Film Archive from the 2019-2020 Season
The 2019-20 Season of the Bridport Film Society featured 12 films from around the globe.
Kaakkaa Muttai
closeTwo boys from the slums have a shared dream and scheme to make enough money to buy a pizza. A multi-layered film; on the surface warm and inviting; feelgood, but with a hard base. There’s commentary on class divide and the effects of globalisation, but it’s all done with a delicate touch, much humour, and some wonderful songs. Winner of two National Film Awards in 2015. HK
“A little gem that’s highly recommendedand deserves to be celebrated”
Asian News Service.
Certificate U / by M. Manikandan
India / 2015 / 109 mins / Tamil with English subtitles
View trailer
The Olive Tree
closeAn old man has fallen into depression and dementia
because his grown-up children
have sold his beloved ancient olive tree
to a corporation somewhere in Europe.
The only one who seems to understand him
is his twenty year old granddaughter Alma. Discovering
the tree is in Germany she determines to get it back and tricks her uncle
into driving her there in a flatbed truck to take on corporate intransigence.
One energetic, resolute girl against the establishment.
The Olive Tree is a beautifully shot
compassionate film. NH
Certificate 15 / Directed by Icíar Bollaín
Spain / 2017 / 100 mins / Spanish with English subtitles
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Capernaum
closeTwelve-year-old Zain El Hajj, is serving
a five-year prison sentence for stabbing someone, and he decides
to sue his parents for having given birth to him. Much of the film is
in flashback showing events leading up to his arrest and the
fights with his family. Capernaum, means chaos; his life on
the streets is impossible and he lurches from
one disaster to another. An emotional, heart wrenching and humbling film.
Superb award-winning performance from the young Zain Al Rafeea and
his supporting cast. NH
Certificate 15 / Directed by Nadine Labaki
Lebanon / 2015 / 123 mins / Arabic with English subtitles
View trailer
Border
closeCustoms officer Tina is known for her extraordinary sense
of smell. She can sniff
out the guilt on anyone hiding something. But when Vore, a suspicious-looking man,
walks past her, her abilities are challenged for the first time ever.
Tina can sense Vore is hiding something she can’t identify.
Even worse, she feels a strange attraction to him.
As Tina develops a special bond with Vore and discovers his true identity,
she also realises the truth about herself. Thrilling, unpredictable, and brilliantly acted, Border is a cross
between thriller, fairy tale, and love story. TA
Certificate 15 / Directed by Ali Abassi
Sweden / 2018 / 110 mins / Swedish with English subtitles
View trailer
The Third Wife
closeA visually stunning film set in 19th century rural Vietnam.
Beautiful 14-year-old May becomes the third wife of a
wealthy landowner. She quickly learns that her role is to
bear a male child, and this potential allows her to enjoy
the second highest status in the household. But she doesn’t
love him, and, taken by surprise by her youthful desires,
she has to come to terms with the devastating consequences of forbidden love. JD
Certificate 15 / Directed by Ash Mayfair
Vietnam / 2018 / 96 mins
Vietnamese with English subtitles
View trailer
Woman at War
closeHalla is a fifty-year-old independent woman. However, behind an apparently quiet routine, she leads a double life as a passionate environmental activist, known by her alias “The Woman of the Mountain”. Halla’s actions grow bolder, and she succeeds in pausing the negotiations between the Icelandic government and an aluminium corporation. But, as she begins planning her biggest operation yet, an unexpected letter changes everything. RM
Certificate 12A / Directed by Benedikt Erlingsson
Iceland / 2018 / 101 mins
Icelandic with English subtitles
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Tais Toi
closeA step back in time when two convicts escape from prison
and seek revenge in order to retrieve a huge sum of hidden
money.
After getting thrown in jail, Ruby (Jean Reno), a
brooding outlaw, encounters Quentin (Gérard Depardieu),
a dim-witted and garrulous giant who befriends him and
botches his solo escape. Unable to shake the clumsily
helpful Quentin, this hilarious, action-packed buddy movie blends fast-paced action
with vaudevillian comedy. RM
Certificate 12A / Directed by Francis Veber
France / 2004 / 85 mins
French with English subtitles
View trailer
Phoenix
closeTypically Scandinavian tense drama brilliantly acted by the young cast. Teenager Jill has for years behaved as the responsible adult in her small family, caring for her loving but mentally unstable artist mother and her younger brother. Unexpected news that the estranged husband and idolised father will be visiting on Jill’s birthday gives the children much needed hope. When tragedy strikes, Jill keeps it a secret so as not the wreck the party, and life unravels. JD
Certificate 12A / Directed by Camilla Strom Henriksen
Norway / 2018 / 86 mins
Norwegian with English subtitles
View trailer
Our Little Sister
closeThree sisters live in their grandmother’s house, estranged from their mother after their father leaves for another woman. At their father’s funeral they meet their half-sister Suzu for the first time. Immediately taken with her they invite her to live with them and we watch this beautiful story of family love unfold. Superb acting and a wonderfully filmed insight into Japanese culture and way of life. A quiet uplifting film to capture your heart. NH
Certificate PG / Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda
Japan / 2015 / 127 mins
Japanese with English subtitles
View trailer
Behemoth
closeBeginning with a mining explosion in Mongolia and
ending in a ghost city west of Beijing, Zhao Liang’s
visionary film details, in one breath-taking sequence after
another, the social and ecological devastation behind an
economic miracle that may yet prove illusory. It’s a poetic
documentary, all images and sounds, no interviews, no
talking heads.
The cinematography is matched by an amazing soundtrack. The
narration notes, “Where wealth accumulates and man is uprooted all is decreed
by this monster,” the “Behemoth” of the title. TA
Certificate Exempt / Directed by Liang Zhao
China / 2015 / 95 mins / Mandarin with English subtitles
View trailer
3 Faces
closeA gripping drama of the tension between tradition and
modernity. Popular Iranian actress Behnaz Jafari is
distraught when she sees a provincial girl’s video plea for
help to pursue drama studies in Tehran against her family’s
wishes. Behnaz coerces banned director Jafar Panahi to help
her find the mystery girl. On the journey they have droll encounters with
the quirky residents of the girl’s mountain village, also the sanctuary of
a wise old revered pre-Islamic Revolution actress - the third face. JD
Certificate 15 / Directed by Jafar Panahi
Iran / 2018 / 100 mins
Persian, Turkish & Azerbaijani with English subtitles
View trailer
8th Grade
closeThirteen-year-old Kayla endures a tidal wave of contemporary suburban adolescence as she makes her way through the last week of middle school - the end of her, thus far, disastrous eighth grade year. Bo Burnham’s feature film debut may be as contemporary as a Snapchat-filtered selfie, but it’s also a deeply thoughtful observation on the universal truths of the agony, ecstasy and everything in between of growing up. Elsie Fisher is outstanding in the lead role: her smart, observant performance gives the audience instant access to her vulnerabilities, hurt feelings and quiet determination. TA
Certificate 15 / Directed by Bo Burnham
USA / 2018 / 94 mins / English
View trailer
Seasons Ratings for 2019 / 2020
Following every film screening our audience are asked for their reaction to each film, helping us with our selection process for the following year.
Listed here are the audience reactions for our 2019 / 2020 film season.
Research our films
We recommend the following resources:
IMDb
For cast lists, production details and further background.
Rotten Tomatoes
For critical reviews and comment.