Skip to main content

Edinburgh International Film Festival · 2011

Edinburgh International Film Festival 2011

Feature - International

Exciting new feature films from around the world, many of them screening in the UK for the first time.

Programme

31 films · 31 reviews

Jump to a film

Arrietty (Kari-gurashi no Arietti, The Borrower Arrietty)

Review preview for Arrietty

The first thing that will strike you is how absolutely lush it is visually; the pastel landscape is utterly iridescent by day, and star-dusted luminous by night.

David Graham · 4.5 out of 5
Studio Ghibli's reworking of an English classic about very small people trying to make their way in the world.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2010; Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi; Writer: Mary Norton, Hayao Miyazaki, Keiko Niwa; Stars: Will Arnett, Amy Poehler, Carol Burnett)

Full review

Almanya - Welcome to Germany (Almanya - Willkommen in Deutschland)

Review preview for Almanya - Welcome to Germany

Undeniably well put together at all levels.

Keith Hennessey Brown · 3.5 out of 5
Who or what am I - German or Turkish?' is the main question of this comedy about a Turkish family living in Germany since the late Sixties.

(Country: Germany; Year: 2011; Director: Yasemin Samdereli; Writer: Yasemin Samdereli, Nesrin Samdereli; Stars: Vedat Erincin, Fahri Yardim, Aylin Tezel, Lilay Huser, Demet Gül, Denis Moschitto, Petra Schmidt-Schaller)

Full review

American Translation

Review preview for American Translation

There simply is not enough going on plotwise, even if it is a reasonably fascinating psychological study.

Chris · 3 out of 5
Young love has never been so menacing.

(Country: France; Year: 2011; Director: Pascal Arnold, Jean-Marc Barr; Stars: Pierre Perrier, Lizzie Brocheré, Jean-Marc Barr)

Full review

Angel And Tony (Angele et Tony)

Review preview for Angel And Tony

That they make such a fascinating pair is down to Delaporte's spare but beautifully observed script, and the brilliantly understated performances by Clotilde Hesme and Gregory Gadebois.

David Graham · 4 out of 5
A touching portrayal of love against the odds.

(Country: France; Year: 2010; Director: Alix Delaporte; Stars: Clotilde Hesme, Grégory Gadebois, Evelyne Didi, Jérôme Huguet, Antoine Couleau, Patrick Descamps, Lola Dueñas)

Full review

A Better Life

Review preview for A Better Life

Touching but never mawkish and with a steely point to make.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
A Mexican illegal immigrant father and his son strive to improve their lot.

(Country: United States of America; Year: 2011; Director: Chris Weitz; Writer: Eric Eason, Roger L. Simon; Stars: Damián Bichir, Jose Julian, Chelsea Rendon)

Full review See: Interview with director Chris Weitz about A Better Life

Between 2 Fires

Review preview for Between 2 Fires

A riveting film with a huge amount of depth and a brilliantly deceptive narrative.

David Graham · 4.5 out of 5
How far would you go to protect your daughter? Would you become a refugee?

(Country: Sweden, Poland; Year: 2010; Director: Agnieszka Lukasiak; Stars: Magda Poplawska, Kamila Nowysc, Simon Kassianides, Leila Haj)

Full review

Bleak Night (Pa su kkun)

Review preview for Bleak Night

What's left for those who don't share intimate knowledge of a South Korean schoolboy's mind?

Angus Wolfe Murray · 2.5 out of 5
Winner of the New Current Award at the 2010 Pusan International Film Festival.

(Country: South Korea; Year: 2010; Director: Sung-hyun Yoon; Stars: Lee Je-hoon, Seo Jun-young, Park Jung-min,)

Full review

By Day And By Night (De Día Y De Noche)

Review preview for By Day And By Night

It's a powerful concept that isn't really done full justice.

David Graham · 2.5 out of 5
Gattaca meets THX1138 meets Blade Runner...

(Country: Mexico; Year: 2009; Director: Alejandro Molina; Writer: Alejandro Molina, Roberto Garza; Stars: Sandra Echeverría, Marius Biegai, Manuel Balbi, Richie Mestre)

Full review

Charlie Casanova

Review preview for Charlie Casanova

The film is aptly photographed, with dingy lighting and somewhat inventive setups.

