I have completed my review of the films available at this year's Montreal fest. Montreal can be a tough festival to scout out films because it places a premium on entries that are premieres, where not much is known about the films because they are new. Nonetheless I came up with several which are or might be of interest to readers of this forum. 







all have profiles already. These last two will be offered in a free screening series along with other Quebec films of interest such as The Necessities of Life and Maman est chez le coiffeur which have been discussed here previously. Montreal will also be screening The Seventh Circle, the new film from the director of Abandoned, which I mentioned in the last batch of new films...unfortunately it doesn't look like joseph is going to be able to see that one. 

One other previously mentioned film of note playing at the WFF this year is the short film Lars og Peter, mentioned in page one of this thread which drew a good review from nicolas. It will be screening in tandem with a rather weird sounding Dutch film called Winter Silence.

The new films that would be on my list were I in Quebec now are....



In spring of 1981, the Trogi family move into their brand new home, in a suburb of Quebec City. No sooner installed in their dream house, than inflation and an economic downturn shake the foundations of their new existence. As the interest rates continue to climb, so does their mortgage and their blood pressure. Young Ricardo, 11, doesn't know what the word mortgage means but he knows it's a menace. And, as a poor ethnic newcomer in a school where most of the kids are from well-off old line families, Ricardo must rely on his wits to survive. On his wits and his imagination. He fantasizes that his father could have been a rich lawyer had Hitler's soldiers not set young's Benito's school ablaze. And to win the approval of his classmates, he promises them copies of Playboy. He pretends not to recognize his father playing the accordion in a restaurant, argues with his mother over the cost of living and consumerism, and lies to Anne Tremblay, a smart classmate on whom he has a crush. You have to be inventive to survive and Ricardo is nothing if not inventive. But it all has to stop somewhere...

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ANDRÉS NO QUIERE DORMIR LA SIESTA  (Andres Doesn't Want to Take a Siesta) (Argentina)

Santa Fe, Argentina, 1977. When his mother Nora dies in an accident, Andrés, 8, goes to live with his grandmother Olga and his father Raul. After her death it is discovered that Nora was involved with the guerrillas of the time. This discovery irks Olga. She is the matriarch of the family; nothing happens without her knowledge. How could she not have known? In his father's house, Andrés does not have a room of his own and is treated brusquely by Raul. Once extroverted and highly active, Andrés has now become a secretive and withdrawn young boy. Nearby is a government detention centre. It is clandestine but an open secret in the neighbourhood; the children play in an field bordering the place. When Andrés passes by on the way to his mother's house, he sometimes stops to talk to Sebastian, the guard outside the main door. Nora's house has now become a refuge for Andrés. He spends long hours in it. He learns to keep quiet and observe things; he will act when the time comes. That time comes at lunch on New Year's Day...

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Yomiyat madinat al ramad (Diary of the Ash City) (Qatar)

Describes the sad reality of most Iraqi children whose dreams have been put on hold due to political conditions they did not choose. The film examines security issues, education and health prospects while highlighting some of the children's intimate experience of living with daily explosions and sectarian violence.


LA FISICA DELL'ACQUA (The Physics of Water) (Italy)

Seven-year-old Alessandro lost his father when he was just a toddler, and is being raised by his single mother, Giulia, a swimming teacher. They live in a house surrounded by trees in the suburbs of the city... It is a bright morning. The sounds of a car awaken the boy; he sees his mother leave with his uncle Claudio and he chases after them in fear, yelling desparately. He is not able to stop them and the car has a terrible accident, and Alessandro arrives only in time to see the ambulance take off. In a state of shock, he is taken to a police station. A detective takes care of him. Alessandro cries and confesses to have caused the accident by manipulating the brakes of the car. The detective is considerate and gentle with the boy. He calms him down and presuades him to tell his story. Alessandro begins talking about the return of his uncle Claudio, whom the boy hasn't seen since he was two years old. Immediately following his uncle's return, the little boy's life begins to be dominated by fears, by "visions" which torment him. He talks about his problems only with his best friend, Edo. The arrival of Claudio changes many things: Claudio courts Giulia -- who after losing her husband never remarried -- and the old house, which Alessandro is very fond of, is put up for sale. The boy's frustration and unhappiness grow...

