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Karlovy Vary International Film Festival · 2014

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2014

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Programme

33 films · 12 reviews

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20,000 Days On Earth

Review preview for 20,000 Days On Earth

Pollard and Forsyth, who have previously worked with Cave on Bad Seeds videos, turn inner states into inhabitable rooms. What is real and what is unreal is not for the audience to guess.

Anne-Katrin Titze · 5 out of 5
An intimate portrait of Nick Cave.

(Country: UK; Year: 2014; Director: Iain Forsyth, Jane Pollard; Stars: Nick Cave, Warren Ellis, Blixa Bargeld, Kylie Minogue, Susie Cave, Ray Winstone, Darian Leader, Arthur Cave, Earl Cave)

Full review See: Conversation wth Jane Pollard and Iain Forsyth about 20,000 Days On Earth

asthma

A drug-addicted outsider suffers a very bad trip in his efforts to escape from himself.

(Country: US; Year: 2014; Director: Jake Hoffman)

At Home (Sto Spiti)

A housekeeper who is diagnosed with a serious illness loses her job in the economic crisis.

(Country: Germany, Greece; Year: 2014; Director: Athanasios Karanikolas; Writer: Athanasios Karanikolas; Stars: Zoi Asimaki, Nikos Georgakis, Ieronymos Kaletsanos, Maria Kallimani, Alexia Kaltsiki, Nefeli Kouri, Romanna Lobats, Alexandros Logothetis, Marisha Triantafyllidou, Yannis Tsortekis)

B'ella

The story of a teenage girl living in Chazunda on the outskirts of Blantyre.

(Country: Malawi; Year: 2014; Director: Tawonga Taddja Nkhonjera)

Cannibal (Caníbal)

Review preview for Cannibal

Worth seeing for its gripping central performances and Cuenca's impressive camerawork - signposting better films from him to come - even though the story lacks killer instinct.

Amber Wilkinson · 3 out of 5
A serial killer finds himself falliing for a potential victim.

(Country: Spain, Romania, Russia, France; Year: 2013; Director: Manuel Martín Cuenca; Writer: Rafael de la Uz, Alejandro Hernández; Stars: Antonio de la Torre, María Alfonsa Rosso, Joaquín Núñez, Olimpia Melinte, Gregory Brossard)

Full review

Charlie's Country

An aboriginal elder who takes a stand on behalf of his community.

(Country: Australia; Year: 2013; Director: Rolf de Heer; Writer: Rolf de Heer, David Gulpilil; Stars: Peter Djigirr, Luke Ford, Jennifer Budukpuduk Gaykamangu, David Gulpilil, Peter Minygululu, Ritchie Singer)

The Disobedient

Leni anxiously waits for her childhood friend Lazar, who is coming back to their hometown after years of studying abroad. After they reunite, they embark on a random bicycle trip around their childhood haunts, which will either exhaust or reinvent their relationship.

(Country: Serbia; Year: 2014; Director: Mina Djukic; Writer: Mina Djukic; Stars: Hana Selimovic, Mladen Sovilj, Danijel Sike, Minja Subota, Marko Janjic, Zarko Radic, Branka Selic, Aleksandra Pleskonjic, Bojan Zirovic, Nenad Pecinar, Ivan Djordjevic, Raslav Sekulovic, Jovan Zivanovic)

Falling Star (Stella Cadente)

Review preview for Falling Star

There is plenty to admire here, including some clever juxtaposition of audio and image.

Rebecca Naughten · 3 out of 5
A hallucinatory look into the brief reign of the Spanish King Amadeo I of Savoy in the early 1870s.

(Country: Spain; Year: 2014; Director: Leo Casamitjana, Luis Miñarro; Writer: Sergi Belbel, Leo Casamitjana, Luis Miñarro, Luis Miñarro; Stars: Lorenzo Balducci, Àlex Batllori, Àlex Brendemühl, Gonzalo Cunill, Lola Dueñas, Francesc Garrido, Jimmy Gimferrer, Bárbara Lennie, Rosa Novell, Francesc Orella)

Full review See: London Spanish Film Festival preview

Frank

Review preview for Frank

His attempt at satire digs too deep into the muddy waters of exaggeration

Angus Wolfe Murray · 1.5 out of 5
Offbeat comedy about a wannabe musician who finds himself out of his depth when he joins an avant garde rock band led by the enigmatic Frank - a musical genius who hides himself inside a large fake head.

