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Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival · 2019

Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival 2019

Official Selection

Programme

21 films · 7 reviews

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Arracht (Monster)

Review preview for Arracht

This is chiefly a character study of one man's humanity in the face of grief but it echoes the wider trauma of a nation that was decimated by hunger.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
In 1845, a fisherman ends up on the run for crimes he didn't commit.

(Country: Ireland; Year: 2019; Director: Tom Sullivan; Writer: Tom Sullivan; Stars: Dónall Ó Héalai, Saise Ní Chuinn, Dara Devaney, Eoin O'Dubhghaill, Dudura O'Gionnáin, Michael O'Chonfhlaola, Siobhán O'Kelly, Eimear Ní Mháille, Seán T. Ó Meallaigh, Conal O'Céidigh, Michael McElhatton, Elaine O'Dwyer, Elise Brennan, Paraic Breathnach, Peter Coonan)

Full review See: Tom Sullivan on his debut feature Arracht (Monster) , Tom Sullivan and Dathai Keane talk about the Cine4 Development Scheme for Irish language film

The Coldest Game

Playing a major chess match in Warsaw against the Russian champion, brilliant but forgotten former US champion, and alcoholic, Josh Mansky is sucked into the world of espionage.

(Country: Poland; Year: 2019; Director: Lukasz Kosmicki; Writer: Lukasz Kosmicki, Marcel Sawicki; Stars: Bill Pullman, Lotte Verbeek, James Bloor, Robert Wieckiewicz, Aleksey Serebryakov, Corey Johnson, Nicholas Farrell, Evgeniy Sidikhin, Cezary Kosinski, Aleksandr Lobanov, Wojciech Mecwaldowski, Magdalena Boczarska, Andy Beckwith, John Benfield, Ludwik Borkowski)

Coming Home Again

A man who left home years before, finds himself returning to the other side of America to take care of his ailing mother.

(Country: US, South Korea; Year: 2019; Director: Wayne Wang; Stars: Justin Chon, Jackie Chung, Christina July Kim, Leesa Kim, Justin Chon, Jackie Chung, Christina July Kim, Leesa Kim)

Dead Volume (Volume Morto)

A young teacher finds herself heading into trouble after trying to investigate the behaviour of a silent boy in her class.

(Country: Brazil; Year: 2019; Director: Kauê Telloli; Writer: Kauê Telloli; Stars: Fernanda Vasconcellos, Júlia Rabello, Fernanda Viacava, Daniel Infantini, Fernanda Vasconcellos, Júlia Rabello, Fernanda Viacava, Daniel Infantini)

Drowsy City (Thành Phố Ngủ Gật)

Review preview for Drowsy City

Both a portrait of marginalised lives in urban Vietnam, and a "Taoist" fable.

Anton Bitel · 4 out of 5
A young man who slaughters chickens for a living finds his trouble brewing when three strange gangsters come to hide in the abandoned building where he is living, bringing violence and a young prostitute with them.

(Country: Vietnam; Year: 2019; Director: Dung Luong Dinh; Writer: Dung Luong Dinh; Stars: Nguyễn Quốc Toàn, Lê Thúy Hiền, Vũ Minh Trí, Tạ Xuân Tuế, Trần Văn Ba Trường)

Full review

Fiela's Child (Fiela Se Kind)

A black woman takes in a little white boys she finds... until the authorities discover what has happened during a census nine years later.

(Country: South Africa; Year: 2019; Director: Brett Michael Innes; Writer: Brett Michael Innes, Dalene Matthee; Stars: Drikus Volschenk, Zenobia Kloppers, Melissa Willering, Cindy Swanepoel, Wayne Smith, Leighman Marshall, Gerald Steyn, Morne Steyn, Carla Classen, Ivar Thomson, Mateo Olivier, André Stolz, Luca Bornman, Wim Beukes, Elton Landrew)

The Flying Circus (Cirku Fluturues)

On the verge of war in Kosovo, a theatre group's comedy is shut down but after they get an invite from neighbouring Albania, they decide to risk the danger of trying to cross the border.

