Film Archive from the 2019-2020 Season
The 2019-20 Season of the Bridport Film Society featured 11 films from around the globe.
Kaakaa 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
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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 / 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 / by Nadine Labaki
Lebanon / 2015 / 123 mins / Arabic with English subtitles
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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 / by Ali Abassi
Sweden / 2018 / 110 mins / Swedish with English subtitles
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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
“Best debut director, Chicago 2018Certificate 15 / by Ash Mayfair / Vietnam
2018 / 96 mins / Vietnamese with English subtitles
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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 / 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 / by Francis Veber
France / 2004 / 85 mins / French with English subtitles
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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 / by Camilla Strom Henriksen
Norway / 2018 / 86 mins / Norwegian with English subtitles
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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 / by Hirokazu Kore-eda
Japan / 2015 / 90 mins / Japanese with English subtitles
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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 / by Liang Zhao
China / 2015 / 95 mins / Mandarin with English subtitles
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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.
Certificate 15 / by Jafar Panahi / Iran / 2018
100 mins / Persian Turkish & Azerbaijani with English subtitles
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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.