Showing Friday, October 22 at 7:30 p.m.

Our Foreign Film Series begins on Friday, October 22! This year, we'll be showing films from Italy, Switzerland, Israel, Denmark, France, Korea, and one Spanish-language film from the U.S. 

Friday, October 22 at 7:30 p.m. - MID-AUGUST LUNCH (2009) Starring Gianni Di Gregorio; Not rated; 75 minutes; In Italian with English subtitles

A middle-aged man living with his elderly mother finds the best way to pay for their debts is to take care of the building manager's mother during the biggest festival of the year. Soon he finds himself with not two but four mothers to keep fed and happy.

"Luminous...scenes of food preparation are mouthwatering..." -- New York Times

"A pleasant taste of Roman life!" -- Philadelphia Inquirer

As a hearty welcome for the opening of our 2010 Foreign Film Series, and a nod to the scrumptiousness of our opening film, please join us before the film for a wine and cheese reception! (Doors will open at 6:45 p.m.)

Friday, October 29 at 7:30 p.m. - HOME (2008) Starring Isabelle Huppert; Not rated; 97 minutes; From Switzerland, in French with English subtitles

A family's peaceful existence is threatened when a busy highway is opened only meters away from their isolated house in the middle of nowhere.

Friday, November 5 at 7:30 p.m. - AJAMI (2009) Not rated; 120 minutes; In Hebrew with English subtitles

Shakespearian in its scope and themes - revenge, loyalty, hope, and despair - Ajami draws us into the lives of two brothers fearing assassination, a young refugee working illegally to cover his mother's medical expenses, and a cop obsessed with finding his missing brother. Through this dramatic collision of different worlds, we witness cultural and religious tensions simmering beneath the surface and the tragic consequences of enemies living as neighbors.

Friday, November 12 at 7:30 p.m. - TERRIBLY HAPPY (2009) Not rated; 90 minutes; In Danish with English subtitles

Robert Hanson is a Copenhagen police officer who, following a nervous breakdown, is transferred to a small provincial town to take on the mysteriously vacated Marshall position and subsequently gets mixed up with a married femme fatale. Robert’s big city temperament makes it impossible for him to fit in, or understand the uncivilized, bizarre behavior displayed by the townspeople. Quickly spiraling downward into an intense fable reminiscent of the Coen Brothers’ this film displays a unique, often macabre vision of the darkest depths to which people will go to achieve a sense of security and belonging.

Friday, November 19 at 7:30 p.m. - SUMMER HOURS (2008) Starring Juliette Binoche, Charles Berling, and Jérémie Rénier; Not rated; 101 minutes; In French with English subtitles

The divergent paths of three forty-something siblings collide when their mother, heiress to her uncle’s exceptional 19th-century art collection, dies suddenly. Left to come to terms with themselves and their differences, Adrienne (Binoche), a successful New York designer, Frédéric (Berling), an economist and university professor in Paris, and Jérémie (Rénier), a dynamic businessman in China, confront the end of childhood, their shared memories, background and unique vision of the future.

 Friday, November 26 at 7:30 p.m. - TREELESS MOUNTAIN (2008) Not rated; 89 minutes; In Korean with English subtitles

 What is the nature of childhood resilience? Sisters Jin and Bin, ages 6 and 3, live with their mother. Jin likes school and does well. One day, their mother leaves the girls with their father's sister, a woman they do not know, to seek a reconciliation with their father. The girls scrub and clean for their aunt, a tippler who's often cranky and complaining. The girls earn a few coins for their work but they miss their mother and wait every day for her return. 

 Friday, December 3 at 7:30 p.m. - SUGAR (2008) Rated PG-13; 114 minutes; In Spanish with English subtitles

After seeing the movie Field of Dreams, Dominican baseball star Miguel 'Sugar' Santos hopes to break into the big leagues in the United States to earn money to support his impoverished family. His dreams may become a reality when he is recruited to play for a minor league team in the United States.

To watch the trailers for these films, click on the titles.

All films are free and open to the public.

Refreshments will be served.

Additional parking for evening and weekend Library programs on Thorndal Circle (behind Nielsen’s).