With 2013 all wrapped up, the beginning of 2014 will be the same as every other year. Like late August/early September, January is a dumping ground for studios. Usually the only things worth seeing this month (and for most of February) are the Globe/Oscar/etc. nominees that you haven’t caught up with. So why not spend this time looking back on 2013 and catching up with some of the more overlooked films of last year?

These films may not have made it on our Best Films of 2013 list, but that doesn’t mean they’re not worth seeing. As enjoyable as it is to pick favourites of the year, there’s a downside that comes with it. 2013 was a great year for films, one filled with an embarrassment of riches, and reducing it down to a small number means that plenty of other wonderful films get excluded.

Below are just a small amount of films from last year that we think deserve to get some time in the spotlight. Before 2014 ramps up again, it’ll be worth your while to see these.

Blue Caprice

First-time director Alexandre Moors’ take on the Beltway Snipers in Blue Caprice is a more daring one compared to most true crime films. Rather than focus on a factual retelling of what happened leading up to, during and after the random shootings that plagued several states in 2002, Moors goes for the bigger questions: What exactly drives people to commit senseless acts of violence, and why do they do it? Isaiah Washington, playing the mastermind of the attacks, is terrifying while newcomer Tequan Richmond portrays a transformation into evil that’s just as scary. Moors’ takes a refined approach to the material, and when the film finally gets to the attacks every moment is overpowered with dread. What might be the most horrifying part of Blue Caprice is the fact that, by the end, we aren’t any closer to understanding why such violent acts happened. Trying to understand something so irrational is a fool’s errand. The only thing you can do is hope that you won’t be one of the unlucky ones caught in the crossfire.

Availability: Now available on DVD and streaming.

Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay

Ricky Jay is arguably the greatest sleight-of-hand artist alive, and his timeless showmanship and impeccable card-handling skills have made many wonder: “Who the hell taught him this stuff?” In Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay, we delve into Jay’s superhero origin story, as he recalls his encounters and relationships with the master magicians who shaped him into the performer he is today. Jay’s unforgettable voice (which Rian Johnson utilized to great effect in The Brothers Bloom) almost justifies a watch in and of itself.

Availability: Currently on DVD. Also available to watch on iTunes, Redbox, Hulu Plus and Amazon.

Eden

Based on a true story, Eden’s title character is a teenage girl who is abducted and forced to become a sex worker. It sounds like the plot out of a European film, except this actually happened in Nevada during the mid-90s. Director Megan Griffiths creates a world where human life is given little to no value (Case in point: a subplot involving a sex worker jealous of Eden ends abruptly when the film cuts to her corpse getting tossed into a quarry). Eden knows that it’s a matter of time before she’s no longer useful as a sex worker, and with that fate hanging in the balance she strategizes to earn a role on the business end of things to ensure her survival. It’s truly harrowing material, made all the more disturbing by its basis in reality.

Availability: Currently on DVD, Netflix, Amazon and iTunes

Escape From Tomorrow

I will admit that the story behind Escape From Tomorrow is equally, if not more, fascinating than the film itself. One of the most talked about stories from Sundance last year was how first time filmmaker Randy Moore was able make a film inside Disney World without permission or raising suspicions from the park. The film was shot using guerrilla filmmaking techniques like using a consumer-looking camera (Canon EOS 5D) and communicating inside the park via phones. This production process alone warrants a documentary. The film is a surrealist expression of how the “happiest place on earth” is a living nightmare for a certain individual who witnesses cute cartoon characters transform into terrifying  ones. Escape From Tomorrow employs a neo-noir look by having the film in black and white, which also aids the horrifyingly dark look of the self-proclaimed paradise. Thankfully, Disney ultimately decided to ignore the film rather than seek damages, which at the very least would have delayed the film’s release. Be sure to watch this mind-bending fantasy horror film. It will be unlike anything you have seen before.

Availability: Currently available on VOD and all major streaming platforms. Will be out on home video this spring.

Hors Satan

Bruno Dumont’s Camille Claudel 1915 may have gotten a bigger reception this year, but earlier in 2013 his excellent Hors Satan finally saw a release in the States. In a small French town, a drifter appears and strikes up a friendship with a teenage girl in the village. Since this is a Dumont film, the friendship isn’t exactly an ordinary one; shortly after they meet, the drifter murders the girl’s abusive father, and it’s soon revealed that the stranger has supernatural powers. Other than the mention of Satan in the title, there are no overt references to religion in the film. We never know who this man is, what his purpose is or why he has special abilities. Dumont’s mysterious approach brings out a meditative quality to the film that highlights just how blurred the line can be between good and evil. Dumont’s oblique style will frustrate many (which it certainly did when it premiered at Cannes), but if you embrace the mystery it makes for one of 2013’s most fascinating films.

Availability: Currently unavailable, but readers across the pond can buy it on DVD. New Yorker Films distributed it in early 2013, but they haven’t revealed any information about a home video release.

The Last Time I Saw Macao

In Edgar Wright’s The World’s End (one of our favourite films of the year), the film’s characters head back to their childhood town only to discover that it’s been warped into something sinister. The Last Time I Saw Macao establishes a situation that’s similar but far more unsettling. What if you went back to where you grew up, and found out it completely vanished? The film’s main character was raised in Macao when it was owned by the Portuguese, and at the start of the movie he returns to his home town after receiving a call for help from an old friend. The story turns into an old-fashioned film noir (with plenty of references to classics of the genre, including Kiss Me Deadly), but The Last Time I Saw Macao is much more fascinating when its main character ruminates on how much things have changed since the colony changed ownership to China. The film’s style, where no faces are ever shown and the action plays out on the soundtrack, only accentuate the loss of identity that echoes throughout the entire film. The Last Time I Saw Macao is a rare kind of genre hybrid, where the deeper and more resonant subject matter are actually preferable to the genre elements.

Availability: Cinema Guild is distributing the film, and it might still be playing in some theatres across America. No news has been given about DVD or streaming availability.

The Legend of Kaspar Hauser

Director Davide Manuli’s The Legend of Kaspar Hauser is the strangest movie I saw in 2013, and it’s one I look back on fondly. Based LOOSELY (I mean, really, really loosely) on true events, the film follows a young boy (played by a not-so-young woman, Silvia Calderoni) as he washes up on the shores of an unnamed island in the Mediterranean. He’s picked up by the infamous Vincent Gallo, who proceeds to give the absolute nuttiest, off-the-wall performance of the year as the island sheriff. There are UFO’s involved, a lot of awesome, thumping electronic music, and it’s all shot in Bergman-esque black & white. It’s unapologetically nonsensical and bizarre, and I grew to adore it.

Availability: No word yet on when it will be available in the US.