(Country: UK, Ireland; Year: 2014; Director: Lenny Abrahamson; Writer: Jon Ronson, Peter Straughan; Stars: Domhnall Gleeson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Scoot McNairy, Michael Fassbender, Hayley Derryberry, Mark Huberman, Matthew Page, Travis Hammer, Tess Harper)

Full review

Free Range (Free Range - Ballaad maailma heakskiitmisest, Free Range/Ballad On Approving Of The World)

Travails of a young writer.

(Country: Estonia; Year: 2013; Director: Veiko Õunpuu; Writer: Robert Kurvitz, Veiko Õunpuu; Stars: Lauri Lagle, Jaanika Arum, Laura Peterson, Peeter Volkonski, Roman Baskin, Rita Raave, Meelis Rämmeld, Jan Uuspõld, Anne Türnpu, Loore Martma, Marion Undusk, Mari Abel, Laine Mägi, Lauri Kaldoja, Jim Ashilevi)

Güeros

Coming of age comedy.

(Country: Mexico; Year: 2014; Director: Alonso Ruizpalacios; Writer: Alonso Ruizpalacios, Gibrán Portela; Stars: Tenoch Huerta, Sebastián Aguirre, Ilse Salas, Leonardo Ortizgris, Raúl Briones, Laura Almela, Adrian Ladron, Camila Lora, Alfonso Charpener)

Halleluiah (Alleluia)

A woman who yearns for freedom falls for a con man and will do anything to keep him.

(Country: Belium, France; Year: 2014; Director: Fabrice Du Welz; Writer: Fabrice Du Welz, Vincent Tavier; Stars: Lola Dueñas, Héléna Noguerra, Laurent Lucas, Stéphane Bissot, David Murgia)

The Hope Factory (Kombinat Nadezhda)

A young woman is determined to get away from Norilsk, one of the world's most polluted cities.

(Country: Russia; Year: 2014; Director: Natalia Meschaninova)

Jauja (Land Of Plenty)

Review preview for Jauja

Stunningly shot by cinematographer Timo Salminen, who illuminated landscapes as if they were Eckersberg paintings, the film is framed in 4:3 aspect ratio, creating the sense that there's always something just out of sight.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
A dad and daughter's odyssey into a desert.

(Country: Argentina, Denmark, US, Mexico, Netherlands, Germany, France; Year: 2014; Director: Lisandro Alonso; Writer: Lisandro Alonso, Fabian Casas; Stars: Viggo Mortensen, Ghita Nørby)

Full review

The Kidnapping Of Michel Houellebecq (L'enlèvement de Michel Houellebecq)

Review preview for The Kidnapping Of Michel Houellebecq

The rules of the funny games of fiction and documentary do not apply here - as long as the addictions are taken care of, anything goes.

Anne-Katrin Titze · 3.5 out of 5
The story of what might have happened when author Michel Houellebecq disappeared during a promotional tour.

(Country: France; Year: 2014; Director: Guillaume Nicloux; Writer: Guillaume Nicloux; Stars: Michel Houellebecq, Mathieu Nicourt, Maxime Lefrançois, Françoise Lebrun)

Full review

Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter (Kumiko The Treasure Hunter)

Review preview for Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter

As Kumiko’s journey takes her deeper into Minnesota, the breathtaking ‘Americana’ landscapes and intriguingly surreal score work together to suggest a heightened state, or a fable.

Owen Van Spall · 4 out of 5
A young Japanese woman obsessed with Fargo heads to Minnesota in search of lost treasure.

