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Karlovy Vary International Film Festival · 2013

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2013

Horizons

Programme

31 films · 19 reviews

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Ain't Them Bodies Saints

Review preview for Ain't Them Bodies Saints

Lowery's nostalgia works because it is so sincere and does not question America's fascination with Bonnie and Clyde as an excuse for bad deeds.

Anne-Katrin Titze · 4.5 out of 5
Love story about an escaped outlaw and the wife who waits for him.

(Country: US; Year: 2013; Director: David Lowery; Writer: David Lowery; Stars: Rooney Mara, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, Keith Carradine, Nate Parker, Charles Baker, Heather Kafka, Kentucker Audley, Robert Longstreet)

Full review See: David Lowery interview about Ain't Them Bodies Saints , Sundance 2013: Capsule reviews of Ain't Them Bodies Saints, The East and Stoker

An Episode In The Life Of An Iron Picker (Epizoda U Zivotu Beraca Zeljeza)

Review preview for An Episode In The Life Of An Iron Picker

Drawing from real life events, Tanic's docudrama gains its power from the emotionally stirring scenario and all-round naturalistic performances, which feel infused with greater honesty given that a version of this nightmare has been played out in real lif

Owen Van Spall · 3 out of 5
Life becomes desperate for a scrap merchant when his pregnant wife needs medical help they can't afford.

(Country: Bosnia and Herzegovina, France, Slovenia, Italy; Year: 2013; Director: Danis Tanovic; Writer: Danis Tanovic; Stars: Nazif Mujic, Senada Alimanovic, Semsa Mujic)

Full review

Camille Claudel, 1915

Review preview for Camille Claudel, 1915

An inward, austere examination of ideas of madness, empathy and the creative impulse.

Jeff Robson · 4 out of 5
Confined to an asylum, the former mistress of sculptor Auguste Rodin tries desperately to obtain a release.

(Country: France; Year: 2013; Director: Bruno Dumont; Writer: Bruno Dumont; Stars: Juliette Binoche, Jean-Luc Vincent, Emmanuel Kauffman, Marion Keller)

Full review See: Interview with Bruno Dumont

Child's Pose (Pozitia Copilului)

Review preview for Child's Pose

In some ways she may be a monster, but Netzer and co-writer Radulescu find a path for Cornelia that steers clear of outright condemnation. Her tragic devotion to her son is so absolute that she retains our pity.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
An upper class woman loses all sight of morality as she strives to save her son from a prison sentence for knocking down an killing a child.

(Country: Romania; Year: 2013; Director: Calin Peter Netzer; Writer: Razvan Radulescu, Calin Peter Netzer; Stars: Luminita Gheorghiu, Bogdan Dumitrache, Florin Zamfirescu)

Full review See: San Sebastian diary: Child's Pose, Le Week-End, Gravity and Hanif Kureishi

Closed Curtain (Pardé)

Review preview for Closed Curtain

The more problematic aspects of the film stem from a narrative that cannot sustain the inventiveness of the central conceit and which peters out before the end.

Rebecca Naughten · 3 out of 5
A writer and his dog retreat to a coastal villa only to have their peace disturbed by two siblings fleeing the police.

(Country: Iran; Year: 2013; Director: Jafar Panahi, Kambuzia Partovi; Writer: Jafar Panahi; Stars: Kambuzia Partovi, Maryam Moqadam, Jafar Panahi, Hadi Saeedi, Azadeh Torabi, Abolghasem Sobhani, Mahyar Jafaripour, Ramin Akhariani, Sina Mashyekhi, Siamak Abedinpour, Zeynab Kanoum)

Full review

The Congress (Le congrès)

An ageing actress gets more than she bargains for when she accepts one last job.