Like Someone in Love

Iranian auteur Abbas Kiarostami’s enigmatic Like Someone in Love is set half the world away from his home country, in present-day Japan. Alluring and elusive in its storytelling, the film explores familiar Kiarostami themes like mistaken identity, authenticity, and companionship, through a more meditative lens than his last film, Certified Copy. His images are gorgeous as per usual, but here they’re richer and more colorful and evocative than ever before. It’s a humble, moving film that will seep into your skin and stay with you for days. The extended, stationary opening shot is an immediate jaw-dropper.

Availability: IFC released it last year, so a home video release is imminent. Don’t be surprised if you see it pop up in the Criterion Collection later on this year. UK readers can go pick up a Blu-Ray right now.

Midnight’s Children

A charming, resonant adaptation of Salman Rushdie’s novel, Midnight’s Children is a film that centers around the children born on the 15th of August 1947, otherwise known as Independence Day in India. A stunning piece of magical realism, the story tells of how each of these children have a special “power”, the strongest powers going to those born closest to midnight: Saleem and Shiva. As we follow their lives and hardships in the midst of newly independent India, we’re taken on a journey that has much more to do with politics than we might initially realise. With a cast whose talent extends to even the smallest roles, and beautifully surreal cinematography, director Deepa Mehta provides a unique insight into the lives of Indian children in a way that is heartfelt, but does not exoticize. Particularly thanks to Rushdie’s involvement as a co-screenwriter, it is easy to feel not only the characters of his novel coming to life, but indeed, the mystical quality of its history.

Availability: On DVD and a lot of popular digital rental outlets.

Paradise: Love

Austrian filmmaker Ulrich Seidl created the undisputed best trilogy of 2013 with his Paradise films, a series that portrays the dark side of human desire to achieve paradise. The strongest film out of the three is the first installment, Paradise: Love, which stands perfectly well on its own. Capturing complex themes such as desire to find love, body image, human objectification, and racial exploitation, Paradise: Love is a powerful watch. If you have seen any of Seidl’s other films you know that he does not shy away from showing the ugly side of human nature and perhaps it is this uncensored exploration that makes his work so controversial, and subsequently limited in mass appeal. Of course, this makes distribution for the film a challenge. Therefore, a lot of people would not likely stumble upon this film without seeking it out. But do yourself a favor and watch one of the most powerful and underseen films of 2013.

Availability: On DVD and Netflix Instant. Also streaming on Amazon.

Passion

Brian De Palma’s return to filmmaking, and the genre that established him as a legendary director, expectedly has some issues. A remake of the French film Crime D’Amour, Passion is so unhinged that it’s hard to tell if De Palma is slyly winking at the audience or completely losing it. I personally take the former stance, as Passion is a hilariously insane film. Filled with dumb plot twists, schemes and hammy performances from Rachel McAdams and Noomi Rapace, Passion is De Palma gleefully making a mess and daring the audience to keep watching. Whether you like it or hate it, it’s nice to see De Palma being playful again.

Availability: Currently out on DVD & Blu-Ray. Available to rent from Redbox and Netflix. Available to stream/rent/buy online from iTunes, Amazon, Google and YouTube.

Shadow Dancer

Director James Marsh, well-known for his documentaries Man on Wire and Project Nim, also likes to make fictional films from time to time. Shadow Dancer takes place in Ireland during The Troubles. After a botched attempt at bombing a subway, Collette (Andrea Riseborough) is coerced by an MI6 agent (Clive Owen) to become an informant. Marsh seems to have lucked out with his cast here, as they all do terrific jobs elevating what could have easily been another standard espionage/crime thriller. A plot turn in the final act threatens to bring everything down, but a nice stinger of an ending helps keep things afloat. It’s a well-crafted thriller, and Marsh does an effective job showing how, on both sides of the law, trust is the hardest thing to find.

Availability: Available on DVD, Blu-Ray, iTunes, Amazon, Redbox, Netflix Instant, and pretty much everywhere else.

Simon Killer

When I saw Simon Killer at last year’s SF Indiefest, I was immediately taken by its sludgy imagery, great performances, and uninviting atmosphere. Made by the folks behind Martha Marcy May Marlene (Antonio Campos directs) and starring Brady Corbet, the film follows the gradual unraveling of a young American man lost on the streets of Paris. Simon’s descent into madness unfolds at a patient, deliberate pace, and the horrors of his true nature creep up on you slowly before ripping your heart out.

Availability: Available on DVD, and currently streaming on Netflix. UK readers can grab the fantastic Blu-Ray set put together by Eureka and enjoy the creepiness in HD.

Sun Don’t Shine

Amy Seimetz made a big name for herself as an actress last year, but not as much notice was given to her directorial debut. Sun Don’t Shine focused on a couple (Kate Lyn Sheil and Kentucker Audley) driving down to Florida for a few days, but not for a vacation. Sheil’s dead abusive husband is in the trunk, and the two of them are on their way to ditch the body and create an alibi for themselves. Seimetz’s decision to shoot in 16mm turns out to be essential to the film’s success. Every frame of the film oozes sweat, humidity and murkiness, which only heighten Sheil’s complete breakdown in the film. Sheil is a revelation here in a role that should hopefully help launch her career, and Seimetz (along with cinematographer Jay Keitel) shows an incredible handle of tone/mood for a first time filmmaker. Seimetz’s career may be taking off in front of the camera, but hopefully she’ll be able to make some time to return to the director’s chair again.

Availability: You can digitally rent or buy the film on Amazon or iTunes.

This is Martin Bonner

There’s a quiet, beautiful grace to This is Martin Bonner that immediately makes it stand apart from every other indie film released last year. The title character (Paul Eenhoorn) has just moved to Nevada after his divorce, working with recently released prisoners trying to integrate back in society. At the same time, Travis (Richmond Arquette) has just gotten out of prison and wants to re-connect with his daughter. Travis meets Martin briefly, but the two become more drawn to each other as they’re both men trying to respectively start over. Shot in a restrained, realistic style, This is Martin Bonner never resorts to cynicism or despair with its subject matter. Its two central characters, while trying to find their identity, are constantly looking forward rather than dwelling on their past. Director Chad Hartigan’s hopeful approach to the material, combined with the terrific cast and cinematography, come together to make this one of 2013’s quiet triumphs.

Availability: Currently on DVD and streaming on Netflix. Also available on iTunes and Amazon.

Toad Road

The urban legend goes like this: In York, Pennsylvania there’s a red gate leading into a forest. As you go through the gate and go deeper into the forest, you will come upon 6 other gates. As you pass through each gate your hold on reality begins to slip, and once you pass through the last one you go directly to hell. Director Jason Banker uses this urban legend from his hometown as inspiration for Toad Road, but don’t think that the film will be another run of the mill low-budget horror piece.

