Colossal Youth (2006)
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After losing her husband to a heroin overdose, Emily Wang fights to overcome her own addictions and to be reconciled with her estranged son.
Set in Glasgow during the mid 70s, Ratcatcher is seen through the eyes of twelve-year-old James Gillespie (William Eadie), a young boy haunted by a secret. Feeling increasingly distant from his family, his only escape comes with the discovery of a new housing development on the outskirts of town where he has the freedom to lose himself in his own world.
Silsila is the "manager" of one traffic signal, that is he collects the "hafta" (protection tax) from each signal squatter plying his trade. There's Tsunami, a little scavenger boy, there's Rani - a Gujrati girl selling ethnic clothes on the sidewalk, and there's Dominic - a drug addict and the prostitute who feels for him...
Told as a film within the film, the story concerns an aging actress. Ewa is a flamboyant, pushy actress whose career and love life have come to a dead end. She lives in a faceless housing development. She is totally engrossed in herself and dreams of making a comeback as a singer. But her overbearing personality time after time sets her into conflict with those she tries to work with in the theater and her bedroom.
In this acclaimed drama inspired by true events, Olympic swimmer Harry Melchior (Heino Ferch) defects from East Germany in the 1960s and hatches a daring plot to help his sister (Alexandra Maria Lara) and others flee East Berlin through a 145-yard underground tunnel. With the help of an engineer (Sebastian Koch), Melchior leads the risky plan, under constant threat of being discovered by the authorities.
A dark tale of working-class life in Marseilles, a city in crisis. Interesting characters include a hard-bitten but compassionate fish market worker with a drug addicted daughter and a moody bartender with a shocking secret life.
Gails agoraphobia keeps her inside where she escapes into romance novels. She shares a house with her Nan, recently back from the hospital. Gradually, they both try to reach out to each other to break their isolation. Rob plunges further into his addiction as a way of numbing his heartbreak over the death of his girlfriend. In his stupor, he dreams of embracing her again. Mr & Mrs Gladwin are going through a shift in their 60 year relationship. Years of resentment and unspoken truths have built a barrier between them that Mrs Gladwin, in her abiding love, tries to erode in little gestures.
Underrated leading man Jeff Fahey carries most of the dramatic weight of the Australian Wrangler. Fahey plays a handsome, athletic businessman who vies for the hand of rancher's daughter Tushika Bergen. Our hero must not only contend with his romantic rival, a dashing but dangerous cattleman (Steven Vidler), but also with a villainous creditor who craves the land left to Bergen by her late father. By nature of its plotline and setting, Wrangler can't help but invite comparisons to the popular The Man From Snowy River. Still, the stars and director Ian Barry keep up the appearances of freshness and originality
The movie follows Joe (Dallesandro), a heroin addict, throughout his quest to score more drugs. The episodic plot occurs over a single day and centers around Joe's problematic relationship with his on-off, sexually frustrated girlfriend (Woodlawn). During the course of the day, Joe overdoses in front of an upper-class couple, attempts to fool Welfare into approving his methadone treatment by having Holly fake a pregnancy, and frustrates the women in his life with his drug-induced impotence.
With the intimate feel of a documentary and the texture of a Vermeer painting, In Vandaâs Room takes an unflinching, fragmentary look at a handful of self-destructive, marginalized people, but is centered around the heroin-addicted Vanda Duarte.
Frank Skeffington is an old Irish-American political boss, running for re-election as Mayor of of a US town for the last time.
Mountain Men is a comedy/drama that follows two estranged brothers, Toph and Cooper, as they journey to a remote family cabin in the mountains to evict a squatter. Buried resentment and bruised egos soon derail the plan and when the smoke clears they've destroyed their car and burned down the cabin, leaving them stranded in the cold Rocky Mountain winter. With their very survival at stake, they must learn to work together as brothers to get back to civilization.
Renton is living the dream and that dream is Heroin. As Renton struggles with the agony and ecstasy of his life we follow him and his increasingly unstable mates. Drinking, fighting, drugs, sex and the most disgusting toilet in Scotland. Choose Trainspotting.
In Los Angeles at the turn of the 1970s, drug-fueled detective Larry "Doc" Sportello investigates the disappearance of an ex-girlfriend.
A young Amsterdam lawyer seems to be doing well, but occasionally he is overwhelmed by an unstoppable need for booze. During one of his delirious episodes, he witnesses the death of a squatter at a police station. Worried about his career, he hesitates to speak out
A poet falls in love with an art student, who gravitates to his bohemian lifestyle -- and his love of heroin. Hooked as much on one another as they are on the drug, their relationship alternates between states of oblivion, self-destruction, and despair.