(Country: US; Year: 2013; Director: Ari Folman; Writer: Ari Folman, Stanislaw Lem; Stars: Robin Wright, Paul Giamatti, Harvey Keitel, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Frances Fisher, Danny Huston, Sami Gayle, Michael Landes, Michael Stahl-David, Don McManus, Christopher B. Duncan, Cooper Thornton, Ed Corbin, Kevin Thompson, Matthew Wolf)

Fill The Void (Lemale et ha'halal)

A woman's view of Tel Aviv's ultra-orthodox Hasidic community from the inside.

(Country: Israel; Year: 2012; Director: Rama Burshtein; Writer: Rama Burshtein; Stars: Hila Feldman, Razia Israeli, Yiftach Klein, Renana Raz, Ido Samuel, Chayim Sharir, Irit Sheleg, Hadas Yaron)

Frances Ha

Review preview for Frances Ha

You can enter through the objects, like an Eames chair or three pairs of Ray Bans, bought online. Or through the religious conflict inherent in a bacon bagel.

Anne-Katrin Titze · 4 out of 5
Lightning-in-a-bottle, Noah Baumbach’s love poem to his star and co-writer Greta Gerwig recalls Godard’s early celebrations of Anna Karina, but, as a New York movie, it’s beautiful in a brand new way.

(Country: US; Year: 2012; Director: Noah Baumbach; Writer: Noah Baumbach, Greta Gerwig; Stars: Greta Gerwig, Mickey Sumner, Adam Driver, Michael Zegen, Patrick Heusinger, Teddy Cañez, Hannah Dunne, Grace Gummer, William Todd Levinson, Marina Squerciati, Finnerty Steeves)

Full review See: 2012 New York Film Festival - diary two

Fruitvale Station

Review preview for Fruitvale Station

The film takes an even-handed view of its main protagonist, illustrating faults on both sides of the divide.

Richard Mowe · 4 out of 5
The true story of Oscar Grant, who set out one day to try and bcome a better person and ended up in a shocking encounter at Fruitvale station.

(Country: US; Year: 2013; Director: Ryan Coogler; Writer: Ryan Coogler; Stars: Michael B Jordan, Melonie Diaz, Octavia Spencer, Kevin Durand, Chad Michael Murray, Ahna O'Reilly, Ariana Neal, Keenan Coogler, Trestin George, Joey Oglesby, Michael James, Marjorie Crump-Shears, Destiny Ekwueme, Bianca Rodriguez III, Julian Keyes)

Full review

The Grandmaster (Yi dai zong shi)

Review preview for The Grandmaster

Wong Kar Wai knows how to frame faces like no other, with embroidered collars, white straw fedoras, a rowdy monkey, cotton flowers and words escaping lips that are like song.

Anne-Katrin Titze · 5 out of 5
The story of Ip Man, the martial arts master who trained Bruce Lee.

(Country: Hong Kong, China, US; Year: 2013; Director: Wong Kar Wai; Writer: Wong Kar Wai, Xu Haofeng, Zou Jingzhi; Stars: Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Zhang Ziyi, Zhang Jin, Song Hye-kyo, Chang Chen, Wang Qingxiang, Cung Le, Lo Hoi-pang, Liu Xun, Leung Siu Lung, Julian Cheung Chi-lam)

Full review See: Wong Kar Wai in conversation about The Grandmaster , Martin Scorsese supports The Grandmaster

The Great Beauty (La Grande Bellezza)

Review preview for The Great Beauty

Sorrentino dares to tread where the great have gone before and leaves his own distinctive mark.

Richard Mowe · 4 out of 5
An ageing writer recalls the passions of his youth.

(Country: Italy, France; Year: 2013; Director: Paolo Sorrentino; Writer: Paolo Sorrentino, Umberto Contarello; Stars: Toni Servillo, Carlo Verdone, Sabrina Ferilli, Carlo Buccirosso, Iaia Forte, Pamela Villoresi, Galatea Ranzi)

Full review See: Harvey Keitel on Sorrentino, Campion and Scorsese , Interview with Paolo Sorrentino about The Great Beauty

Grisgris

A partially paralysed man who dreams of becoming a dancer is drawn into crime after his uncle becomes seriously ill.

