When Sami returns with his wife and son to his Arabic village for his brother’s wedding, he plans a quick return to Jerusalem, where his business and mistress await. Just as he is leaving, the village is unexpectedly put under lockdown by Israeli soldiers, and Sami finds himself caught in an uneasy web of personal and political intrigues. This adaptation of Sayed Kashua’s 2006 novel mixes wry comedy with a touch of the absurd to create a perceptive, winsome satire.[…]
1801. When a new king ascends the throne, scholar Jeong Yak-Jeon is exiled to a remote island for incorporating Christianity into his Confucian teachings. There, he becomes fascinated with the awesome variety of sea creatures caught by the island’s fishermen and, with one local’s help, authors an encyclopedia of the underwater world. Based on Jeong’s life and Book of Fish, the film is a sweeping account of 19th century Korea and a tender portrait of an unlikely friendship.[…]
On a small homestead deep in Australia’s Snowy Mountains, Molly Johnson is dead set on survival. With her husband away on a drove, the pregnant matriarch must fend for her family against the wild, threatening countryside. When her secret past gets the town talking, she is pushed to extremes. This blistering neo-western, reimagined from director Lea Purcell’s acclaimed play (itself an adaptation of Henry Lawson’s classic short story), is a riveting examination of race, family, and identity.[…]
Stricken with grief after his parents’ death, the reclusive, extremely shy 28-year-old John Cunliffe is attacked on the street. As he recovers in the hospital, both physically and mentally, he begins to fall for his nurse Siobhán. Upon his release from the ward, he begins to abandon his hermit-like ways and open his heart to the world. Featuring stunning, mist-covered landscapes and a magnetic lead performance, this adaptation of Donal Ryan’s The Thing about December is an emotional character study of one man’s journey to embrace life.[…]
When their factory is bombed, a Syrian family flees Damascus and spends three years living as refugees. Eventually arriving in snow-covered rural Nova Scotia, the family must adapt to unfamiliar surroundings. With the help of some friendly locals (and to the chagrin of others), the family begins to rebuild their chocolate business and their lives. This heartwarming story of perseverance and human connection in the face of insurmountable odds is based on Tareq Hadhad’s real-life story.[…]
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