The Coolidge Corner Theatre

In director John Barker’s debut feature, up-and-coming comedians Kags, Joey and Dave make clear that life in the ‘new’ Johannesburg is not just about hardship and townships. It’s also about finding humor in relationships, hanging out with friends and celebrating life on a raucous roadtrip to Oppi Koppi—South Africa’s largest music festival. Shot in a cinema vérité style and using the street food ‘bunny chow’ as a metaphor for contemporary Johannesburg’s mix of races, cultures and attitudes, Barker’s edgy, urban comedy asks us to envision a nation through the eyes of its future, rather than the tragedy of its past.

(2006) dir. John Barker, South Africa, in Tsotsi Taal and English w/ subtitles, DVD, 1h35m

As a bodyguard for a high profile politician, Ruben is reduced to a mere shadow of a man: every action in his life is regulated by a series of mundane routines, and everywhere his boss goes he must follow, watching but never speaking. Resigned to his invisibility, his life is a series of days without meaning, punctuated only by visits to a prostitute, in this compelling chronicle by firsttime director Rodrigo Moreno of a man without any true identity or connection to the world in which he lives.

(2006) dir. Rodrigo Moreno, Argentina, in Spanish w/ English subtitles, DVD,1h33m

Atieh’s singular passion is food, and her small but popular restaurant on the sleepy Caspian coast is her pride and joy. But when Aziz, a former lover, appears after a twenty-year absence with the intention of closing the restaurant, Atieh prepares his favorite dishes, one after the other, in a desperate effort to convince him otherwise. Loosely based on the Persian fable of Shahrazad and the Thousand Myths (A Thousand and One Nights), director Ali Raffi uses the language of food to paint a richly textured portrait of life and love on the southern coast of Iran.

(2006) dir. Ali Raffi, Iran, in Persian w/English subtitles, DVD, 1h36m

During Argentina’s economic crisis of the ‘90s, nine year-old Eugenia and her mother, Florencia, live a seemingly colorful life surrounded by eclectic neighbors and an offbeat collection of
family. But for Eugenia, who must deal with her mother’s dysfunctional and drug-addled lifestyle, life is anything but pleasant in this darkly inspiring story of expectation, acceptance and
nontraditional family, led by standout performances from director Vera Fogwill and young actress Lucía Snieg.

(2005) dirs. Vera Fogwill and Martín Desalvo, Argentina, in Spanish with English subtitles, DVD,1h34m

In director Randa Chahal Sabbag’s ‘fairytale for troubled times,’ sixteen-year old Lamia must cross a border checkpoint between Lebanon and Israel to marry a man she has never met. But on her wedding day, neither she nor her betrothed are eager to consummate a marriage to a stranger—a matter further complicated by Lamia’s surprising admission that she is in love with the Israeli soldier guarding the checkpoint. Sabbag’s enchanting drama about marriage and tradition is underscored by delicate symbolism and artful references to politics of Lebanon’s annexed territories.

(2003) dir. Randa Chahal Sabbag, Lebanon, in Arabic w/ English subtitles, DVD, 1h20m

At the height of nuclear tensions between India and Pakistan, Arjun and his best friend, Chabia, weigh their options for the future against the reality of life on the streets of Mumbai. Enticed by the promise of wealth and opportunity in the Persian Gulf, Chabia is eager to leave his job as a mechanic. But for Arjun, who must finish college and care for his mother, the decision is not so easy in director Partho Sen-Gupta’s gritty, apocalyptic interpretation of Krishna’s counsel to Arjuna, from the Bhagavad Gita.

(2004) dir. Partho Sen-Gupta, India, in Hindi and English w/ subtitles, DVD, 1h33m

In this emotionally taut narrative, Li Qi Ming travels from his small village to the city of Wuhan, determined to fulfill his wife’s last wish of seeing her son. But instead of finding his son, he discovers his daughter working as a karaoke bar escort, forcing him to come to terms with their long-estranged relationship and the tenuous future of his family. Director Wang Chao uses Li Qi Ming to represent the painful reality of thousands of parents who have lost contact with their children through rural exodus and political upheaval in China.

(2006) dir. Wang Chao, China, in Mandarin (Wuhanese) w/ English subtitles, DVD, 1h28m

Setyo and Siti live a peaceful life as husband and wife, selling earthenware in their village. But when Setyo is called away on business, a flirtatious butcher, Ludiro, takes advantage of Siti’s loneliness to seduce her. Tempted by song and dance, Siti initially refuses his advances but acquiesces in a moment of weakness, setting the stage for an epic battle between the two men. Located in lush forests and on pristine beaches of Java, director Garin Nugroho bases his deeply imagistic and dazzling visual narrative on the “The Abduction of Sita,” from the Hindu epic, The Ramayana.

(2006) dir. Garin Nugroho, Indonesia, in Indonesian w/ English subtitles, DVD, 2h