Banker casted a group of real-life friends, and most of Toad Road’s first half is comprised of real-life footage Banker took of his actors taking as many drugs as possible while engaging in plenty of debauchery. The blending of reality and fiction casts a compelling atmosphere around the film, and when parallels start being made between the urban legend and drug addiction it becomes clear that Banker is operating on a level above most modern-day horror filmmakers. What starts out as an utterly strange horror film turns into a brutally raw and unflinching look at aimless youth.

Availability: Currently on DVD, as well as available to digitally rent/buy on iTunes and Amazon.

The We and the I

After a mixed reception on the festival circuit, Michel Gondry’s The We and the I was given a very small release in the first half of 2013. It’s an unfortunate fate for what turned out to be the director’s best film since Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Working with a group of inner city kids, Gondry has the entire film take place on a city bus taking a group of teens home on their last day of school. The film starts out obnoxious, with groups of kids preying on anyone they find worthy of ridicule. Move past the abrasive first act though, and Gondry’s message (along with the title’s meaning) begin to make sense. As more kids leave the bus, the remaining characters on the bus begin to open up and reveal their insecurities with each other. It’s an engrossing examination of the roles we play as a group versus how we behave as individuals. Gondry’s visual inventiveness is still here, but it’s probably not a coincidence that his most stripped-down film is also his strongest in years.

Availability: Currently on DVD, as well as available to digitally rent/buy on Amazon and iTunes

Welcome to Pine Hill

If you are looking for the most underrated indie film of 2013 than look no further than Welcome to Pine Hill. There is a good chance you have not heard of Keith Miller’s microbudget film, despite winning the jury prize for Best Feature at the Slamdance Film Festival (the smaller and more indie film festival in Park City). The story found within Welcome to Pine Hill is nothing new; a former drug dealer trying to turn a new leaf, reconciling his past after being diagnosed with cancer, and trying to escape racial stereotypes. But what makes the film stand out from the rest is how it handles these issues. Instead of trying to force-feed these topics the film approaches them with a sense of ease. The result is a film that is emotionally intimate and free of manipulation. Welcome to Pine Hill is the best indie film of 2013 that you haven’t seen yet.

Availability: Currently available to digitally buy on iTunes

What else?: We could honestly keep going if we could, but we had to stop somewhere. There’s the disorienting fishing boat docu Leviathan; Jem Cohen’s gorgeous Museum Hours; Asghar Farhadi’s riveting The Past; Rodney Ascher’s documentary on Shining obsessives  Room 237; Blackfish which has made some serious real-world impacts; Lake Bell’s original and hilarious comedy In A World; Intense political thriller The East; Grand Prix winner at Cannes Reality; Intense found-footage documentary Let The Fire Burn; Johnnie To’s terrific action film Drug War; Cristian Mungiu’s terrific Cannes winner Beyond the Hills; Nicole Holofcener’s Enough Said; Andrew Bujalski’s crazy retro Computer Chess; Hannah Fidell’s A Teacher; Terence Nance’s imaginative and personal An Oversimplification of Her Beauty; And Rick Rowley’s Dirty Wars, a documentary that gives a terrifying glimpse into post-9/11 warfare.

Like we said at the top, 2013 was filled to the brim with great movies worth watching. If you ever find yourself feeling like there’s nothing to watch in the coming weeks or months, you won’t regret putting any of these films on and giving them a shot.

Now that you have gotten a chance to read Way Too Indie’s Best Films of 2013, a cumulative list from our staff, check out the individual Top 10 Lists from the eight staff members that created the list. The differences between the cumulative site list and these individual ones are actually quite different. First of all, even though mathematically Gravity was our overall #1 film for 2013, it only appears in the #1 spot in one of the eight lists below. Also, because a film had to get at least two mentions to quality for our cumulative list, you’ll find quite a few different titles down below: Leviathan, Paradise: Love, Blackfish, A Hijacking, The Past, and many more.

Staff Top 10 Lists For 2013

Dustin’s Top 10

Jansen’s Top 10

Ananda’s Top 10

Bernard’s Top 10

Amy’s Top 10

Pavi’s Top 10

Blake’s Top 10

CJ’s Top 10

For this monthly staff feature we came to the conclusion that because not everyone on the staff has been to the same festivals, thus having the opportunities to see the same films, that each writer from the staff would list their own individual Top 5 Films of 2013 (So Far). You can tell just by looking at our lists that there is a wide range of quality films that have been released at the halfway mark of 2013. While we wait to see what upcoming gems 2013 will bring us, here are the best films of the year so far.

Blake’s Top 5

2013, what a year you’ve been so far for us film going folk. You’ve made me cry (A Haunted House, Aftershock), you’ve made me laugh (Warm Bodies in a good way, A Good Day to Die Hard in a bad way) and you’ve had me cheering from the rafters (Gareth Evan’s Safe Haven, Fast and Furious 6). You were better than the first half of 2012 so keep up the good work. Picking my favorite 5 films of the year so far has proven to be a malicious act. I’ve seen some great films. There are easily more than five and since I can only have that amount, I shall list what barely misses here. These are my, as Roger Ebert would call them, Special Jury winners: Graceland, The Silence, The Act of Killing, The Place Beyond the Pines, and Side Effects.

#1  Spring Breakers

#2  Reality

#3  The Hunt

#4  Upstream Color

#5  The Lords of Salem

Bernard’s Top 5

My top two films of the year so far are interchangeable, as they’re both brilliant, but in different ways. Before Midnight is nearly flawless—I was floored by every facet of it. Sarah Polley’s documentary/family-drama/soap-opera/whodunit, Stories We Tell, is a Frankenstein’s monster of personal filmmaking goodness that exists outside any genre. These two films are absolute beasts, and there are miles between them and the rest of the movies I saw this year. That said, it would be amazing if a film in the last half of 2013 can top them somehow. Fingers crossed!

#1  Before Midnight

#2  Stories We Tell

#3  Simon Killer

#4  You’re Next

#5  Like Someone In Love

Amy’s Top 5

I had the opportunity to see so many great films at this year’s Sundance London Film Festival, but only a few have so far have had confirmed releases, In a World will be heading to the UK this September. It was a tremendous comedy written, directed and performed by Lake Bell – I would recommend anyone to go see it when it hits cinemas! I also had the chance to see Mud at the festival and loved every minute of it. Stoker, (directed by Chan-wook Park, Oldboy) was a phenomenal film – its stunning visuals and intense storyline had me utterly gripped throughout, sincerely recommend for those who like Park’s style. Warm Bodies was a great film that turned our expectations of a zombie film upside down, making the dead come alive and love again. I really did not think I would take to Sightseers as much as I did, most of the film I was thinking – “what the hell is going on” – but the last few scenes had me in stitches. Looking forward to seeing: This is the End, The East, and Before Midnight.

