This Year's Films

Theater doors open at 9:30 a.m., films start promptly at 10:00 a.m.. The main doors to Landmark Theaters will close at 10 a.m. at the request of theater management, so please be punctual.

September 13, 2009 — Cherry Blossoms (Kirschblüten - Hanami)

(2008, Germany) A middle aged German woman living comfortably with her non-adventuresome husband in a small Bavarian town tells him how she always wanted to go to Japan to see Mt. Fuji and the cherry blossoms -- and that she couldn't imagine going alone.  After a disappointing visit with their children in Berlin, an unexpected tragedy occurs, and the trip to Japan provides an opportunity to define the meaning of their marriage and of life.  This remarkable award winning film is suffused with a very Japanese sense of the transitory nature of life.  The cherry blossoms, a beautiful symbol of impermanence, become a stunning reminder of the omnipresence of mortality. 

Film trailers available at New Yorker Films | A. O. Scott's review in the New York Times

October 18, 2009 — The Drummer (Zhan.gu)

(2007, Hong Kong) A young Hong Kong rebel and son of a gangster finds inner peace and a sense of purpose with a group of Zen musicians in the hills of Taiwan in "The Drummer," an entertaining blend of genre elements and spiritual content.  The film was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and features an outstanding transformational performance by Jaycee Chan (son of Jackie) as the impetuous hothead.  The film has magnificent scenes of rural Taiwan, assisted by a powerful score of mournful cello solos, subtle strings and mesmerizing, hypnotic beats performed by U-Theatre, the real Zen Drummers. 

Trailer available on YouTube | Stephen Farber's review in the Hollywood Reporter

November 15, 2009 — For My Father (Sof Shavua B'Tel Aviv)

(2008, Israel ) This powerful and hopeful film attempts to personalize the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by telling the story of Tarek, a young, good-looking, well-spoken Arab whose father is in a jam with an extremist gang.  Tarek straps on a bomb in the first scene and heads for a crowded marketplace in Tel Aviv.  When the bomb switch doesn't work, Tarek strikes up friendships with Katz, a bitter old Rumanian Jew, and Keren, a troubled young Israeli woman. Nominated for 7 awards of the Israeli Film Academy and winner of 2 awards at international film festivals in Moscow and Bulgaria.

Trailer available on YouTube (in German only) | Small review from IONCinema

December 13, 2009 — Three Monkeys (Üç maymun)

(2007, Turkey) A politician who has killed a man in an auto accident asks his driver to take the fall, promising to continue his salary and pay him a large sum of money when he gets out of jail. The painful consequences of this windfall for the driver and his family are the heart of this dark Turkish drama from the talented Nuri Bilge Ceylan, winner of the Best Director Award at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival. 

Trailer available on official site | Roger Ebert's Review in the Chicago Sun Times

January 10, 2010  — Brick Lane

(2007, UK) A 17 year old Bangladeshi woman, Nazneen, arrives in East London in the 1980's, leaving behind her beloved sister and home, for an arranged marriage and a new life. Trapped within the four walls of her flat and in a loveless marriage with the middle aged Chanu, she fears her soul is quietly dying.  Sex for Nazneen is a matter of closing her eyes and dreaming of her village back home, until hotheaded Karim comes knocking at her door. While racism prevails in the community, especially from white supremacists groups, it escalates after the events of September 11, 2001.  Roger Ebert said, "Brick Lane is about characters who have depth and reality, who change and learn, who have genuine feelings. And it keeps on surprising us, right to the end."

Trailer available at IMDB | Review from the New York Times

February 14, 2010 — The Empty Nest (El nido vacío)

(2008, Argentina) Just in time for Valentine's Day, this existential comedy tells the tale of a mid-life crisis endured by a comfortably situated intellectual couple when the last of their three children emigrates to Israel with her new husband.  Martha  throws herself into a frenzy of activity, while her spouse, Leonardo, a stalled playwright, retreats into contemplation of his accumulated fears, frustrations, and fantasies. This tender, goofily circular portrait of how we fill up the cavernous space once occupied by children was nominated for 7 awards by the Argentinian Film Critics Association.

Trailer available at YouTube | Review in the New York Times

March 7, 2010 — A Secret (Un secret)

(2007, France) A 15 year old boy discovers a shocking family secret in this "not your average Holocaust film".   Based on true events that took place in Nazi occupied France, the film tells of secrets harbored by a French Jewish family torn asunder by sexual passion and the dangerous political background of the war.  This masterpiece drama was nominated for 10 Cesar Awards (France's equivalent of the Oscar) and won for Best Supporting Actress (Julie Depardieu).  Director Claude Miller shared the Grand Prix of the Americas at the Montreal World Film Festival in 2007.

Trailer available IMDB | Review from the New York Times

March 28, 2010 — Scratch (Rysa)

(2008, Poland) Joanna and Jan are a happy and loving couple who have grown comfortably middle-aged together. We meet them as they celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary with friends. Among the presents, however, lies the past - a videotape that contains a documentary alleging Jan was part of the secret police, wooing Joanna as a way of getting close to her family. He tells her it's ridiculous, but this is is a scratch that itches and, as Joanna becomes increasingly obssessed with discovering 'the truth', their marriage and her sanity begin to crumble.  Winner of the Best Screenplay at the 2008 Polish Film Festival.

Trailer available at YouTube | Review on Eye for Film

April 18, 2010 — Tokyo Sonata (Tôkyô sonata)

(2008, Japan) When middle-class Japanese salaryman Ryuhei is abruptly downsized -- his management job is being outsourced to China -- his ordinary family life begins to spiral downward into absurd tragicomedy. He doesn't tell his wife and continues to put on his navy suit and take the train into central Tokyo every morning. But there's much more to "Tokyo Sonata" than the unraveling of Ryuhei's pathetic ruse; it's the story of an essentially decent but profoundly damaged man and his troubled but loving family, fighting a losing battle against the chaos and violence that surround them.  Winner of 8 awards, including Best Film and Best Screenwriter at the 2009 Asian Film Awards, as well as a prestigious award at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival.

Trailer available at YouTube | Review in New York Times

May 16, 2010 — Welcome

(2009, France) Bilal is 17 years old, a Kurdish boy from Iraq. He sets off on an adventure-filled journey across Europe. He wants to get to England to see his love who lives there. Bilal finally reaches Calais, but how do you cover 32 kilometers of the English Channel when you can't swim? The boy soon discovers that his trip won't be as easy as he imagined... The community of struggling illegal aliens in Calais is captured with authenticity, from the point of view of people who arrived there knowing nothing about France. This immigrant drama, with wonderful performances by the actors, is a strong story which uses documentary austerity and minimalist style to create a great emotional impact.

Trailer available from YouTube | Review from The Guardian

A list of some of our past films can be found here.