Wealthy Elias Graves builds his home on the top of a hill, where a group of squatters have taken up residence at the bottom. Many of the men in the squatters' village have their eyes on young Tess, and one of them, Ben Letts, frames Tess's father for murder. While maintaining her father's innocence, Tess must keep her love for Graves' son a secret, while caring for Elias' daughter's illegitamate child.
Two estranged brothers are brought together when they have opposite roles in a racist beating: while Georgi who's recently joined a neo-nazi group participates in the violence, Hristo witnesses and rescues a Turkish family. Georgi, now being asked to participate in larger events, starts to question his implication in the movement and Hristo wonders if the beautiful Turkish girl he saved could be his ticket out of his sad life in Sofia. Only by reuniting will the two brothers be able to assess what they really want from life.
Ben Stiller plays comedy writer Jerry Stahl, whose $6000-a-week heroin habit had him taking his infant daughter along on his drug runs and doing smack during TV script conferences. Departing detox, Stahl explores memories with survivor Kitty, who listens patiently to Stahl's flashback. Other women in Stahl's life are his British wife Sandra and his agent Vola.
Mousse and Louis are young, beautiful, rich and in love. But drugs have invaded their lives. One day, they overdose and Louis dies. Mousse survives, but soon learns she's pregnant. Feeling lost, Mousse runs away to a house far from Paris. Several months later, Louis' brother joins her in her refuge.
What To Do In Case of Fire? tells the humorous and touching story of six former creative anarchists who lived as house squatters in Berlin during its heyday in the 80s when Berlin was still an island in the middle of the former eastern Germany. At the end of the 80s they went their separate ways with the exception of Tim and Hotte, who have remained true to their ideals and continue to fight the issues they did as a group. In 2000, with Berlin as Germany's new capital, an event happens forcing the group out of existential reason to reunite and, ultimately, come to grips with the reason they separated 12 years ago.
Naturalistic and almost documentary account of the heroin addicts in Belgrade, in the form of a sad life story of young girl and her wasted life.
Young real estate agent Clara Morales encouraged risky loans to her clients during the housing boom. She must now rescue her fatherâs home from foreclosure - a consequence of the loan she advised him to take.
Like his father, Tom is a real estate agent who makes his money from dirty, and sometimes brutal, deals. But a chance encounter prompts him to take up the piano and become a concert pianist. He auditions with the help of a beautiful, young virtuoso pianist who cannot speak French - music is their only exchange. But pressures from the ugly world of his day job soon become more than he can handle...
The men who made millions from a global economic meltdown.
15 years ago, Luiza decided to make a fresh start in Spain. She left her 3-year-old daughter Cristina in the care of her relatives and took off. When she returns to Romania, the woman learns some shocking truths that were kept hidden from her: Cristina ran away from home, is a drug addict and has a 2-year-old girl who lives in an orphanage. Overwhelmed by guilt, Luiza attempts to save her daughter
Seven short films - each one focused on the plight of a different child protagonist.
Renowned actress Colleen West abandons her successful career for a secluded life in the hills. But the quiet and peace of mind she longed for is disrupted by the noisy construction of neighboring housing developments. Before long, Colleen discovers that she really canât stand herself now that she has given up the only thing that she has ever truly been passionate about. As an alternative to isolation, she reluctantly befriends her jubilant, whimsical neighbor and reconnects with her estranged brother. Haunted by loneliness and past desires, Colleen begins to feel as if she has lived her life through the characters she has played on stage and screen. âQuinzaine des Réalisateurs
ANIMALS tells the story of Jude and Bobbie: a young couple that exist somewhere between homelessness and the fantasy of their imaginations. Though they masterfully con and steal in an attempt to stay one step ahead of their addiction, they are ultimately forced to face the reality of their situation when one of them gets hospitalized.
Everybody's looking for something... Moving forward doesn't always mean leaving something behind.
In a broken city rife with injustice, ex-cop Billy Taggart (Mark Wahlberg) seeks redemption and revenge after being double-crossed and then framed by its most powerful figure, the mayor (Russell Crowe). Billy's relentless pursuit of justice, matched only by his streetwise toughness, makes him an unstoppable force - and the mayor's worst nightmare.
When an outwardly perfect family moves into a labyrinthine apartment complex with a dark history, their fragile façade soon begins to crumble to the ground in a captivating horror-drama directed by Cheang Poi Soi and starring Shu Qi. May's (Qi) son has gone missing, and in order to win him back, the devoted mother is going to have to face her worst fears as she navigates a treacherous maze of incomprehensible evil. If she can make it out alive, she might just get a second chance at motherhood. If she falls prey to the darkness that surrounds her, however, she will suffer a fate worse than death as she is forced to confront every mother's worst nightmare.
Story of a cop who forsakes his dreams of sailing around the world so that he can care for his mentally retarded brother. Innocently caught up in a gangland fight, the brother is kidnapped to force the cop to turn over a police informant.
