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Festival coverage

San Sebastian Film Festival

2009

Julianne Moore and Amanda Seyfried in Atom Egoyan's Chloe
Julianne Moore and Amanda Seyfried in Atom Egoyan's Chloe

The 57th San Sebastian Film Festival runs from September 18 to 26.

Among the films screening is Michael Haneke's The White Ribbon, which will be given the Fipresci Best Film Of The Year of the award at the festival's opening gala. The festival will open with Atom Egoyan's Chloe - starring Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore and Amanda Seyfried - and close with Rodrigo García's Mother And Child.

Retrospectives include a showcase of the work of Richard Brooks, plus Backwash: The Cutting Edge Of French Cinema - a look back at the past decade in French film.

Other years (17)

Box office and information

Latest reviews

  • Mother And Child
    Review preview for Mother And Child

    Bening’s performance is a triumph over leaden writing.

    Sophie Monks Kaufman · 2 out of 5
    Tale of three women and maternal love.
  • When You're Strange
    Review preview for When You're Strange

    Seamlessly balances the scenes that made the band infamous, with the intimate moments and the atmosphere of an era.

    Daniel Hooper · 4 out of 5
    Documentary tracking the rise of The Doors, featuring rare footage of the band and Jim Morrison.
  • Le Refuge
    Review preview for Le Refuge

    Emotions run like torrents through François Ozon's Le Refuge, despite the apparent simplicity of the surface narrative.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
    A pregnant woman whose boyfriend dies of an overdose forms an unexpected bond with his brother.
  • The Secret In Their Eyes
    Review preview for The Secret In Their Eyes

    This is a strong story, encompassing romance, thriller aspects, comedy and even political intrigue, zipping back and forward in time but always carrying you with it to a conclusion that is thoroughly satisfying on all counts.

    Amber Wilkinson · 5 out of 5
    A man looks back at a crime that happened a quarter of a century previously.
  • Undertow
    Review preview for Undertow

    This is a delicate examination of attitudes and social mores, touching on issues of self-hate and betrayal.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
    A closeted gay fisherman finds himself trapped in an unusual love triangle.
  • Whatever Works
    Review preview for Whatever Works

    While you may well have heard this sort of thing before, the familiarity of the humour makes it all the more lovable.

    Amber Wilkinson · 3.5 out of 5
    An misanthropic New Yorker develops a relationship with a young woman from Mississippi.
  • Leo's Room
    Review preview for Leo's Room

    The director allows moments to linger, shots to be held and actors to provide understated performances.

    James Benefield · 3 out of 5
    A chance encounter between two school friends has unexpected implications for their lives.
  • Vengeance
    Review preview for Vengeance

    With Vengeance, To gives well-worn tropes of the revenge thriller some mannered tweaks, before ultimately turning them on their head.

    Anton Bitel · 4 out of 5
    A chef - and former killer - returns to Hong Kong to avenge the deaths of his daughter's family.
  • The White Ribbon
    Review preview for The White Ribbon

    The slippery nature of the morality on show coupled with the shifting sands of the narrative makes this an uneasy watch - yet it is also a beautiful and masterfully constructed film.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
    Tensions in a German town on the eve of the First World War.
  • City Of Life And Death
    Review preview for City Of Life And Death

    Rather than pursue a nationalist agenda, director Lu Chuan searches for humanity in all his characters, and all his characters are flawed.

    Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
    Dramatisation of the Rape of Nanjing, seen from a dual perspective.

A–Z of San Sebastian Film Festival 2009 reviews

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