#1  In a World

#2  Mud

#3  Stoker

#4  Warm Bodies

#5  Sightseers

CJ’s Top 5

I’ve never seen a year where my two favourite films (at this time) are documentaries, let alone ones that push the capabilities of documentary filmmaking and cinema itself into new directions. I had an internal debate about my placement of both films on this list. Do I give the #1 spot to the film with the most societal and moral impact, or the film with the most cinematic impact? In the end I couldn’t choose, so I let them both share the top spot. The other three are all terrific, and Bernard has explained enough why Before Midnight is great, but these first two shook me to the core. Other films that barely made the cut: Spring Breakers, Side Effects, The Place Beyond The Pines, Valentine Road.

#1 (tie)  Leviathan and The Act of Killing

#3  Before Midnight

#4  Beyond The Hills

#5  Hors Satan

Ananda’s Top 5

Perhaps it’s the celebration of the end of a long recession, but of 2013’s film offerings thus far, the ones that have seemed strongest to me are all of a lighter fare. Granted I haven’t seen A Hijacking, Mud, or The Stories We Tell (which would probably make this list because I have a huge girl-crush on Sarah Polley). I can wait for the fall to indulge in the heavier stuff, including all those festival films not yet released (Blue is the Warmest Color, holler). But sometimes lighter is better. From the bottom, This is the End is the best buddies-in-a-crises film I’ve seen since Shaun of the Dead and had my abs hurting for days. A three-quel on my list? I’m just as shocked, but when Hollywood’s wittiest writer, Shane Black, unites with the world’s wittiest superhero, Iron Man (played by the man Black was born to write for, Robert Downey Jr.) it’s a match made in Marvel heaven. Upstream Color isn’t easier to follow than Shane Carruth’s first film Primer, but was much easier to accept and had a lovely hum to it. It’s no secret I’m a sucker for films of the dark and twisty variety, and Stoker manages to be elegant with its seductive spookiness. Frances Ha, at the top of my list, stroke some realistic chords with this urban-dwelling 20-something, and Greta Gerwig shines as she makes what could be an aimless hipster, a relatable heroine. All in all, 2013 has me feeling rather positive thus far. Honorable Mentions: Side Effects (The twists and pacing of Ocean’s 11 with the gravitas of Contagion) and since we’re keeping it light with my list Warm Bodies successfully paired young love and zombies to my great delight.

#1  Frances Ha

#2  Stoker

#3  Upstream Color

#4  Iron Man 3

#5  This is the End

Dustin’s Top 5

It is not all that surprising that three of the top five films I have seen so far in 2013 had played at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. But only one of those (Nebraska) is allowed to be on this list as the other two (Like Father, Like Son and The Great Beauty) do not meet our prerequisite of having a hard 2013 U.S. release date yet. But because 2013 has been a solid year for films so far, it was not difficult to find two other films to take their place. And it will only get better during the fall festival circuit and awards season. Though I saw Ulrich Seidl’s hard-to-watch yet stimulating Paradise: Love last year, it is still the top film for me with a 2013 release date. A few films that just missed the cut for me were: To The Wonder, 28 Hotel Rooms, and The Act of Killing. I should also include a few films that I have not seen yet: Mud, Fruitvale Station, Before Midnight, and Post Tenebras Lux.

#1  Paradise: Love

#2  The Place Beyond the Pines

#3  Upstream Color

#4  Frances Ha

#5  Nebraska

Ulrich Seidl packs a punch full of irony in Paradise: Love where neither paradise nor love is anywhere to be found. On display instead is a voyeuristic view of a shy woman in search of love who goes wild and ends up on both sides of exploitation. There is some repetition in the film as naked men and women prance around as slaves to one another, but the images never leave you and the message registers loud and clear. Even though the film is the first installment of a trilogy, a fact that I was unaware of when I first saw it at the Chicago International Film Festival, Paradise: Love can easily stand on its own.

Paradise: Love starts off with a bang, literally, as a group of autistic people slam into one another with bumper cars. The sequence is a powerful one and serves as a bit of irony when the main character preaches to the drivers to not get too wild, then later in film goes wild herself. A large amount of screaming is heard from people in the bumper cars but it appears to be out of pure pleasure, the result is an excellent display of our instinctive human desire to achieve fulfillment. And that ends up being one of the major themes of the film.

At the heart of the film is an overweight Austrian woman named Teresa who travels to the paradise beaches of Kenya to get a break from her daily grind. When she arrives at her beachside hotel, Teresa’s neat-freak personality is shown when she uses spray to disinfect everything in her room. Teresa and the rest of the vacationers stick out like sore thumbs as the close-knit group of women are all overweight and light skinned in a sea of thin dark skinned males. But unlike the other Austrian women of the group who flaunt their money around and treat the locals as their own personal sex slaves, Teresa is shy around them and is more concerned with relaxing on the beach by herself.

However, her innocence does not last long, which leads into to the other theme of the film, exploitation. Teresa is annoyed when all of the men harass her as she tries to walk the beaches, trying to sell her jewelry and claiming to give her the best deals. One man tries to seduce her but she denies him by saying that he does not love her – finally exposing what she is ultimately perusing, love. Slowly she begins to accept and even embrace the attention they give her by using her money to love. But the question that lingers is what happens when she has no money left to give?

A transformation is easily seen as the same woman who was disinfecting her room at the beginning is seen rolling around naked in it by the end of the film. The same woman who refused to have sex with a man because she did not feel loved forgoes her restraints after she realizes how much power she has. She uses the locals to fulfill her desires and they use her for her money, the common ground is that everyone is treated like an object.

The picturesque scenery of sandy beaches and clear waters gives the illusion of paradise but serves as a great juxtaposition to the monstrosity that unfolds. And there is a lot of that going on in this film. As with most of Seidl’s films, Paradise: Love is a provocative film that does not hold back from showing harsh realities that are as hard to look away from as they are to look at. The film itself is incredibly simple and easy to follow, but what it captures are complex themes found in human nature. In Paradise: Love, Seidl explores areas that others either refuse or are simply too afraid to explore.

The third day of the Chicago International Film Festival began with the Czech film Flowerbuds. The first time director Zdenek Jirasky introduced the film by telling us that he brought us somewhat of a depressing film. Flowerbuds certainly adhered to the director’s statement.

Centered on a dysfunctional family living in a small Czech town, the film highlights the tragedy of that family and how they miss the opportunities to better their life. The father works as a train signal operator that requires him to simply push buttons to close off the road when a train comes through. After work hours he continues to push buttons, because of his serious video lottery gambling addiction. He digs himself deeper and deeper into debt with this addiction. With seemingly no options left the man is willing to give his life to save his family. Each of the other family members are equally as flawed and struggle to unite as a family.