A New Mexico cattle man and his strong-willed daughter clash over the man's choice for a new bride. Things get worse when the elder man has his daughter's lover hanged. With the help of an old flame, a gambler, the daughter puts into motion a plan to drive her father from his estate.
Frank Hopkins is a wealthy American MMA champion living in Honolulu. But Frank is unhappy. Despite the exotic cars, extravagant house, and beautiful women, he can always find something to complain about. His business partner Axel sends Frank to Manila, Philippines to promote their line of MMA products. Frank's pessimistic attitude irritates his bodyguard, Boy, and Boy's sister-in-law, Girly. But Frank's life is about to change when he is double-crossed, left penniless, and pursued by the police. Boy saves Frank by taking him to his home in the squatter area. But Axel sends a team of American martial arts experts to capture Frank in Manila. This formidable team is led by their guide Shaquille.
Following the arrest of her mother, Ramona, young Vanessa Lutz decides to go in search of her estranged grandmother. On the way, she is given a ride by school counselor Bob Wolverton. During the journey, Lutz begins to realize that Bob is the notorious I-5 Killer and manages to escape by shooting him several times. Wounded but still very much alive, Bob pursues Lutz across the state in this modern retelling of Little Red Riding Hood.
Julius is a photographer working as a men's magazine photo retoucher. His wife, Marcia, is a criminal lawyer who defends Teodoro, a squatter accused of murder. For years they had a quiet wedlock. However, Marcia gets involved with her client, and as revenge, Julius sleeps with Ana Maria, a friend of their daughter Guida. From this episode on, their lives are no longer the same.
A recent widow invites her husband's troubled best friend to live with her and her two children. As he gradually turns his life around, he helps the family cope and confront their loss.
Cathy Come Home is a 1966 BBC television play by Jeremy Sandford, produced by Tony Garnett and directed by Ken Loach, about homelessness. A 1998 Radio Times readers' poll voted it the "best single television drama" and a 2000 industry poll rated it as the second best British television programme ever made. Filmed in a gritty, realistic drama documentary style, it was first broadcast on 16 November 1966 on BBC1. The play was shown in the BBC's The Wednesday Play anthology strand, which was well known for tackling social issues.
Adam Lemp and his four daughters (Ann, Thea, Kay, and Emma) find themselves in financial and emotional crises. Thea's husband Ben has promoted a Florida housing development to everyone in town, and when a hurricane wipes out the investments of all their friends, the Lemps decide to pay back the losses, even if it costs them their own home. Kay's husband Clint is so devoted to his medical research that he risks losing Kay. And Ann's husband Felix, encountering Kay during an out-of-town trip, finds his loneliness putting his marriage at risk. Meanwhile, as a result of the antipathy of the townspeople due to the investment disaster, Adam loses his beloved position with the musical society.
The unflinching tale of Maria, Allan and Steso, who are struggling for survival. Maria is a pusher frau, wandering restlessly among addicts, abusers and bikers in a relentless search for love. Allan has just returned from an ill-fated trip across the Pacific and must reclaim his life and stay clean, but ghosts from his past return to haunt him. Steso, the intellectual, god-forsaken and prophetic cynic, does his utmost to unite the two polar opposites that give meaning to his life: his girl and drugs. All three try desperately to make some sense of the madness, but how do you find meaning in the chaos that is life? And how do you find love if you can't recognize it?
With her baccalauréat under her belt, Audrey decides to continue her studies at Rennes university. She leaves the family nest, her best friend since childhood, and her boyfriend. Her new roommate introduces Audrey to political activism. From disillusions to difficulties, Audrey crosses paths with the young members of GRAL, a squatter group, who propose a different way of living and offer a new vision of the world. She decides to join them, becoming increasingly radical in the process.
This sequel to the classic Chinatown finds private detective Jake Gittes still haunted from the events of the first film. Hired by a man to investigate his wife's infidelities, Jake once again finds himself involved in a complicated plot involving murder, oil, and even some ghosts from his past.
The neurotic New Yorker Woody Allen tells one of the greatest romantic comedies to be set in the city of New York.
Once upon a time an old woman discovers a baby in her cabbage patch. She brings up the child and, when she dies, the boy, Toto, enters an orphanage. Toto leaves the orphanage a happy young man, and looks for work in post-war Milan. He ends up with the homeless and organizes them to build a shanty town in a vacant lot. The squatters discover oil in the land and Toto sees a vision of the old woman who gives him a magic dove that will grant him anything he wishes.
A Melbourne family is very happy living near the Melbourne airport. However, they are forced to leave their beloved home (by the Government and airport authorities) to make way for more runways. 'The Castle' is the story of how they fight to remain in their home.
