Fridays at 7:30 p.m.
(Doors open at 7)
October 26
The Lives of Others
2006 (Germany); in German with English subtitles; rated R; 137 minutes.
At once a political thriller and human drama, “The Lives of Others” begins in East Berlin in 1984, five years before glasnost and the fall of the Berlin Wall, and ultimately takes us to 1991, in what is now the reunited Germany. The film traces the gradual disillusionment of Captain Gerd Wiesler, a highly skilled officer who works for the Stasi, East Germany’s all-powerful secret police. Winner of the 2006 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film.
November 2
After the Wedding
2006 (Denmark); in Danish with English subtitles; rated R; 119 minutes.
Desperate to save an orphanage in India from closing, a man returns to Denmark to convince a wealthy businessman to help. What starts out as a meeting at a wedding turns into a series of devastating surprises, revelations, and confessions. Sweeping, yet entirely intimate, “After the Wedding” is a shattering portrait of a family struggling with the fragility of life and the search for connection, healing, and forgiveness.
November 9
The Valet
2006 (France); in French with English subtitles; rated PG-13; 85
minutes.
When billionaire Pierre Levasseur is snapped by a papparazzo with Elena, his dazzling, supermodel mistress, he tries to avoid a catastrophic divorce by coming up with an outrageous lie. He creates an elaborate scheme that she is someone else’s lover: the valet who was passing by and ended up in the photograph. When his wife finds out the truth, she decides to play games with him.
November 16
Offside
2006 (Iran);
in Persian with English subtitles; rated PG-13; 92 minutes.
The Tehran soccer stadium roars with 100,000 cheering men and only men. The girls who are caught sneaking into the match and the soldiers who guard them end up playing their own sort of game, one far more compelling than the championship inside. “Offside” is a smart comedy illustrating the fight for women’s rights in Iran.
November 23
Film Postponed to December 16th
November 30
Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
2005 (China); in Mandarin with English subtitles; rated PG;
109 minutes.
An aging Japanese fisherman makes a heartfelt pilgrimage to China’s rural Yunnan province in the place of his dying son, to film a famous folk opera. An intimate character study about the true meaning of kindness and reconciliation, this is a film suitable for the whole family.
December 7
My Best Friend
2006 (France); in French with English subtitles; rated PG-13; 95
minutes.
Catherine refuses to believe her business partner Francois has a best friend. He is blindsided by the revelation that no one actually likes him. He’s arrogant, self-centered, and harsh and does not know the meaning of friendship. Catherine makes him a bet: if he can produce his best friend, she will let him keep the massive Greek vase he acquired on the company tab. If not, it’s hers. As he scrambles to find a best friend in such a short time, he asks a local taxi driver to play the part.
December 16
The Italian
2005 (Russia);
in Russian with English subtitles; rated PG; 99 minutes.
For most Russian orphans, the chance to be adopted is a dream come true. But six-year-old Vanya has other hopes. After discovering his mother is still alive, the abandoned boy teaches himself to read so he can learn her address from his personal files. Before a wealthy Italian couple can claim him for their own, Vanya sets off on a perilous journey to find his only remaining family. Pursued by orphanage staff and the police, the determined runaway must now face the most difficult challenges of his young life in this incredible story inspired by true events.
The Foreign Film Series is funded solely by contributions to the Annual
Campaign. To contribute to the Darien Library please donate
online, call 655-1234, x125, or email friends@darienlibrary.org.
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