Scott Macdonald · 2 out of 5
A ruling class sociopath kills a working class girl in a hit-and-run then determines his fate with a deck of cards.

(Country: Ireland; Year: 2010; Director: Terry McMahon; Writer: Terry McMahon; Stars: Emmet Scanlan, Leigh Arnold, Valeria Bandino, Johnny Elliott, Thomas Farrell, Damien Hannaway, Ruth McIntyre, Glenn McMahon, Anthony Murphy, Tommy O'Neil, Anouck Sablayrolles)

Full review

The Divide

Review preview for The Divide

The film's strongest suit is, somewhat surprisingly, its rich vein of gallows humour.

David Graham · 2 out of 5
A group of survivors from an unexpected attack on an apartment block hide out together, but discover they can't trust each other.

(Country: United States of America, Germany, Canada; Year: 2011; Director: Xavier Gens; Writer: Karl Mueller, Eron Sheean; Stars: Lauren German, Milo Ventimiglia, Michael Biehn, Michael Eklund, Rosanna Arquette, Courtney B. Vance, Iván González)

Full review

Elite Squad: The Enemy Within (Elite Squad 2, Tropa de Elite 2 - O Inimigo Agora É Outro)

Review preview for Elite Squad: The Enemy Within

It struck such a chord in Brazil last year that it quickly became the biggest selling movie of all time.

Chris · 4 out of 5
Conflict ensues as Brazilian politicians and police officers try to solve the problem of gang violence and corruption.

(Country: Brazil; Year: 2011; Director: José Padilha; Writer: Bráulio Mantovani, José Padilha, Rodrigo Pimentel; Stars: Seu Jorge, Wagner Moura, Tainá Müller, André Ramiro, Maria Ribeiro, Milhem Cortaz, Sandro Rocha, André Mattos, Rod Carvalho, Fabricio Boliveira, Pedro Van-Held, Irandhir Santos) , Official site

Full review

The Guard

Review preview for The Guard

McDonagh takes what could be a hackneyed tale of mismatched buddy cops and spins it to blisteringly funny effect.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
A small-town cop in Ireland finds himself drawn into an uneasy partnership with an FBI agent trying to smash a drug smuggling racket.

(Country: Ireland; Year: 2011; Director: John Michael McDonagh; Writer: John Michael McDonagh; Stars: Don Cheadle, Brendan Gleeson, Mark Strong, Liam Cunningham, David Wilmot, Fionnula Flanagan)

Full review

Jack Goes Boating

Review preview for Jack Goes Boating

It is as though Glaudini expects character tics to substitute for plot development.

Amber Wilkinson · 2 out of 5
Love and friendship in the life of a limo driver and his pals.

(Country: US; Year: 2010; Director: Philip Seymour Hoffman; Writer: Bob Glaudini; Stars: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Ryan, John Ortiz, Daphne Rubin-Vega) , Official site

Full review See: Sundance Film Festival 2010: Day Two (Part Two)

Jitters (Órói)

Review preview for Jitters

This is a relationship drama, simple and direct. It’s well-acted and the script speaks volumes and none of it appears lost in translation.

Scott Macdonald · 3 out of 5
A refreshing coming of age story which plays like an Icelandic Skins.

(Country: Iceland; Year: 2010; Director: Baldvin Z; Writer: Ingibjörg Reynisdóttir, Baldvin Z; Stars: Atli Óskar Fjalarson, Hreindís Ylva Garöarsdóttir Hólm, Haraldur Ari Stefánsson)

Full review

King Of Devil's Island (Kongen Av Bastoy)

Review preview for King Of Devil's Island

Holst's film takes on a truly tragic tone that some will find too much to handle, but it's a massively engaging effort that should reward those that stick out its hefty running time.

David Graham · 4 out of 5
A group of young inmates fight for their right to freedom.

(Country: Norway; Year: 2010; Director: Marius Holst; Stars: Benjamin Helstad, Stellan Skarsgard, Kristoffer Joner, Trond Nilssen)

Full review

The Last Circus (Balada Triste De Trompeta)

Review preview for The Last Circus

The Last Circus is worth a watch for the unbridled imagination on display but ultimately it falls apart as much as its main protagonist.

David Graham · 3 out of 5
Two clowns become embroiled in a tug of war for the heart of an acrobat.