(Country: Kosovo; Year: 2019; Director: Fatos Berisha; Writer: Fatos Berisha; Stars: Velibor Topic, May-Linda Kosumovic, Tristan Halilaj, Luan Jaha, Bislim Muçaj, Refet Abazi, Shkumbin Istrefi, Rita Gjeka, Romir Zalla, Rifat Smani, Armend Smajli, Afrim Muçaj, Shpetim Selmani, Armond Morina, Dibran Tahiri)

Gipsy Queen

Review preview for Gipsy Queen

If part of the trajectory has a familiar feel, it is given fresh verve by the social-realist backdrop.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
A Roma woman, who was the Roma Gypsy Queen, returns to boxing after becoming disillusioned with her life.

(Country: Germany, Austria; Year: 2019; Director: Hüseyin Tabak; Writer: Hüseyin Tabak; Stars: Alina Serban, Tobias Moretti, Irina Kurbanova, Catrin Striebeck, Sarah Carcamo Vallejos, Aslan Yilmaz Tabak, Aleksandar Jovanovic, Sergiu Costache, Sorin Mihai, Jürgen Blin, Brian Al Amin, Katharina Behrens, Virgil Constantin, Yüsa Durak, Anja Herden)

Full review

Girl With No Mouth

Review preview for Girl With No Mouth

On the one hand, a parable of corporate greed and exploitation, and of society's treatment of the disabled or "deficient", and on the other a story of the way we all reinvent ourselves precisely through story

Anton Bitel · 3 out of 5
Family survivalist adventure in post-apocalyptic Turkey.

(Country: Turkey; Year: 2019; Director: Can Evrenol; Writer: Can Evrenol, Kutay Ucun; Stars: Denizhan Akbaba, Elif Sevinç, Özgür Civelek, Kaan Alpdayi, Sermet Yesil, Mehmet Yilmaz Ak, Özay Fecht)

Full review

Golden Voices

Story of Victor and Raya Frenkel - the golden voices of Soviet film dubbing - who emigrated to Israel with the collapse of the Soviet Union.

(Country: Israel; Year: 2019; Director: Evgeny Ruman; Writer: Ziv Berkovich, Evgeny Ruman; Stars: Maria Belkin, Vladimir Friedman, Evelin Hagoel, Uri Klauzner, Alexander Senderovich, Maria Belkin, Vladimir Friedman, Evelin Hagoel, Uri Klauzner, Alexander Senderovich)

Gutterbee

Two hopeless cowboys join forces in a quest to serve delicious German sausages as a special dish in newly opened restaurant.

(Country: Denmark; Year: 2019; Director: Ulrich Thomsen; Writer: Ulrich Thomsen, Dan Hoffmann; Stars: Holly Adams, Ewen Bremner, W. Earl Brown, Samantha Conrad, Trudy Cordova, LynNita Ellis, Christopher Hagen, Joshua Harto, Adam Lewis Harvey, David Hight, Stephanie Hill, Chance Kelly, Bonita King, Brad Lund, Lucinda Marker)

In The Strange Pursuit Of Laura Durand

Review preview for In The Strange Pursuit Of Laura Durand

There is a tension between two worlds here.

Jane Fae · 2.5 out of 5
A pair of bandmates, obsessed with a porn star from the Nineties, find themselves on an unexpected journey round Greece.

(Country: Greece; Year: 2019; Director: Dimitris Bavellas; Writer: Dimitris Bavellas, Katerina Kleitsioti; Stars: Makis Papadimitriou, Mihalis Sarantis, Anna Kalaitzidou, Danis Katranidis, Yvonni Maltezou)

Full review

Kalel, 15

A teenager with HIV struggles after his mother runs off with a secret lover.

(Country: Philippines; Year: 2019; Director: Jun Robles Jana; Writer: Jun Robles Jana; Stars: Eddie Garcia,jaclyn Jose,elijah Canlas,elora Espano,gabby Padilla)

Kontora

A schoolgirl who lives with her father searches for treasure courtesy of her grandad's diary but could a homeless man who wanders into town help her rebuild her relationship with her dad.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2019; Director: Anshul Chauhan; Writer: Anshul Chauhan; Stars: Seira Kojima, Wan Marui, Takuzo Shimizu, Taichi Yamada, Hidemasa Mase, Seira Kojima, Wan Marui, Takuzo Shimizu, Taichi Yamada, Hidemasa Mase)

Lost Lotus

After her mother his killed in a hit-and-run, a woman seeks both spiritual solace... and the culprit.