The tone was perfectly set by the lack of saturation in the colors of the film. Had I not met with the director afterwards, I would have made one small criticism about the ending, but hearing his intention, which I will only allude to, a bridge over troubled tracks, makes completely sense. If you get a chance to see the film, it would have my recommendation.

RATING: 7.6/10

Flowerbuds

Because I had plenty of time between my next scheduled film, I decided to randomly walk into Alaskaland. The film relies heavily on fish-out-of-water circumstances of a Nigerian man living in Alaska. The man wants nothing to do with his heritage despite his family (especially his younger sister) eagerly waiting him to embrace it.

Alaskaland had good intentions, but it felt too personal to the filmmaker for an outsider to enjoy. The acting was downright atrocious, except for the sister, who had to often work with over-acted performances. The only other bright spot was the cinematography which was done very well. The dialog felt very awkward and some scenes flat out contradicted themselves. It will stick with you for all the wrong reasons.

RATING: 5/10

Alaskaland

The final film I saw today was Ulrich Seidl’s Paradise: Love. This is a film that leaves you speechless after you see it and will stick with you for a long time. It is bold, it is provocative, it is challenging.

From the very beginning Paradise: Love made it clear that the film is about fulfillment. The opening shot of autistic people running into each other in bumper cars with sheer satisfaction was a great way to show our human desire for enjoyment. The film expands off that when it follows an overweight German woman named Teresa who travels to the beautiful beaches of Kenya in search for fulfillment through love.

One of the most interesting aspects of the film was it’s use of exploitation. At first the locals there were engaging in sex with her in order to get to her money. But by the end she was using her money in attempt to purchase love, essentially using them.

The other observation that can be made is the progression of her character. When she first arrived she disinfected everything in her room but by the end she was practically rolling around in it naked. She was shy towards the men at first but became very dominating to them over time.

The only criticism I could come up with for Paradise: Love is that it drags on just a touch at the end. The point was made well before the scene towards the end finished. But that is only an extremely small issue that is easy to overlook considering the rest of the film. I think will be hard for another film to top this at the festival.

RATING: 8.5/10

Paradise: Love

COMING UP: The Portuguese character study Once Upon a Time Was I, Veronica and Cristian Mungiu’s follow up to his 2007 hit 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days with another existential drama Beyond The Hills.

Recap of some of my Tweets from today:

Follow @WayTooIndie for full coverage of the 2012 Chicago International Film Festival!

First film today will be FLOWERBUDS with director Q&A afterwards. Haven’t heard much about this one yet. #CIFF

— Way Too Indie (@WayTooIndie) October 14, 2012

Director of FLOWERBUDS explaining his film to the audience. twitter.com/WayTooIndie/st…

— Way Too Indie (@WayTooIndie) October 15, 2012

The director of ALASKALAND introducing her film. #ChiFilmFest48 twitter.com/WayTooIndie/st…

— Way Too Indie (@WayTooIndie) October 15, 2012

is hanging with @waytooindie at the @chifilmfest Filmmaker’s Lounge. #CIFF

— Nelson Carvajal (@nelsoncarvajal) October 15, 2012

PARADISE: LOVE leaves you speechless and will stick with you for a long time. One of the better films of the year. #ChiFilmFest48

— Way Too Indie (@WayTooIndie) October 15, 2012

Fall is a great time to watch films. The combination of the days beginning to get colder and the nights getting longer makes the perfect excuse for staying inside to watch films. Festival season is now in full swing which means award season will be following just around the corner. So what better place to enjoy a film festival in the fall than the Windy City of Chicago?

The Chicago International Film Festival (CIFF) is a two week film festival that prides itself on the abundant offerings of world cinema. During the five and a half days I will be there 80% percent of the films I am scheduled to see are foreign. More than half of those foreign films premiered overseas at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival this year. Generally what works best for me is going into films without a whole lot about it, so that is what I will be doing for most of what I see. For the majority of the films I have not even seen the full trailer.

Below are the films that I am planning to cover for Way Too Indie while I am there. However, this is slightly tentative depending on press screenings that may pop up but for the most part this will be it. In addition to festival coverage I will be posting on here, I will also be tweeting like crazy so make sure to follow @WayTooIndie on twitter.

Day #1: Holy Motors

Day #2: War Witch – Like Someone In Love – After Lucia

Day #3: Flowerbuds – Paradise: Love

Day #4: Once Upon A Time Was I, Veronica – Beyond The Hills

Day #5: Empire Builder – Not Fade Away

Chicago International Film Festival Trailers:

Holy Motors trailer:

War Witch trailer:

Like Someone In Love trailer:

Flowerbuds trailer:

Paradise: Love trailer:

Beyond The Hills trailer:

Not Fade Away trailer:

Nearly a month ago the first wave of 22 tiles were announced that would play at the 2012 Chicago International Film Festival and today the rest of the lineup has been revealed. Some of the notable additions to the lineup were; Paradise: Love which played at Cannes, Carlos Reygades’ baffling Post Tenebras Lux, the obsessive The Shining documentary Room 237, Brandon Cronenberg’s debut Antiviral and SXSW winner Gimme The Loot.

CIFF is shaping up to be a festival that is worth attending as the lineup is certainly stacked with some reputable films including the controversial Holy Motors and other Cannes film festival titles such as Beyond the Hills and Like Someone in Love. Other anticipated films that will play at the festival are; The Sessions, Leviathan (which was CJ’s favorite film at TIFF) and The Impossible.

Also a special presentation of Cloud Atlas will play at the festival and serve as the Centerpiece Film. Scheduled to attend that screening are the directors of the film; Tom Tykwer and the Chicago natives Lana and Andy Wachowski.

The 48th Chicago International Film Festival will be held on October 11th through October 25th 2012 at AMC River East 21 in downtown Chicago. This year I will be attending the festival and reporting back with capsule reviews and tweets for Way Too Indie so stay tuned.