(Country: Spain, France; Year: 2010; Director: Álex de la Iglesia; Writer: Álex de la Iglesia; Stars: Carlos Areces, Antonio de la Torre, Carolina Bang)

Full review

The Lion King 3D (The Lion King)

Review preview for The Lion King 3D

The 3D genuinely adds a layer of freshness to the experience, right from the opening frames when we fly into the heart of the film with Zazu, and the immersive effect makes you reconsider and appreciate the exquisite hand-drawn animation all the more.

Amber Wilkinson · 4.5 out of 5
A guilt-ridden lion cub goes on an adventure. Reissued in 3D.

(Country: USA; Year: 1994; Director: Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff; Writer: Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts; Stars: Matthew Broderick, Niketa Calame, Jim Cummings, James Earl Jones, Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Jeremy Irons, Robert Guillaume, Rowan Atkinson, Moira Kelly, Whoopi Goldberg, Zoe Leader, Cheech Marin, Madge Sinclair, Jonathan Taylor Thomas) , Trailer

Full review

Meet Monica Velour

Review preview for Meet Monica Velour

Fails to do anything that hasn’t been done before or better.

Keith Hennessey Brown · 3 out of 5
A young dork seizes the chance of a lifetime to meet the former porn star he idolises.

(Country: US; Year: 2010; Director: Keith Bearden; Writer: Keith Bearden; Stars: Kim Cattrall, Dustin Ingram, Brian Dennehy, Keith David, Jee Young Han, Daniel Yelsky, Jamie Tisdale, Jay Malack, Tony Cox, Sam McMurray, Lauren Mae Shafer, Tevis R. Marcum, Elizabeth Wright Shapiro, Peter Carey, Kojo Asiedu)

Full review

Mourning For Anna (Trois temps aprés la mort d'Anna)

Review preview for Mourning For Anna

Martin's approach, which skilfully avoids melodrama and keeps a respectful distance from her subject, is complemented by Guylaine Tremblay's finely nuanced central performance.

David Graham · 3.5 out of 5
A meditative and hypnotic meditation on grief and loss.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2010; Director: Catherine Martin; Writer: Catherine Martin; Stars: Guylaine Tremblay, François Papineau)

Full review

My Brothers

Review preview for My Brothers

It may be a little rough around the edges but there is plenty here to commend.

Amber Wilkinson · 3.5 out of 5
Three brothers go on an unpredictable road trip to replace their dying dad's watch.

(Country: Ireland; Year: 2010; Director: Paul Fraser; Writer: William Collins; Stars: Timmy Creed, Paul Courtney, TJ Griffin, Kate Ashfield, Don Wycherley, Sarah Greene, Terry McMahon, Eamonn Hunt, Siobhan Palmer)

Full review

Oliver Sherman

Review preview for Oliver Sherman

Redford, and cinematographer Antonio Calvache, do an excellent job of subtly playing with the audience’s nerves.

Robert Munro · 4 out of 5
Nerve splintering drama about man's dual capacity for compassion and violence.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2011; Director: Ryan Redford; Writer: Ryan Redford, based on the short story by Rachel Ingalls.; Stars: Garret Dillahunt, Donal Logue, Molly Parker, Kaelan Meunier, Marla J. Hayes, Fiona Highet, Duane Murray)

Full review See: Interview with Ryan Redford about Oliver Sherman

On the Shore (Beau Rivage)

Review preview for On the Shore

Never becomes truly immersive.

Amber Wilkinson · 3 out of 5
In Nice, fifty-year-old police officer Michel Matarasso feels old, weary, and desperate for an all-consuming love.

(Country: France; Year: 2011; Director: Julien Donada; Stars: Daniel Duval, Chiara Caselli, Thomas Gonzalez, Françoise Arnoul, Cyril Guei, Nanou Garcia, Aurélia Petit, Catherine Rouvel)

Full review

Our Day Will Come (Notre jour viendra)

Review preview for Our Day Will Come

Anarchic humour morphs into madness, coupled with racist overtones and a disregard for sensibility.

Angus Wolfe Murray · 2.5 out of 5
A bullied youth and a troubled psychiatrist embark on a strange journey together.