(Country: Hong Kong, The Netherlands; Year: 2019; Director: Liu Shu; Writer: Liu Shu; Stars: Yan Wensi, Zhao Xuan)

Malpaso

Twins - one of whom is an albino - live with their grandfather but when the old man dies, things take a turn for the worse.

(Country: Dominican Republic; Year: 2019; Director: Héctor Valdez; Writer: Jose Ramon Alama, David Maler, José A. Paxtor, Héctor Valdez, Ángel de la Cruz; Stars: Ettore D'Alessandro, Pepe Sierra, Vicente Santos, James Saintil, Marie Michelle Bazile, Luis Bryan Mesa, Ariel Diaz, Peter Jean Baptiste, Brainy Serrano, Wigberto Deschamps, John Nuel Estevez, Ettore D'Alessandro, Pepe Sierra, Vicente Santos, James Saintil)

Man From Beirut (Blind)

A blind hitman tries to survive after his latest job leaves him emotionally compromised.

(Country: Germany; Year: 2019; Director: Christoph Gampl; Writer: Christoph Gampl, Boris Naujoks; Stars: Kida Khodr Ramadan, Blerim Destani, Susanne Wuest, James Biberi, Dunja Ramadan, Frederick Lau, Veysel Gelin, Misel Maticevic, Lucas Gregorowicz, Xhevdet Jashari, Rigels Rajku, Jasmin Shakeri, Karim Günes, Melissa Anna Schmidt, Nikolaus Buchholz)

Marionette (Marioneta, Vagoneros)

Review preview for Marionette

Marionette (Marioneta) makes special demands on its cast

Anton Bitel · 3.5 out of 5
An actor begins to train a group of beggars to be more convincing.

(Country: Mexico; Year: 2019; Director: Arturo Arango, Álvaro Curiel de Icaza; Writer: Álvaro Curiel de Icaza; Stars: Rafael Ernesto Hernandez, Fátima Molina, Juan Manuel Bernal, Patricia Reyes Spíndola)

Full review

Muscle

Review preview for Muscle

This is another downward spiralling character piece with the same bruising toughness of its predecessor, but handled with a tauter, darkly playful control.

Sunil Chauhan · 4 out of 5
A directionless call centre salesman gets more than he bargained for when he joins a local gym

(Country: UK; Year: 2019; Director: Gerard Johnson; Writer: Gerard Johnson; Stars: Craig Fairbrass, Polly Maberly, Sinead Matthews, Lorraine Burroughs, Peter Ferdinando, Cavan Clerkin, Mark Stobbart, Niall Greig Fulton, Gordon Brown, Ali Cook, Alfie Dobson, Mark Mooney, Damian Edward Shanahan, Amanda Dryden Walker, Paul Fitzpatrick)

Full review

Through Black Glass (Skvoz Cherone Steklo)

An unknown benefactor promises to pay for a hugely expensive operation which would restore eyesight to a blind orphan. There is just one condition: the girl has to marry the benefactor.

(Country: Russia; Year: 2019; Director: Konstantin Lopushanskiy; Writer: Konstantin Lopushanskiy; Stars: Mariya Kleshnina, Mariya Kleshnina)

When The Moon Was Full

What begins as a love story takes a turn after marriage for a woman who meets a man at a market.

(Country: Iran; Year: 2019; Director: Narges Abyar; Writer: Narges Abyar, Morteza Esfahani; Stars: Elnaz Shakerdust, Hootan Shakiba, Fereshteh Sadre Orafaiy, Pedram Sharifi, Shabnam Moghadami, Farid Sajjadi Hosseini, Armin Rahimian, Amin Miri, Elnaz Shakerdust, Hootan Shakiba, Fereshteh Sadre Orafaiy, Pedram Sharifi, Shabnam Moghadami, Farid Sajjadi Hosseini, Armin Rahimian)