Foreign Film Series

http://www.cedarville.edu/Academics/English-Literature-Modern-Languages/Foreign-Film-Series.aspx

Inspiring Greatness

Foreign Film Series

The Foreign Film Series provides the Cedarville community an opportunity to view interesting and challenging films from around the world and to peer into often unfamiliar cultures through the eyes of the cultures themselves.

Monsieur Lazhar

Monsieur Lazhar

Canada/Drama
Thursday, February 7th, 7:30 and 10 p.m., BTS 104

» View IMDB Entry (7.5 stars)
» Rotten Tomatoes (97% fresh)

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, Monsieur Lazhar tells the moving and poignant story of a Montreal middle school class shaken by the death of their well-liked teacher, and the 55-year-old Algerian immigrant who offers his services as a substitute teacher and aids the process of collective healing.

Mohamed Fellag, Sophie Nélisse, Émilien Néron
Director: Philippe Falardeau

Trailer

A gentle film can still be searing in its effect on an audience, something that "Monsieur Lazhar" proves emphatically. Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic
A sad, reflective study of the possibilities, and the impossibilities, inherent in the teacher-student relationship. Stephen Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer
The film understands the complex bond between teachers and students, and how the classroom is a sacred space they share for a short time before moving on. Rob Thomas, Capital Times
Very few films offer a moral grandeur, as well as a political foundation; very few films have such poised and brilliant performances from unknown actors. Paul Byrnes, Sydney Morning Herald
Although it raises timeless questions about life and loss, and timely ones about mentorship and multiculturalism, "Monsieur Lazhar" would rather teach than preach. Joe Williams, St. Louis Dispatch
[T]ender and sincere, frequently striking a fine balance between the dictates of the "inspirational teacher" genre and a more mundane kind of realism that tamps down easy sentimentality and strives for something more organic and genuine James Kendrick, Q Network Film Desk
Jiro Dreams of Sushi

Jiro Dreams of Sushi

Japan/Documentary
Thursday, February 21st, 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., BTS 104

» View IMDB Entry (7.8 stars)
» Rotten Tomatoes (100% fresh)

Jiro Dreams of Sushi is the story of 85-year-old Jiro Ono, considered by many to be the world’s greatest sushi chef. He is the proprietor of Sukiyoboshi Jiro, a ten-seat, sushi-only restaurant inauspiciously located in a Tokyo subway station. Despite its humble appearances, it is the first restaurant of its kind to be awarded a prestigious three-star Michelin Guide rating, and sushi lovers from around the globe make repeated pilgrimages, calling months in advance and shelling out top dollar for a coveted seat at Jiro’s sushi bar.

Jiro Dreams of Sushi is a thoughtful and elegant meditation on work, family, and the art of perfection, chronicling Jiro’s life as both an unparalleled success in the culinary world and as a loving yet complicated father.

Jiro Ono, Yoshikazu Ono
Director: David Gelb

Jiro Dreams of Sushi isn't just a film for foodies, or Japanophiles. It's a meditation on work, on finding one's path in life, and then walking it with singular purpose. Steven Rhea, Philadelphia Inquirer
By the time this graceful film is over you understand why Japan has declared the bald, bespectacled Jiro a national treasure. Even if you've never tasted sushi, the man's singleness of purpose will inspire you. Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune
As exhausting as Jiro may be, he's also inspiring. John Anderson, Newsday
Would you be willing to massage an octopus for 45 minutes, until its flesh possesses just the right amount of chewability? Jiro is. Ty Burr, Boston Globe
At the age of 85, the subject of this fascinating documentary not only dreams of sushi but still drives himself to make it better. Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal
It's beautifully photographed and explained at every stage from market to table, a foodie's dream night at the movies. The gentle shaping of the fish and sushi could lull you into a trance. A hungry trance. Mary F. Pols, Time Magazine
The movie's first word is oishi, Japanese for "delicious," and what follows is a treat for sushi veterans. Mark Jenkins, NPR
Footnote

Footnote

Israel/Drama
Thursday, March 21st, 7:30 and 10 p.m., BTS 104

» View IMDB Entry (6.9 stars)
» Rotten Tomatoes (91% fresh)

Footnote is the tale of a great rivalry between a father and son, two eccentric professors, who have dedicated their lives to work in Talmudic Studies. The father, Eliezer, is a stubborn purist who distrusts the establishment and has never been recognized for his work. His son, Uriel, is an up-and-coming star in the field, who appears to seek accolades and recognition.

Then one day, the tables turn. When Eliezer learns that he is to be awarded the Israel Prize, the most valuable honor for scholarship in the country, his vanity and desperate need for validation are exposed. His son, Uriel, is thrilled to see his father’s achievements finally recognized but, in a darkly funny twist, is forced to choose between the advancement of his own career and his father’s.

Shlomo Bar-Aba, Lior Ashkenazi
Director: Joseph Cedar

Funny and smart, Footnote is a feat of intellectual and cinematic elegance. Lisa Schwartzbaum, Entertainment Weekly
A droll, deadpan satire of the professional contempt and personal rancor that breeds in any narrow field. Rafer Guzman, Newsday
Footnote is a film about the nature of truth, about sacrifice, hubris, hypocrisy. It's nothing short of brilliant. Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer
It speaks to anyone who's been on either end of a grudge or family antagonism. And it saves its best for those who have witnessed clusters of the best and brightest descend to the level of grade school kids on the playground. Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News
Its energy and eccentricity assert themselves in funky graphics, imaginative camerawork and everyday moments of awkwardness and absurdity. Amy Biancolli, San Francisco Chronicle
This is brainy, bravura filmmaking of the highest level, a motion picture that is as difficult to pigeonhole as it is a pleasure to enjoy. Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
[I]t's one of the smartest and most merciless comedies to come along in a while. Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times
A film this intimate must be finely tuned, and Cedar's screenplay is acutely observant about academia, familial dynamics and life in contemporary Jerusalem. Elizabeth Weltzman, New York Daily News
The film pulls off an impressive balancing act: It's bitter though not cruel, satirical without veering toward obviousness, deeply moving but never maudlin. Jon Frosch, The Atlantic