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Municipality Ghatkopar is a a 12-year-old boy with his own moral code and an idealized notion of motherhood. He still nurtures the belief that one day he may be reunited with his own mother. Sent to reform school for his part in the theft of a wallet, Municipality escapes the clutches of a lecherous adult, but witnesses a two-day-old baby being abandoned on the school's doorstep. He snatches the child and vows to return him to his mother regardless of the personal cost; he takes his parental responsibilities seriously. The picaresque saga of his attempts to reunite mother and child proves to be a character-building exercise...

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Director Roger Cantin (The Dog Who Stopped the War, Hidden Fortress, Matusalem, Simon and the Dreamhunters)

Two destinies intersect. Norbert has worked for twenty years in Africa. Either out of idealism or because he was forced to flee his country of origin. When he returns, it's despite himself and without papers. Now Norbert has only one goal: to be deported back to Africa where he lived and worked. Above all, not to be stuck in Canada, where he feels useless... And in danger. Norbert plans to stow away on a cargo ship head for Africa. But he must get rid of Trotsky, his pet monkey. He has no choice but to abandon the small primate in the park... and hope that someone will pick him up. But an annoying kid spoils his plan by witnessing it and quickly bringing back the money. "Why are you dumping your pet? You're disgusting!" What starts as a confrontation evolves slowly into a true companionship. The man and the boy serve as each other's bridge over troubled waters.

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UNE SEMAINE SUR DEUX (et la moitié des vacances scolaires) (Alternate Weeks (and half the Vacation)) (France)

Paris. Léa, 12, and her little brother Max, 8, live with their parents. One week with Marjorie, their mom, the next week with François, their dad. Léa blames her mother, hotshot businesswoman Marjorie, for the divorce and directss all her anger at her. She prefers the weeks with her dad, even though he's flat broke since he left his bank job to give people free hugs on street corners. Max meanwhile channels his sense of injustice into the battle to save the planet! But over the school year, as her parents fumble at getting their lives back on track and she approaches her 13th birthday, Léa learns to see the world in colour again..."The starting idea for the film was Léa, a 12-year-old who isn't too happy with her lot, who, like so many pre-adolescents, has this notion that she was born into the wrong family... It's a family film, and despite the background of separation, I wanted a positive resolution, something that suggests a possible reconciliation between parents and children, something that derives from a reconciliation with oneself."

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Duburys (Vortex) (Lithuania)

The story of the generation that lived through the entire Soviet period of Lithuania is told through that of the film's protagonist -- his childhood spent in a village, true friendship, work in Klaipeda, on the Baltic coast, sexual attraction and fatal love -- everything is so simple and so achingly real. According to director Gytis Luksas, "VORTEX is a film about a man who was broken by the gloom of the Soviet era and whose life stayed unnoticed." The film is based on a story by Lithuanian writer Romualdas Granauskas.

Thanks, Zab.

A few of these are playing today. If I can manage to get my shit together, I'm going to go see Lucky Country this afternoon and Laskar Pelangi this evening.

Marea de arena is also playing, but I looked at the trailer and it doesn't appeal to me at all. Looks like the boy's role is pretty minor. It's playing at the same time as Laskar Pelangi anyway, so no competition.

I'm unfortunately going out of town for the rest of the weekend, so I won't be able to see any more films at the festival tomorrow or Sunday. Next week, I work during the day and I'm busy most evenings, but I might be able to sneak in a film or two. Then I'll try to catch a few more next weekend.

I already know that these ones won't fit in my schedule:

1981 - although that'll probably get a theatrical release here very soon, so I'm not worried.

Une semaine sur deux - I wanted to see this one, but it won't be possible.

Un Cargo pour l'Afrique - Doesn't fit in my schedule, but I think it looks terrible anyway, based on the trailer. The boy is cute and he seems to have a very prominent role, but the acting in the trailer is just so one-note. I'm assuming this will also play in theatres after the festival, since it's a local film.

