Spring 2013 movie lineup

Your Sister's Sister explores the complexity and weirdness of human relationships with humor. Depressed from the death of his brother, Jack heads off to the Pacific Northwest vacation home of his friend Iris for much needed recuperation. The idyllic scenery and rest should work wonders for Jack. When he arrives at the house, Jack finds that it is already occupied by Iris' older sister Hannah, who is recovering from a relationship gone south. A night of drinking and sharing is followed by an awkward incident. When Iris arrives at the house the next day with her own secrets, a twisted tale of raw emotions ensues.
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Original title: Les amours imaginaires

Xavier Dolan's sexy and stylish Heartbeats is a comic exploration of a romantically obsessed menage-a-trois. Heartbeats was a hit at the Cannes Film Festival, winning the Youth Prize, and an official selection of the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival. Part farce, part exploration of the complexity of love and desire, Heartbeats centers on two close friends, Francis (Xavier Dolan) and Marie (Monia Chokri), who find themselves fighting for the affections of the same striking young man (Neils Schneider). The more intimate the trio becomes, the more unattainable the object of their infatuation seems, sending the friends' obsession into overdrive.
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Original title: Kiseki

Twelve-year-old Koichi lives with his mother and retired grandparents in the southern region Japan. His younger brother Ryunosuke lives with their father in the northern region of Japan. The brothers have been separated by their parents' divorce, and Koichi's only wish is for his family to be reunited. When he learns that a new bullet train line will soon open linking the two towns, he starts to believe that a miracle will take place the moment these new trains first pass each other at top speed. With help from the adults around him, Koichi sets out on a journey with a group of friends, each hoping to witness a miracle.
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Original title: Copie conforme

Juliette Binoche won the Best Actress prize in Cannes for her performance in this playful and provocative romantic drama from legendary auteur Abbas Kiarostami (Taste fo Cherry, The Wind Will Carry Us), his first feature made outside of Iran. Binoche plays a gallery owner living in a Tuscan village who attends a lecture by a British author (opera star William Shimell) on authenticity and fakery in art. Afterward, she invites him on a tour of the countryside, during which he is mistaken for her husband. They keep up the pretense and continue on their afternoon out, discussing love, life and art, and increasingly behaving like a long-married couple. But are they play-acting on a whim or is there more to their seemingly new relationship than meets the eye?
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For years, townsfolk have been terrified of the backwoods recluse known as Felix Bush. People say he's done all manner of unspeakable things - that he's killed in cold blood; that he's in league with the Devil; that he has strange powers - and they avoid him like the plague. Then, one day Felix rides into town with a shotgun and a wad of cash, saying he wants to buy a funeral. It is not your usual funeral for the dead Felix wants. On the contrary, he wants a living funeral, in which anyone who ever had heard a story about him will come to tell it, while he takes it all in.
Sensing a big payday in the offing, fast-talking funeral home owner Frank Quinn enlists his gentlemanly young apprentice, Buddy Robinson, to win over Felix's business. Buddy is no stranger to Felix's dark reputation, but what he discovers is that behind Felix's surreal plan lies a very real and long - held secret that must get out.
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Original title: Rundskop

Bullhead is a harrowing tale of revenge, redemption and fate. Domineering cattle farmer Jacky Vanmarsenille (Matthias Schoenaerts in a ferocious breakout performance), constantly pumped on steroids and hormones, initiates a shady deal with a notorious mafioso meat trader. When an investigating federal agent is assassinated and a woman from his traumatic past resurfaces, Jacky must confront his demons and face the far-reaching consequences of his decisions. Acclaimed at festivals worldwide including the Berlin Film Festival, AFI Fest and Fantastic Fest, the award-winning Bullhead is visceral saga bursting with rage that TwitchFilm calls "a tremendous accomplishment...one of the most original crime films in recent memory."
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Oslo, August 31^st is a portrait of contemporary Oslo. It is a visually striking and quietly shattering drama about a man in deep existential crisis. Anders, a recovering drug addict, takes a leave from his treatment center to interview for a job and catch up with old friends in Oslo.
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Original title: Micmacs à tire-larigot

First it was a mine that exploded in the middle of the Moroccan desert. Years later, it was a stray bullet that lodged in his brain. Bazil doesn't have much luck with weapons. The first made him an orphan, the second holds him on the brink of sudden, instant death.
Released from the hospital after his accident, Bazil is homeless. Luckily, our inspired and gentle-natured dreamer is quickly taken in by a motley crew of junkyard dealers living in a veritable Ali Baba's cave. The group's talents and aspirations are as surprising as they are diverse: Remington, Calculator, Buster, Slammer, Elastic Girl, Tiny Pete and Mama Chow.
Then one day, walking by two huge buildings, Bazil recognizes the logos of the weapons manufacturers that caused all of his misfortune. He sets out to take revenge, with the help of his faithful gang of wacky friends. Underdogs battling heartless industrial giants, our gang relive the battle of David and Goliath, with all the imagination and fantasy of Buster Keaton.
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This documentary chronicles the life of Ai Weiwei, China's most famous international artist and its most outspoken domestic critic. Against a backdrop of strict censorship and an unresponsive legal system, Ai expresses himself and organizes people through art and social media. In response, Chinese authorities have shut down his blog, beat him up, bulldozed his newly built studio, and held him in secret detention.
Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry is the inside story of a dissident for the digital age, who inspires global audiences and blurs the boundaries of art and politics. First-time director Alison Klayman gained unprecedented access to Ai while working as a journalist in China. Her detailed portrait provides a nuanced exploration of contemporary China and one of its most compelling public figures.
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Original title: Le gamin au vélo

Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at this year's Cannes Film Festival and a Golden Globe nominee for Best Foreign Language Film, the deeply moving new film by the Dardenne brothers (L'enfant, Rosetta) delves into the emotional life of troubled 11-year-old Cyril (newcomer Thomas Doret). When his father (Jérémie Renier) abandons him, Cyril obsessively searches for his bicycle - placing his last bit of hope in this symbol of their relationship. Almost by accident, he becomes the ward of a kind hairdresser (Cécile de France - Clint Eastwood's Hereafter), who seems surprised to find herself so determined to help him. With his wild, unpredictable behavior and his disastrous search for father figures, Cyril risks losing her - though she refuses to give up without a fight. Full of heartbreaking betrayals and unexpected grace, The Kid with a Bike is a film about a child, abandoned to the elements, learning to become good.
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