A jazz legend finds love and redemption when he stars in a movie about his own troubled life to mount a comeback.
"Intimate Grammar" is a sensitive study of an inner journey rich in detailed observation. A dysfunctional family and delayed puberty make life miserable for a pre-adolescent growing up in Jerusalem in the 1960's. The film, an adaptation of David Grossman's "The Book of Intimate Grammar", shows our hero, Aharon Kleinfeld, striving to survive his domineering mother, his anti-intellectual father and his own diminutive stature in a setting of a lower-middle-class housing development where gossip is rampant and appearances are all important.
An uncompromising, visionary architect struggles to maintain his integrity and individualism despite personal, professional and economic pressures to conform to popular standards.
Freddy Heflin is the sheriff of a place everyone calls âCop Landâ â a small and seemingly peaceful town populated by the big city police officers heâs long admired. Yet something ugly is taking place behind the townâs peaceful facade. And when Freddy uncovers a massive, deadly conspiracy among these local residents, he is forced to take action and make a dangerous choice between protecting his idols and upholding the law.
A musical adaptation of Colin MacInnes' novel about life in late 1950s London. Nineteen-year-old photographer Colin is hopelessly in love with model Crepe Suzette, but her relationships are strictly connected with her progress in the fashion world. So Colin gets involved with a pop promoter and tries to crack the big time. Meanwhile, racial tension is brewing in Colin's Notting Hill housing estate...
Impelled by a spirit which still preserves a patina of idealism, Alfredo arrives to Madrid with the intention to create "a performance that is free, straight from the heart, capable of making people feel alive". His concept of what acting should be begins beyond the stage, out in the streets face to face with the public. Outdoors, in any town square, in a park or in the city's most commercial street, Alfredo and his troupe November start the show; demons to provoke passers-by, displays of social conscience, actions taken to the extreme to put the forces of law and order on full alert. There are no limits, no censorship; only ideas which are always valid so long as the public ceases to be the public and becomes part of the show swept by surprise, fear, tears or laughter. Theater as life, life as theater⦠there is no longer any difference.
A simple story of an ex-convict who comes home after 10 years, only to find two squatters in the form of a woman and her autistic daughter. Though Lazar initially plans to kick out Jasna and Jovana, he changes his mind after seeing the squalid conditions of the shelter they are to move into. It is an allegory of the Balkan wars. When first released in Serbia, it caused some public outrage because of the sharp criticism of Serbia's role in the war.
There are times when it's right and proper to simply bury the dead. This is not one of those times... Gram Parsons was one of the most influential musicians of his time; a bitter, brilliant, genius who knew Elvis, tripped with the Stones and fatally overdosed on morphine and tequila in 1973. And from his dying came a story. A story from deep within folklore; a story of friendship, honour and adventure; a story so extraordinary that if it didn't really happen, no one would believe it. Two men, a hearse, a dead rock star, five gallons of petrol, and a promise. And the most extraordinary chase of modern times.
Behrani, an Iranian immigrant buys a California bungalow, thinking he can fix it up, sell it again, and make enough money to send his son to college. However, the house is the legal property of former drug addict Kathy. After losing the house in an unfair legal dispute with the county, she is left with nowhere to go. Wanting her house back, she hires a lawyer and befriends a police officer. Neither Kathy nor Behrani have broken the law, so they find themselves involved in a difficult moral dilemma.
Property developer Jamie has to evict some weird, post-modern hippies from a building. But they slowly drag him into their dark underworld of bizarre rituals and dangerous liaisons.
A parolee battles a gangster for the affections of a reclusive movie star.
Realistic story of working class Yorkshire life. Two schoolgirls have a sexual fling with a married man. Serious and light-hearted by turns. Rita, Sue And Bob Too was adapted by Andrea Dunbar from two of her own controversial plays. Rita (Siobhan Finneran) and Sue (Michelle Holmes) are two teenagers living on a run-down council estate in Bradford who both share a job babysitting for Bob (George Costigan) and Michelle's (Lesley Sharp) children. Whilst giving them a lift home one night, Bob decides to take Rita and Sue up to a deserted, country-side landscape. Clearly knowing what he has in mind, Rita and Sue are only too happy to oblige and both have a sexual encounter with him that becomes a regular occurrence. Despite the blatant politically-incorrect nature of the film, this does emerge as a somewhat controversial, though enduringly amusing film that has a sharp, gritty undertone.
Seventeen talented Australian directors from diverse artistic disciplines each create a chapter of the hauntingly beautiful novel by multi award-winning author Tim Winton. The linking and overlapping stories explore the extraordinary turning points in ordinary peopleâs lives in a stunning portrait of a small coastal community. As characters face second thoughts and regret, relationships irretrievably alter, resolves are made or broken, and lives change direction forever.
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