(Country: France; Year: 2010; Director: Romain Gavras; Writer: Romain Gavras, Karim Boukercha; Stars: Vincent Cassel, Olivier Bartelemy, Justine Lerooy)

Full review See: Romain Gavras talks about Our Day Will Come

Phase 7 (Fase 7)

Review preview for Phase 7

Thanks to the general levels of intelligence evident behind and in front of the camera, it works far more often than not.

Keith Hennessey Brown · 4 out of 5
A couple have trouble with their neighbours as the apocalypse dawns.

(Country: Argentina; Year: 2010; Director: Nicolás Goldbart; Writer: Nicolás Goldbart; Stars: Daniel Hendler, Federico Luppi, Jazmin Stuart, Jose 'Yayo' Guridi)

Full review

Post Mortem

Review preview for Post Mortem

A gripping and emotionally affecting consideration of the casual evils that men do.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
A mortuary worker begins an unlikely romance with a burlesque dancer against the backdrop of Chile's 1973 military coup.

(Country: Chile, Mexico, Germany; Year: 2008; Director: Pablo Larraín; Stars: Alfredo Castro, Antonia Zegers, Jaime Vadell, Amparo Nobuera, Marcelo Alonso)

Full review See: San Sebastian Film Festival: Day Three

Rabies (Kalevet)

Review preview for Rabies

The script is knowing, loving and amusingly toys with the genre.

Scott Macdonald · 4 out of 5
As a psycho killer lurks in the woods, a group of nervous people might represent a bigger threat to each other.

(Country: Israel; Year: 2010; Director: Ahron Keshales, Navot Paposhaddo; Writer: Ahron Keshales, Navot Paposhaddo; Stars: Lior Ashkenazi, Ania Bukstein, Ofer Shechter, Yael Grobglas, Ran Danker, Menashe Noy, Danny Geva, Henry David, Liat Har Lev, Efrat Boimold, Yaron Motola, Efrat Rayten) , Official site

Full review

Tomboy

Review preview for Tomboy

Sciamma's capturing of children at play is disarmingly accurate, perfectly showing the freewheeling nature of prepubescence in all its glory.

Amber Wilkinson · 4.5 out of 5
Ever wondered what it would be like to switch sex? Laure, 10, does.

(Country: France; Year: 2011; Director: Celine Sciamma; Writer: Celine Sciamma; Stars: Zoé Héran, Malonn Lévana, Jeanne Disson, Sophie Cattani, Mathieu Demy)

Full review

Troll Hunter (Trolljegeren, Trollhunter)

Review preview for Troll Hunter

In a filmic landscape littered with the lurching corpses of zombies and the emotional angst of vampires, it's refreshing to be presented with a mythology that is less familiar.

Amber Wilkinson · 3 out of 5
A group of student filmmakers get more than they bargained for when tangling with a man tasked with protecting Norway from giant trolls.

(Country: Norway; Year: 2010; Director: André Øvredal; Writer: André Øvredal; Stars: Otto Jespersen, Hans Morten Hansen, Tomas Alf Larsen, Johanna Mørck, Knut Nærum, Robert Stoltenberg, Glenn Erland Tosterud) , Official site

Full review

Truth About Men (Sandheden Om Mænd)

Review preview for Truth About Men

What began as arty-looking cinema, backed up by good performances, is let down by weak plot development.

Chris · 2.5 out of 5
A scriptwriter struggles to find a successful narrative for his own life in this ambitious romantic comedy.

(Country: Denmark; Year: 2010; Director: Nikolaj Arcel; Writer: Lars Kaalund, Nikolaj Arcel; Stars: Thure Lindhardt, Tuva Novotny, Rosalinde Mynster, Signe Egholm Olsen, Henning Valin Jakobsen)

Full review

The Turin Horse (A torinói ló)

Review preview for The Turin Horse

This is a film where the absence of action is the point, as it plays out like a joke-shorn version of Beckett's Waiting For Godot.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
This Berlinale 2011 Silver Bear winner is rumoured to be the swansong from the Hungarian master.

(Country: Hungary, France, Germany, Switzerland, United States of America; Year: 2010; Director: Béla Tarr; Writer: László Krasznahorkai, Béla Tarr; Stars: János Derzsi, Erika Bók, Mihály Kormos)

Full review See: Interview with Bela Tarr about Turin Horse