(Country: Chad; Year: 2013; Director: Mahamat-Saleh Haroun; Stars: Soulémane Démé, Mariam Monory, Cyril Guei, Anaïs Monory, Marius Yelolo)

Harmony Lessons (Uroki Garmonii)

A brutally bullied teenager struggles to avoid getting drawn into a cycle of violence.

(Country: Kazakhstan, Germany; Year: 2013; Director: Emir Baigazin; Writer: Emir Baigazin; Stars: Timur Aidarbekov)

Heli

A man's search for his missing father sees him drawn into a world of drugs and crime.

(Year: 2013; Director: Amat Escalante; Writer: Amat Escalante, Gabriel Reyes)

Honey (Miele)

Review preview for Honey

Although other films have dealt with the subject of euthanasia none so far has looked at the emotional difficulties of the perpetrator.

Richard Mowe · 3 out of 5
A woman devoted to promoting euthanasia encounters a man with an invisible malaise.

(Country: Italy, France; Year: 2013; Director: Valeria Golino; Writer: Valeria Golino, based on the book by Angela Del Fabbro.; Stars: Jasmine Trinca, Carlo Cecchi, Libero De Rienzo)

Full review See: Jasmine Trinca talks about Honey (Miele) , Interview with Valeria Golino about Honey (Miele)

Inheritance (Héritage)

Although it looks like war, a large Arab family gathers in a village situated near the Israeli-Lebanese border for the wedding of the eldest grandchild Abu Majda.

(Country: France, Israel, Turkey, Palestine; Year: 2012; Director: Hiam Abbas)

Just A Sigh

Review preview for Just A Sigh

A movie that lets you be the judge of inappropriate behaviors and risks worth taking.

Anne-Katrin Titze · 4 out of 5
An actress meets a stranger on a train and conceives of a different life.

(Country: France; Year: 2013; Director: Jérôme Bonnell; Stars: Gabriel Byrne, Emmanuelle Devos, Judith Rémy, Roland David, Sébastien Pouderoux, Jean-Charles Clichet, Eddie Chignara)

Full review

Like Father, Like Son (Soshite Chichi Ni Naru)

Review preview for Like Father, Like Son

Shuttling back and forth between the families, Like Father, Like Son scrutinises words, deeds, allegiances.

Anne-Katrin Titze · 4 out of 5
When he discovers his baby boy was accidentally swapped with another at birth, whom he has raised and loved, a wealthy businessman must decide which one he truly feels is his son.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2013; Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda; Writer: Hirokazu Kore-eda; Stars: Masaharu Fukuyama, Yôko Maki, Jun Kunimura)

Full review See: Interview with Hirokazu Kore-eda about Like Father, Like Son , San Sebastian diary: Futbolin, Enemy The Zero Theorem and Like Father, Like Son

The Lunchbox (Dabba)

Review preview for The Lunchbox

Sheer unadulterated pleasure often comes from the most unexpected quarters.

Richard Mowe · 4 out of 5
A mistakenly delivered lunchbox sparks romance between two lonely people.

(Country: India; Year: 2013; Director: Ritesh Batra; Writer: Ritesh Batra; Stars: Irrfan Khan, Bharati Achrekar, Nimrat Kaur, Denzil Smith)

Full review

The Major

Rushing to see his wife give birth, the Major accidentally knocks down and kills a boy. He is torn over whether or not to confess to the crime and thereby leave his wife and child alone.

(Country: Russia; Year: 2012; Director: Yuri Bykov; Stars: Denis Shvedov)

The Missing Picture (L'Image Manquante)

The director uses animation to present a dispassionate portrayal of the horrific experiences his own family suffered under Pol Pot’s regime.

(Country: Cambodia, France; Year: 2013; Director: Rithy Panh)

National Security (Namyeong-dong 1985)

Review preview for National Security

Each of the performances adds to the whole but it's Won-sang Park who carries the film on his increasingly damaged shoulders.

Andrew Robertson · 4 out of 5
A pro-democracy activist faces off against his torturers, determined not to reveal his secrets.