(Country: US; Year: 2014; Director: David Zellner; Writer: David Zellner, Nathan Zellner; Stars: Rinko Kikuchi, Nobuyuki Katsube, Shirley Venard, David Zellner, Nathan Zellner, Kanako Higashi, Ichi Kyokaku, Ayaka Ohnishi, Mayuko Kawakita, Takao Kinoshita, Yumiko Hioki, Natsuki Kanno, Brad Prather, Earl Milton, Madde Gibba)

Full review

Life May Be

Meditation on art and identity.

(Country: UK, Iran; Year: 2014; Director: Mania Akbari, Mark Cousins; Writer: Mania Akbari, Mark Cousins; Stars: Mark Cousins, Mania Akbari)

Lilting

Review preview for Lilting

Although the pacing is sometimes poor, the sentiment - while occasionally straying towards the sentimental - is heartfelt and sweet spirited.

Amber Wilkinson · 3 out of 5
A bereaved mother and the boyfriend of her son find a connection.

(Country: UK; Year: 2014; Director: Hong Khaou; Writer: Hong Khaou; Stars: Ben Whishaw, Leila Wong, Morven Christie, Peter Bowles, Shane Salter, Pei-pei Cheng, Peter E. Hopkins, Andrew Leung, John Matthews)

Full review See: Sundance 2014: Lilting and Whiplash

Locke

Review preview for Locke

It's like a suicide. And there's nothing to look at

Angus Wolfe Murray · 2 out of 5
A man drives through the night, listening to mobile phone calls, as his life falls apart.

(Country: US, UK; Year: 2013; Director: Steven Knight; Writer: Steven Knight; Stars: Tom Hardy, voices of Olivia Colman, Ruth Wilson, Andrew Scott, Tom Holland, Ben Daniels, Bill Milner, Alice Lowe, Danny Webb, Lee Ross, Silas Carson, Kirsty Dillon)

Full review

The Mafia Kills Only In Summer (La mafia uccide solo d'estate)

Young Arturo believes in those who deride the Mafia’s activities in his native Palermo, yet he gradually abandons his naïve faith in the rectitude of certain politicians.

(Country: Italy; Year: 2013; Director: Pif; Writer: Michele Astori, Pif, Marco Martani; Stars: Cristiana Capotondi, Pif, Alex Bisconti, Ginevra Antona, Claudio Gioè, Barbara Tabita, Rosario Lisma, Enzo Salomone, Maurizio Marchetti, Antonio Alveario, Antonino Bruschetta, Salvatore Borghese, Domenico Centamore)

Nagima

The life of a young woman in post-socialist Kazakhstan.

(Country: Kazakhstan; Year: 2013; Director: Zhanna Issabayeva; Writer: Zhanna Issabayeva; Stars: Aidar Mukhametzhanov, Galina Pyanova, Dina Tukubayeva)

Next To Her

Review preview for Next To Her

Ben-Shlush is riveting in the central role.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
A woman devoted to caring for her sister becomes involved in a complex relationship when their routine is broken.

(Country: Israel; Year: 2014; Director: Asaf Korman; Writer: Liron Ben-Shlush; Stars: Liron Ben-Shlush, Jacob Daniel, Dana Ivgy)

Full review

Of Horses and Men (Hross í oss)

Review preview for Of Horses and Men

Cinematographer Bergsteinn Björgúlfsson captures Iceland at its wildest and yet this is also a tale of intimacy without romanticism.

Amber Wilkinson · 4.5 out of 5
A country romance about the human streak in the horse and the horse in the human.

(Country: Iceland; Year: 2013; Director: Benedikt Erlingsson; Writer: Benedikt Erlingsson; Stars: Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson, Maria Ellingsen, Helgi Björnsson, Kristbjörg Kjeld, Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir, Atli Rafn Sigurðsson, Steinn Ármann Magnússon, Charlotte Bøving, Kjartan Ragnarsson, Sigríður María Egilsdóttir, Juan Camillo Roman Estrada, Erlingur Gíslason)

Full review See: Benedikt Erlingsson interview about Of Horses And Men

The Referee (L'arbitro)

Football comedy.