2012 Chicago International Film Festival Lineup
Here is a link to .PDF with schedule and descriptions of the films.

The ABCs of Death (various directors)
After Christmas (Benjamin Kegan)
After Lucia (Michel Franco)
Ken Nordine Presents Agenbite of Inwit
Agon (Robert Budina)
Alaskaland (Chinonye Chukwu)
Another Bullet Dodged (Landon Zakheim)
Antiviral (Brandon Cronenberg)
Any Day Now (Travis Fine)
Art of Conflict (Valeri Vaughn)
As Goes Janesville (Brad Lichtenstein)
Astrid (Fijona Jonuzi)
Bad Seeds (Safy Nebbou)
The Believers (Clayton Brown Monica Long Ross)
The Bella Vista (Alicia Cano)
Benji (Coodie and Chike)
Beyond the Hills (Cristian Mungiu)
Bite of the Tail
Black Pond (Tom Kingsley and Will Sharpe)
Black’s Game (Axelsson)
Body Memory (Ülo Pikkov)
Boys Are Us (Peter Luisi)
Cadaver (Joseph Ansell)
Caesar Must Die (Paolo and Vittorio Taviani)
Café Regular, Cairo (Ritech Batra)
A Caretaker’s Tale (Katrine Wiedemann)
CatCam (Seth Keal)
The Central Park Five (David McMahon, Ken Burns and Sarah Burns)
The Chair (Grainger David)
Chill (Hana Jušić)
Citadel (Ciaran Foy)
The Cleaner (Adrian Saba)
Clip (Maja Milos)
Cloud Atlas (Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski and Tom Tykwer)
Color of Sky (Dr. Biju)
Come to Harm (Bokur Sigthorsson)
Coming of Age (Gerhart Ertl and Sabine Hiebler)
The Conquerors (Sarolta Szabó and Tibor Bánóczki)
Consuming Spirits (Chris Sullivan)
Dad, Lenin and Freddy (Rinio Dragasaki)
Day of the Crows (Jean-Christophe Dessaint)
Dear Hunters (Zack Bornstein)
The Delay (Rodrigo Plá)
Diaz: Don’t Clean up this Blood (Daniele Vicari)
Dinosaur Eggs in the Living Room (Rafael Urban)
Don’t Click (Tae-kyeong Kim)
Dragon (Peter Chan)
Dreams for Sale (Miwa Nishikawa)
Drought (Everardo González)
The Drudgery Train (Nobuhiro Yamashita)
Edmond Was A Donkey (Franck Dion)
Ellen is Leaving (Michelle Savill)
Empire Builder (Kris Swanberg)
Everybody’s Got Somebody…Not Me (Raúl Fuentes)
The Exam (Peter Bergendy)
F*ckload of Scotchtape (Julian Grant)
Fable (Lester Hamlet)
Faces (Said Najmi)
The Final Member (Jonah Bekhor and Zach Math)
Flight (Robert Zemeckis)
Flowerbuds (Zdenek Jirasky)
Footnote (Joseph Cedar)
Friend Request Pending (Chris Foggin)
Full Circle (Zhang Yang)
Germania (Maximiliano Schonfeld)
Gimme the Loot (Adam Leon)
Hemel (Sacha Polak)
Holy Motors (Leos Carax)
Hometown Boy (Hung-I Yao)
The Impossible (Juan Antonio Bayona)
In Hanford (Chris Mars)
In Their Skin (Jeremy Power Regimbal)
Jai Bhim Comrade (Anand Patwardhan)
The Jeffrey Dahmer Files (Chris James Thompson)
John Dies at the End (Don Coscarelli)
Keep the Lights On (Ira Sachs)
Kern (Veronika Franz & Severin Fiala)
King Curling (Ole Endresen)
Kuma (Umut Dag)
La Demora (Rodrigo Plá)
The Land of Eb (Andrew Williamson)
The Land of Hope (Sion Sono)
Land of the Heroes (Sahim Omar Kalifa)
The Last Friday (Yahya Al Abdallah)
The Last Ice Merchant (Sandy Patch)
The Last Sentence (Jan Troell)
Leviathan (Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Verena Paravel)
Like Someone in Love (Abbas Kiarostami)
Maniac (Franck Khalfoun)
Marie Kroyer (Bille August)
Marla (Nick King)
Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God (Alex Gibney)
Meeting Leila (Adel Yaraghi)
Mekong Hotel (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
Modest Reception (Mani Haghighi)
A Monkey on My Shoulder (Marion Laine)
Mr. Christmas (Nick Palmer)
Mr. Sophistication (Danny Green)
Murderer Alias X (Lynn Devillaz & Antonio Veiras)
My Bow Breathing (Enrico Maria Artale)
Next Door Letters (Sascha Fülscher)
Night Across the Street (Raoul Ruiz)
Not Fade Away (David Chase)
Numbered (Dana Doron and Uriel Sinai)
Of Snails and Men (Tudor Giurgiu)
Off White Lies (Maya Kenig)
Oh Willy… (Emma de Swaef)
Old Man (Leah Shore)
Once Upon a Time Was I, Veronica (Marcelo Gomes)
Otelo Burning (Sara Blecher)
Our Children (Joachim Lafosse)
Out in the Dark (Michael Mayer)
An Oversimplification of her Beauty (Terence Nance)
Paradise (Nadav Kurtz)
Paradise: Love (Ulrich Seidl)
The Patsy (King Vidor)
Paul (Adam Bizanski)
The Perfect Fit (Tali Yankelevich)
Pitch Black Heist (John Maclean)
La Playa DC (Juan Andres Arango Garcia)
Post Tenebras Lux (Carlos Reygadas)
Postcards from the Zoo (Edwin)
The Pub (Joseph Pierce)
Quartet (Dustin Hoffman)
The Queen of My Dreams (Fawzia Mirza)
Rat Fever (Cláudio Assis)
Reality (Matteo Garrone)
The Repentant (Merzak Allouache)
Return (Shay Levi)
Rhino Season (Bahman Ghobadi)
Room 237 (Rodney Ascher)
Room 69 (Claude Barras)
A Royal Affair (Nikolaj Arcel)
The Runner (Ana Lazarevic)
The Sapphires (Wayne Blair)
The Scapegoat (Charles Sturridge)
Sea Shadow (Nawaf Al-Janahi)
A Secret World (Gabriel Mariño)
The Sessions (Ben Lewin)
Shadow Dancer (James Marsh)
Shameless (Filip Marczewski)
Sharqiya (Ami Livne)
Shun Li and the Poet (Andrea Segre)
Simon Killer (Antonio Campos)
Sister (Ursula Meier)
Sleep Tight (Jaume Balagueró)
Something in the Air (Olivier Assayas)
Stand Up Guys (Fisher Stevens)
Starlet (Sean Baker)
StringCaesar (Paul Schoolman)
Tastes Like Chicken? (Quico Meirelles)
Tchoupitoulas (Bill Ross and Turner Ross)
Tey (Alain Gomis)
This is London (Mohammed Rashed Buali)
The Three Disappearances of Soad Hosni (Rania Stephan)
TSTL/ King Lost His Tooth (Gheith Al-Amine)
Under the Colors (Esmaeel Monsef)
Valley of Saints (Musa Syeed)
Voice Over (Martin Rosete)
Waiting for P.O. Box (Bassam Chekhes)
War Witch (Kim Nguyen)
The Weekend (Nina Grosse)
Westerland (Tim Staffel)
Where the Buffalo Roam (Brad Bischoff)
Winter of Discontent (Ibrahim El-Batout)
The World Is Funny (Shemi Zarhin)
Written in Ink (Martin Rath)
Xingu (Cao Hamburger)
Yardbird (Michael Spiccia)
Yuma (Piotr Mularuk)
38-39°C (Kangmin Kim)
43,000 Feet (Campbell Hooper)

With TIFF only weeks away, the festival has just dumped another massive amount of titles that will be playing come September. Today TIFF rounds out its Galas and Special Presentations program, announcing Paul Andrew Williams’ Song for Marion as the closing film. That brings the total number of Galas to 20 and Special Presentations up to a whopping 70. Highlights include Spike Lee’s Michael Jackson documentary Bad 25, Brian De Palma’s Passion and Harmony Korine’s Spring Breakers. Titles from Cannes that are showing up in Special Presentations include Lee Daniels’ The Paperboy, Walter Salles’ On The Road and Pablo Trapero’s White Elephant. And, despite being revealed yesterday, one of the biggest announcements for TIFF is that Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master will be screening in 70mm for its North American Premiere.

