One on One

 

Directed by – Kim Ki-duk

 

South Korea

 

One murder, seven suspects – South Korean auteur Kim Ki-duk’s latest offering might have a simple storyline but promises the director’s much-loved idiosyncratic movie making. After wowing the audience at Cannes and Venice, One on One finally lands in Mumbai.

 

Jimmy’s Hall

 

Directed by – Ken Loach

 

United Kingdom

 

Retelling the poignant story of Irish political activist Jimmy Gralton, master storyteller Ken Loach’s Jimmy’s Hall is a dramatic narrative about freedom of speech and expression. With a talented cast led by Barry Ward, the film also stars Andrew ‘Moriarty’ Scott.

 

Blind Massage

 

Directed by – Lou Ye

 

China

 

Controversial film maker Lou Ye’s Blind Massage was lauded by critics and the audience when it opened at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival. Set in a slick massage centre in Nanjing, the story revolves around blind masseurs and their search for love and stability. Critics have mentioned that this is Ye’s best film to date.

 

Nymphomaniac Volume 1 and 2

 

Directed by – Lars von Trier

 

Denmark-Germany-France

 

You can hate him, you can despise him, but you just can’t ignore his films. The avant-garde rock star is back with two volumes of his favourite subject – sex. Since the film was announced, it has been generating interest around the world. Unapologetic, self-indulgent, outrageous, voyeuristic – call it whatever you want, but you don’t want to miss this engaging work of cinema.

 

Barf (Snow)

 

Directed by – Mehdi Rahmani

 

Iran

 

Lauded for its strong performances, Rahmani’s latest film is reminiscent of everything that the world loves about Iranian cinema – lyrical cinematography, an engaging narrative and visual realism.

 

Goodbye to Language 3D

 

Directed by – Jean-Luc Godard

 

France

 

At the age of 83, the Grand Old Man of French cinema is back with a startling cinematic experience – and in 3D at that. While Cannes critics have complained that the storyline is incomprehensible, who would want to pass an opportunity to watch the Master’s latest handiwork? Like Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian rightly puts it, “Finding out about a new Godard movie is like discovering that Che Guevara survived the CIA assassination attempt in the Bolivian jungle, and has just pulled off another bank robbery in some La Paz suburb.”

 

Amma and Appa

 

Directed by – Franziska Schönenberger, Jayakrishnan Subramanian

 

Germany

 

An adorable documentary on culture-clash, the film follows the director couple meeting each other’s parents in India and Germany, questioning beliefs about love, marriage and relationships.

 

Asha Jaoar Majhe (Labour of love)

 

Directed by – Adityavikram Sengupta

 

India

 

Winner of the FEDEORA award for Best Young Director at this year’s Venice Film Festival, Sengupta’s lyrical collage follows the journey of a relationship, often without dialogues. Set in the recession-ridden times of 2009, the film uses a crumbling Kolkata as the backdrop. Watch out for sterling performances by the talented duo, Ritwik Chakraborty and Basabdutta Chatterjee.

 

Children of War

 

Directed by – Mrityunjay Devvrat

 

India

 

Set in the 1970s, the film follows three separate stories during the Bangladesh Liberation War. Exquisitely shot, Children of War opened to a limited release in India in May and has travelled to film festivals around the globe. Brilliantly researched and written, this war epic is a crackling first-attempt by Devvrat.

 

Rangaa Patangaa

 

Directed by – Prasad Namjoshi

 

India

 

There has been a recent spurt of socialist cinema amongst independent Marathi film makers. After last year’s fantastic Fandry, this year everyone is looking forward to Prasad Namjoshi’s Rangaa Patangaa. The film narrates the heart breaking story of a farmer in drought-stricken Vidarbha and his quirky relationship with his ox. A MAMI must watch.