Kimjongilia (France) - Horrifying personal stories from people who've escaped from North Korea. Technically well done documentary that did fill in some gaps in my knowledge about the history of North Korea. And managed to make it sound worse than the news stories about the same facts did. Guaranteed to make you feel worse about the world for letting such a regime exist, and for the fact they've got the bomb. How you'll feel about the use of interpretive dance in the film is harder to predict.
Machan (Sri Lanka) - sort of a Sri Lankan Bad News Bears. Except instead of a lovable bunch of kids as underdogs is a group of men trying to get to the West for better economic opportunities. After more straightforward plans to move to Germany fall through they try to get a visa for a handball competition there. Not knowing how to play they organize Sri Lanka's first team, which they name the "Sri Lanka National Handball Team.". Their plan being to get to Germany and disappear. Will they get there? If they get there will they play? And if they play will pride make them try to win? Based on true events (to some degree) this is a fun film that still addresses some of the more serious issues.
Four Boxes (USA) - This year's out front contender for the "total mindfuck film of the festival" award (not an official category, but maybe it should be). Film noir feeling thriller about three people who move into the house of a recently deceased man to sell his possessions on ebay. Whether the house's anonymous suburban feel or the voyeur webcast they discover bookmarked on his site is creepier is a tossup. The film ramps up into a thriller that really pulled me in. Not a gore/frightfest but a clever script with good performances make this really work well. I don't want to say anything more for fear of dampening the fun. Recommend seeing this one as I suspect it's not going to be easy to find later.
Director and actors were in attendance (sitting right behind me actually) which made for a good Q&A. Loved the director's comment that a segment of the audience for this film will hate it, and be justified in hating it. I can see this could be a little divisive in terms of how you view the end product. Another positive - no one asked them what their budget was... ;-)
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