Contemporary World Cinema, a massive programme dedicated to showing off cinema around the world, revealed the rest of its line-up. With 62 films, highlights include Christian Petzold’s Barbara, Edward Burns’ The Fitzgerald Family Christmas, Sergei Loznitsa’s In The Fog, Sion Sono’s In The Land of Hope, Ulrich Seidl’s Paradise: Love, Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Penance and James Ponsoldt’s Smashed.

Finally, the Wavelengths line-up was fully revealed. Dedicated to avant-garde films, the program has expanded this year to include more film choices. On top of its 4 wavelengths sections, the programme includes Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Mekong Hotel, Tsai Ming-Liang’s Walker, Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Véréna Paravel’s Leviathan, Carlos Reygadas’ Post Tenebras Lux and Ying Liang’s When Night Falls which just won 2 awards at the Locarno Film Festival.

The line-ups for Galas and Special presentations are listed below. You can read the rest of the line-up for Contemporary World Cinema and Wavelengths at the festival’s official site. Once again, WayTooIndie will be covering the Toronto International Film Festival next month where we hope to discover some amazing new films from around the world. More information about the festival, including the full line-up and how to get tickets, can be found on www.tiff.net/festival. The Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 6th – 16th.

Galas:
Song for Marion Paul Andrew Williams, UK World Premiere (Closing Night Film)
A feel-good, heart-warming story about how music can inspire you. Song for Marion stars Terence Stamp as Arthur, a grumpy pensioner who can’t understand why his wife Marion (Vanessa Redgrave) would want to embarrass herself singing silly songs with her unconventional local choir. But choir director Elizabeth (Gemma Arterton) sees something special in the reluctant Arthur and refuses to give up on him. As she coaxes him out of his shell, Arthur realizes that it is never too late to change.

Emperor Peter Webber, Japan/USA World Premiere
In the aftermath of Japan’s defeat in World War II and the American occupation of the country, a Japanese expert (Matthew Fox) on the staff of Gen. Douglas MacArthur (Tommy Lee Jones) is faced with a decision of historic importance, in this epically scaled drama from director Peter Webber (Girl With a Pearl Earring).

What Maisie Knew Scott McGehee, David Siegel, USA World Premiere
Based on the Henry James novella, the story frames on 7-year-old Maisie, caught in a custody battle between her mother – a rock and roll icon – and her father. What Maisie Knew is an evocative portrayal of the chaos of adult life seen entirely from a child’s point of view. Starring Joanna Vanderham, Onata Aprile, Alexander Skarsgård, Julianne Moore, and Steve Coogan.

Special Presentations:
Arthur Newman Dante Ariola, USA World Premiere
Wallace Avery is tired of being a loser. Once a hot shot in the world of competitive amateur golf, Wallace was dubbed ‘The Choker’ when he hit the pro circuit. Unable to shake off a monumental loss of nerve on the greens, Wallace retired from the pro tour and slipped into the ranks of the quietly desperate. Deciding to address a radical problem with a radical solution, he stages his own death, buys himself a new identity as Arthur Newman, and sets out toward his own private Oz of golf. An offbeat love story set in a perfect storm of identity crisis, Arthur Newman looks at how two people try to remake themselves and come around to owning up to some basic truths about the identities they left at home. Starring Emily Blunt, Colin Firth, and Anne Heche.

Bad 25 Spike Lee, USA North American Premiere
Bad 25 celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Michael Jackson “Bad” album with unseen footage, content shot by Jackson himself, and a treasure chest of findings. The documentary is divided into two parts: artists today who were influenced by Michael, and people who worked by his side – musicians, songwriters, technicians, engineers, people at the label – all committed to Michael and the follow-up to the biggest record of all time, “Thriller.” Interviewees include: Mariah Carey, L.A. Reid and Sheryl Crow.

Disconnect Henry Alex Rubin, USA North American Premiere
Disconnect interweaves multiple storylines about people searching for human connection in today’s wired world. Through poignant turns that are both harrowing and touching, the stories intersect with surprising twists that expose a shocking reality into our daily use of technology that mediates and defines our relationships and ultimately our lives. Directed by Academy Award® nominee Henry Alex Rubin (Murderball), and starring Jason Bateman, Hope Davis, Frank Grillo, Paula Patton, Michael Nyqvist, Andrea Riseborough, Alexander Skarsgård, and Max Theriot, as well as Jonah Bobo, Colin Ford and Haley Ramm.

Do Not Disturb Yvan Attal, France World Premiere
Jeff unexpectedly shows up on Ben’s doorstep at 2am. Since their college days, they’ve taken very different paths. Jeff is still the wild man, a serial lover, an artist and eternal vagabond who’s never stopped roaming the world. Ben has settled down with chilled-out and wonderful Anna; they bought a small and comfortable house in the suburbs and started trying to make a baby. But this quiet life is disrupted by the whirlwind that is Jeff, especially when he takes Ben to a wild party, from which they return at dawn, having made a decision that is about to turn all of their lives upside down. This provocative, hot and funny new film by award-winning French director Yvan Atta stars François Cluzet and Charlotte Gainsbourg.

Greetings from Tim Buckley Dan Algrant, USA World Premiere
Greetings from Tim Buckley follows the story of the days leading up to Jeff Buckley’s eminent 1991 performance at his father’s tribute concert in St. Ann’s Church. Through a romance with a young woman working at the concert, he learns to embrace all of his feelings toward the father who abandoned him – longing, anger, forgiveness, and love. Culminating in a cathartic performance of his father’s most famous songs, Jeff’s debut stuns the audience and launches his career as one of the greatest young musicians of his time. Starring Imogen Poots and Penn Badgley.

Lines of Wellington Valeria Sarmiento, Portugal North American Premiere
After the failed attempts of Junot and Soult in 1807 and 1809, Napoleon Bonaparte sent a powerful army, commanded by Marshal Massena, to invade Portugal in 1810. The French easily reached the centre of the country, where the Anglo-Portuguese army, led by General Wellington, was waiting. Starring John Malkovich, Nuno Lopes, Soraia Chaves, Marisa Paredes, and Victoria Guerra.

