their waking moments morph into nightmare, a plot twist forces audiences to reconsider everything that came before.

The Lesson
(Urok)
Directed by: Kristina Grozeva, Petar Valchanov / Bulgaria, Greece, 2014, 105 min

The Lesson is a stripped-to-essentials drama about a provincial Bulgarian schoolteacher who is slowly, inexorably driven to the edge by crushing debt. In her frantic, even thrilling rush to keep herself afloat, lead actress Margita Gosheva overshadows everyone else onscreen as a woman who only gradually reveals herself as fully capable of going to extremes.

The Reaper
(Kosac)
Directed by: Zvonimir Jurić / Croatia, Slovenia, 2014, 98 min

A humanistic drama with a strong moral subtext that unfolds over a single summer night during which Ivo offers a lift to a woman stranded on an abandoned road. His attempt to help unleashes an avalanche of unfortunate events because the man, once accused of rape, has been defined and isolated by his crime, just as the region in which he lives is still trapped in the thrall of war.

The Summer of Sangaile
(Sangaïlé)
Directed by: Alanté Kavaïté / Lithuania, France, Netherlands, 2015, 88 min

A fragile and hesitant teenage girl marveles at the stunt airplanes cartwheeling overhead, but they’re not the only things to soar and plummet in this sensuous and sensitive teen romance. The director has achieved a heartfelt and impressionistic snapshot of adolescence, roller-coaster emotions, and self-discovery.

Sworn Virgin
(Vergine giurata)
Directed by: Laura Bispuri / Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Albania, Kosovo, 2015, 90 min

In a compelling tale, Alba Rohrwacher takes on the role of an Albanian countrywoman who, following a local tradition, opted to live as a man. But after 14 years she is determined, against convention, to take back her original identity. Giving up a man’s rights, however, is no easy task.

Vincent
(Vincent n’a pas d’écailles)
Directed by: Thomas Salvador / France, 2014, 78 min

At first glance this directorial debut seems like just another flick about invincible, fear-inducing superheroes. But the friendly and unassuming Vincent can only display his superpowers in water. For once, the notion that we needn’t fear what makes us distinctive is not buried under Everests of bombast and effects that lose sight of why such themes matter.

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