(Country: Italy, Argentina; Year: 2013; Director: Paolo Zucca; Writer: Paolo Zucca, Barbara Alberti; Stars: Stefano Accorsi, Marco Cadau, Geppi Cucciari, Jacopo Cullin, Alessio Di Clemente, Franco Fais, Quirico Manunza, Marco Messeri, Grégoire Oestermann, Francesco Pannofino, Benito Urgu)

Ruin

A man and a woman on the run from their devastating circumstances meet by chance on the streets of Phnom Penh, and together they try to find peace in a chaotic world darkened by the oppressive shadow cast by Cambodia’s past.

(Country: Australia; Year: 2013; Director: Michael Cody, Amiel Courtin-Wilson; Writer: Michael Cody, Amiel Courtin-Wilson; Stars: Sang Malen, Rous Mony)

Self Made

Amnesia leads to a confusion of identities, with an Israeli woman discovering life in a refugee camp whilst a Palestinian woman finds herself in a middle class Jerusalem home.

(Country: Israel; Year: 2014; Director: Shira Geffen; Stars: Sarah Adler, Samira Saraya)

Singing Women (Sarki Söyleyen Kadinlar)

An island off the coast of Turkey is steeling itself for a destructive earthquake. What’s more, inhabitants who defied the mass evacuation order are having to cope with the outbreak of a mysterious illness as insanity slowly spreads among the islanders.

(Country: Turkey, Germany, France; Year: 2013; Director: Reha Erdem; Writer: Reha Erdem; Stars: Philip Arditti, Aylin Aslim, Vedat Erincin, Deniz Hasgüler, Binnur Kaya, Kevork Malikyan)

Something Must Break (Någonting måste gå sönder)

When Sebastian meets Andreas for the first time, he knows they belong together. While Sebastian defies gender norms — flouting convention in his androgynous fluidity — straight-identifying Andreas becomes unable to accept his attraction to another man, as their relationship progresses. Struggling with his identity, Sebastian becomes increasingly determined to become “Ellie,” even if it means walking away from Andreas.

(Country: Sweden; Year: 2014; Director: Ester Martin Bergsmark; Writer: Ester Martin Bergsmark; Stars: Saga Becker, Iggy Malmborg, Shima Niavarani, David Nzinga, Mattias Åhlén)

Still Life

Review preview for Still Life

Not still, but gently moving.

Amber Wilkinson · 3 out of 5
A council worker looks for the next of kin of those found dead and alone.

(Country: UK, Italy; Year: 2013; Director: Uberto Pasolini; Writer: Uberto Pasolini; Stars: Eddie Marsan, Joanne Froggatt, Karen Drury, Andrew Buchan, Neil D'Souza, David Shaw Parker, Michael Elkin, Ciaran McIntyre, Tim Potter, Paul Anderson, Bronson Webb, Leon Silver, Lloyd McGuire, Wayne Foskett, Hebe Beardsall)

Full review

Viktoria

Although determined not to have a child in Communist Bulgaria, Boryana gives birth to Viktoria, who despite being born with no umbilical cord, is proclaimed to be the baby of the decade. But political collapse and the hardships of the new time bind mother and daughter together.

(Country: Bulgaria, Romania; Year: 2014; Director: Maya Vitkova; Writer: Maya Vitkova; Stars: Irmena Chichikova, Daria Vitkova, Kalina Vitkova, Mariana Krumova, Dimo Dimov, Georgi Spassov)

Violet

In a shopping mall, Jesse’s best friend is stabbed to death right before his eyes.

(Country: Belgium; Year: 2013; Director: Bas Devos; Writer: Bas Devos)

The Word (Obietnica)

After a silly infidelity, Janek is doing everything to try to win back his girlfriend.

(Country: Poland, Denmark; Year: 2014; Director: Anna Kazejak)

Xenia

Two teenagers go on the hunt for their Greek father after their Albanian mother dies.

(Country: Greece, France, Belgium; Year: 2014; Director: Panos H Koutras; Writer: Panagiotis Evangelidis, Panos H Koutras; Stars: Kostas Nikouli, Nikos Gelia, Yannis Stankoglou, Marissa Triandafyllidou, Aggelos Papadimitriou, Romanna Lobats, Patty Pravo, Electra Leda Koutra)