Hmm. I just changed my mind. Decided my time was too precious to spend it on those films. 

I'm not going to buy the 10-ticket deal after all. Maybe I'll just go see The Seventh Circle and skip all the rest.

As I was saying, there are a few more offerings in the Montreal list that drew my attention.

Mi Xiang (Death Dowry) (China)

Young Mixiang, a simple girl from Sichuan, is raising her retarded son by herself after being abandoned by her husband. Desolate, Mixiang listens to girls from her hometown, who tell her about an easy way to make money. Coal mines in the north are always having accidents, she is told, and if she can marry a man who dies in a mine, she will receive a large sum of money in compensation. For her future and that of her son, Mixiang decides to marry for this death dowry. Mixiang and her son, Piwa, move to a mining town in Henan, where she sets her sights on an ugly, hunchbacked, middle-aged miner. After the wedding, Mixiang eagerly awaits the early death of her husband and the money that will follow. But as the days pass and nothing happens in the mines, Mixiang grows anxious. Tuozi, her husband, treats Mixiang and her retarded son well, working extra hours to earn money to give to them. But Mixiang just wishes for Tuozi's early death; she buries her menstrual pad in the ground by the mine to put a curse on him. One day Tuozi tries to win her favour by going to town to buy her some fruit, and on that day the mine does collapse. Mixiang runs to the mine entrance to see the bodies and cries out in despair when she doesn't see Tuozi's. Tuozi misunderstands and thinks that she is crying out of grief for him. He is deeply moved, and he is also grateful to Mixiang for unintentionally saving his life. But Mixiang is still hoping her death dowry. Since the first curse worked, she tries repeating it...

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The rest of these titles are short films...

Vitthal  (India)

Twelve-year-old Vitthal is very angry. After the death of his grandfather, Vitthal's parents shaved his head according to Hindi rites. Now his world is shattered.

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Fading Fast (Canada)

A ten-year-old boy, convinced that he has less than 24 hours to live, decides to make his last day on earth one to remember.

Dylan Everett stars in this film, mostly available on youtube...  (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)

En Legitima Defensa  (Colombia)

Joel, a soccer-playing boy who lives in the slums of Bogota, finds out that Vizcaino, a thief whose life he saved, murdered Joel's eldest brother. Joel is torn between revenge and a desire to get on with his life and soccer.

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Eight-year old Joe has a birthday he will never forget. After friends tease him, he sneaks off the to sick bay, wishing everyone in the world would go away. He wakes up to find his dreams may have become a reality.

My Name is Mohammed (Jordan)

Nine-year-old Iraqi refugee Mohammed dreams of being a regular kid. Instead he shines shoes on Amman streets to buy his mother medicine and send his sister Reem to school.

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There comes a time in every kid's life when they realize their parents are up to more than just "cleaning the room".

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11 ans  (Canada)

Antoine is celebrating his 11th birthday but doesn't want to grow any older. He refuses to blow out the candles on his cake.

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josephk wrote on 30. Aug 2009 at 23:25:


I know you better than anyone else here.

josephk wrote on 30. Aug 2009 at 23:25:


Actually, the sigh is about all the drama.

You've gone from volunteering to see anything and everything to saying all of these films are beneath you to some sort of a middle position all within a few days.

You're not obligated to produce a review of anything. If it stresses you out to do so, by all means don't see the films. Should you choose to see any of the films in this thread, or for that matter an on topic film not in this thread, I'd still be interested in reading your opinions. (Stay away from Children of Invention though, it will do nothing to raise your opinion of the WFF).

These summaries and pictures are presented with the idea that reading about these films (and hopefully someday watching them) will give the readers of this forum some pleasure. I'll keep adding to the thread as long as I believe that to be so.  

Zab, thanks for continuing to update this thread. There are lots I'd like to see. There seems to be an incredible surge in the last few years in the number of on-topic films being made. Time is, as usual is the enemy. The added problem too, is that it is also taking much more time than ever before just to check out all the options and make the right choices.