Love is All You Need Susanne Bier, Denmark North American Premiere
Love Is All You Need is a new film by Academy Award-winner Susanne Bier. Philip (Pierce Brosnan), an Englishman living in Denmark, is a lonely, middle-aged widower and estranged single father. Ida (Trine Dyrholm) is a Danish hairdresser, recuperating from a long bout of illness, who’s just been left by her husband for a younger woman. The fates of these two bruised souls are about to intertwine, as they embark for Italy to attend the wedding of Philip’s son and Ida’s daughter. With warmth, affection and confidence, Bier has shaken a cocktail of love, loss, absurdity, humour and delicately drawn characters who will leave only the hardest heart untouched. This is a film about the simple yet profound pains and joys of moving on – and forward – with your life.

On The Road Walter Salles, France/Brazil North American Premiere
Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Walter Salles and based on the iconic novel by Jack Kerouac, On The Road tells the provocative story of Sal Paradise (Sam Riley), a young writer whose life is ultimately redefined by the arrival of Dean Moriarty (Garrett Hedlund), a free-spirited, fearless, fast-talking Westerner and his girl, Marylou (Kristen Stewart). Traveling cross-country, Sal and Dean venture out on a personal quest for freedom from the conformity and conservatism engulfing them in search of the unknown, themselves, and the pursuit of it – the pure essence of experience. Seeking unchartered terrain and the last American frontier, the duo encounter an eclectic mix of men and women, each adding meaning to their desire for a new way of life. The screenplay is by Jose Rivera (Academy Award nominee for The Motorcycle Diaries), while Executive Producer Francis Ford Coppola has been developing the project since 1978. Also stars Viggo Mortensen and Kirsten Dunst.

Passion Brian De Palma, France/Germany North American Premiere
An erotic thriller in the tradition of Dressed To Kill and Basic Instinct, Brian de Palma’s Passion tells the story of a deadly power struggle between two women in the dog-eat-dog world of international business. Christine possesses the natural elegance and casual ease associated with one who has a healthy relationship with money and power. Innocent, lovely and easily exploited, her admiring protégé, Isabelle, is full of cutting-edge ideas that Christine has no qualms about stealing. They’re on the same team, after all… But when Isabelle falls into bed with one of Christine’s lovers, war breaks out. Starring Rachel McAdams, Noomi Rapace, Karoline Herfurth and Paul Anderson.

Rhino Season Bahman Ghobadi, Iraqi Kurdistan/Turkey World Premiere
After thirty years spent in prisons of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Kurdish-Iranian poet Sahel finally walks free. Now the one thing keeping him alive is the thought of finding his wife Mina, who thinks he is long dead and has since moved to Turkey. Sahel sets out on an Istanbul-bound search. Starring Behrouz Vossoughi, Monica Bellucci and Yilmaz Erdoğan.

Spring Breakers Harmony Korine, USA North American Premiere
Four sexy college girls plan to fund their spring break getaway by burglarizing a fast food shack. But that’s only the beginning. During a night of partying, the girls hit a roadblock when they are arrested on drug charges. Hung over and clad only in bikinis, the girls appear before a judge but are bailed out unexpectedly by Alien (James Franco), an infamous local thug who takes them under his wing and leads them on the wildest spring break trip in history. Rough on the outside but with a soft spot inside, Alien wins over the hearts of the young spring breakers, and leads them on a spring break they never could have imagined. Starring Selena Gomez, James Franco, Vanessa Hudgens and Heather Morris.

The Master Paul Thomas Anderson, USA North American Premiere
A striking portrait of drifters and seekers in post World War II America, Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master unfolds the journey of a Naval veteran (Joaquin Phoenix) who arrives home from war unsettled and uncertain of his future — until he is tantalized by The Cause and its charismatic leader (Philip Seymour Hoffman). Starring Amy Adams, Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Dern.

The Paperboy Lee Daniels, USA North American Premiere
A chilling sex-and-race-charged film noir, The Paperboy takes audiences deep into the backwaters of steamy 1960s South Florida, as investigative reporter Ward Jansen and his partner Yardley Acheman chase a sensational, career-making story with the help of Ward’s younger brother Jack and sultry death-row groupie Charlotte Bless. Starring Matthew McConaughey, Nicole Kidman, John Cusack, David Oyelowo and Zac Efron.

The Son Did It Daniele Ciprì, Italy/France North American Premiere
The Son Did It is the story of the Ciraulos, a poor family from South Italy whose young daughter is mistakenly killed by the Mafia. As compensation, they receive a large amount of money from the State but this sudden richness will change their life in a completely unexpected way. Starring Toni Servillo, Giselda Volodi, Alfredo Castro and Fabrizio Falco.
The Suicide Shop Patrice Leconte, France/Belgium/Canada International Premiere
Imagine a shop that for generations has sold all the accoutrements for the perfect suicide. This family business prospers in all its bleak misery, until the day it encounters joie de vivre in the shape of younger son, Alan. What will become of The Suicide Shop in the face of Alan’s relentless good cheer, optimism and determination to make the customers smile? Starring Bernard Alane, Isabelle Spade, Kacey Mottet Klein, Isabelle Giami and Laurent Gendron.

Thérèse Desqueyroux Claude Miller, France International Premiere
In the Landes region of France, near Bordeaux, marriages are arranged to merge land parcels and unite neighbouring families. Thus, young Thérèse Larroque becomes Mrs. Desqueyroux. But her avant-garde ideas clash with local conventions and in order to break free from the fate imposed upon her and live a full life, she will resort to tragically extreme measures. Starring Audrey Tautou, Gilles Lellouche and Anaïs Demoustier.

White Elephant Pablo Trapero, Argentina/Spain North American Premiere
In a poverty-stricken and highly dangerous Buenos Aires slum, two men – both friends, both priests, both deeply respected by the local community for their tireless endeavours on behalf of the poor and the dispossessed – take very different paths in their struggle against violence, corruption and injustice. Starring Martina Gusman, Ricardo Darin and Jérémie Renier.

Yellow Nick Cassavetes, USA World Premiere
Nick Cassavetes’ seminal work, Yellow, is a searing take on modern society and the demands it makes on people. Centered on Mary Holmes, a young woman who has a difficult time feeling things, and swallowing twenty Vicodin a day doesn’t help. We enter her hallucinatory world, peopled with Busby Berkeley dancers, Cirque du Soleil, Circus freaks, and human farm animals where nothing is quite what it seems. Starring Sienna Miller, Gena Rowlands, Ray Liotta, David Morse, Lucy Punch, Max Theoriot, Riley Keough, Daveigh Chase, Heather Wahlquist and Melanie Griffith.