(Country: South Korea; Year: 2012; Director: Chung Ji-young; Writer: Chung Sang-Hyup, Lee Dae-il, Kim Geun-tae, Kang Min-hee; Stars: Park Won-sang, Lee Kyeong-yeong, Myung Kye-nam)

Full review

Nobody's Daughter Haewon (Nugu-ui Ttal-do Anin Haewon)

Review preview for Nobody's Daughter Haewon

This apparently meandering, unfocused story conceals an acutely observed portrait of a society in flux.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
With her mother about to emigrate and her affair gone stale, Haewon faces a challenging future.

(Country: South Korea; Year: 2013; Director: Hong Sang-soo; Writer: Hong Sang-soo; Stars: Jeong Eun-Chae, Lee Sun-kyun, Ye Ji-won, Yoo Joon-sang)

Full review

Phil Spector

Music producer Phil Spector has gone down in the history of rock for more than just his work with The Beatles and Tina Turner. In 2003 he was accused of murdering a young actress, and he hired attorney Linda Kenney Baden to defend him.

(Country: US; Year: 2013; Director: David Mamet; Stars: Al Pacino, Helen Mirren)

Prince Avalanche

Review preview for Prince Avalanche

The end result is a kind of funny/kind of sad character study that asks questions about our relationships with others and our environment.

Amber Wilkinson · 3.5 out of 5
Odd couple comedy about two road workers in the backwaters of Texas.

(Country: US; Year: 2013; Director: David Gordon Green; Writer: David Gordon Green; Stars: Paul Rudd, Emile Hirsch, Lance LeGault, Joyce Payne)

Full review See: David Gordon Green interview about Prince Avalanche

Tango Libre

A prison guard gets away from it all by taking tango lessons but discovers that the dance partner he's falling for is married to a violent criminal in his charge.

(Country: France, Belgium, Luxembourg; Year: 2012; Director: Frédéric Fonteyne; Writer: Anne Paulicevich, Philippe Blasband; Stars: François Damiens, Sergi Lopez, Anne Paulicevich)

There Will Come A Day

Painful issues push Augusta, a young Italian woman, to doubt the certainties on which she has built her existence. On a small boat in the immensity of the Amazon rainforest, she faces the adventure of searching for herself.

(Country: Italy, France; Year: 2013; Director: Giorgio Diritti; Writer: Giorgio Diritti, Fredo Valla, Tania Pedroni; Stars: Jasmine Trinca, Anne Alvaro, Pia Engleberth)

A Touch Of Sin (Tian Zhu Ding)

Four characters represent different areas of China and different strata of contemporary society.

(Country: China; Year: 2013; Director: Jia Zhangke)

Vic + Flo Saw a Bear

Review preview for Vic + Flo Saw a Bear

Côté has always had a skill for subverting expectations and here he manages to slide his film from black comedy to outright horror with the smoothness of a snake.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
A couple, one of whom is just out of prison, hide away in a house in the woods until the past comes calling for them.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2013; Director: Denis Côté; Writer: Denis Côté; Stars: Pierrette Robitaille, Romane Bohringer, Marie Brassard, Marc-André Grondin, Georges Molnar)

Full review See: Denis Côté interview about Vic + Flo Saw A Bear

Young & Beautiful (Jeune et jolie, Jeune & Jolie)

Review preview for Young & Beautiful

Keeps holding out a promise of insight into its young protagonist's mentality and makeup, but ends up merely observing her from a cool distance, as if through the binoculars from the opening scene.

Anton Bitel · 3 out of 5
Portrait of a 17-year-old, who sells her body for cash.

(Country: France; Year: 2013; Director: François Ozon; Writer: François Ozon; Stars: Marine Vacth, Géraldine Palhas, Frédéric Pierrot, Fantan Ravat, Johan Leysen, Charlotte Rampling, Nathalie Richard, Djedje Apali, Lucas Prisor, Laurent Delbecque, Jeanne Ruff )

Full review