Foreign Film Series

Documentary/North Korea
Date and location: 6:30 p.m. on January 16, SSC Theater
Trailer  IMDB

Description: A suspenseful, riveting portrait of the lengths people will go to gain freedom, Beyond Utopia follows various families as they attempt to flee North Korea, one of the most oppressive places on Earth, a land they grew up believing was a paradise At the film's core is a courageous pastor, a man of God on a mission to help a mother reunite with the child she was forced to leave behind, and a family of five, including small children and an elderly grandmother, embarking on a treacherous journey into the hostile mountains of China. Leaving their homeland is fraught with unimaginable danger, yet these individuals are driven to take the risk. Gripping, thrilling, and never more timely, Madeleine Gavin's award-winning film embeds the viewer with these family members as they attempt their perilous escape, palpably conveying life-or-death stakes. The result is a singular, heart pounding, and unforgettable experience.

Director: Madeleine Gavin

Reviews:

Unlike other documentaries with a political perspective that are focused on describing a regime, here, we put face and eyes on the experience. –Ricardo De Querol, El Paris

Beyond Utopia feels like humanitarian journalism in its purest form, contributing to a damning portrait of authoritarianism and inspiring human perseverance –John Serba, Decider

The intimacy and immediacy with which Beyond Utopia unfolds never allows you to lose sight of just how real it all is. –Ross McIndoe, The Skinny

There is no narration and none of the dramatized recreations beloved of so many documentaries... Frankly, when the stories a documentary is telling are as nail-bitingly tense and heart-breakingly sad as the ones here, no such adornments are necessary. –Pat Stacey, Irish Independent

An emotional powerhouse of a documentary that had me on the edge of my seat, holding my breath, and choking back tears. –Louise Moore, Screen Zealots

Madeleine Gavin's gripping documentary chronicles North Koreans risking their lives to escape their repressive country. It is very hard to watch, but it is essential viewing. –Jennifer Merin, AJWF.org

Drama/Iran
Date and location: 6:30 p.m. on February 19, SSC Theater
Trailer IMDB

Description Fresh from taking the Grand Prix award at Cannes, widely celebrated two-time Academy Award winning Iranian director Asghar Farhadi returns with a new complex morality tale that many are calling his best since the Oscar Winning A Separation.

A richly textured take on gossip, social media and public perception, A Hero follows Rahim a down and out calligrapher who is stuck in prison for a debt he is unable to pay. When he is unexpectedly granted a two-day release, Rahim is presented with a golden opportunity to pay off his debt and secure his freedom.

But much like life itself, things don't go as planned. In what is a Farhadi house style, moral conundrums suddenly abound. One simple decision sees Rahim celebrated, but quickly people, including his creditor, begin to question the humble prisoner's story. Tense, unpredictable and darkly funny, the drama that ensues is vintage Farhadi - all the way to the final scene. A frequent entry in many major outlet's top 10 lists, the master auteur has once again made one of the most eagerly anticipated cinematic gems of the year.

Director: Asghar Farhadi

Performers: Amir Jadidi, Mohsen Tanabandeh, Sahar Goldoost

Reviews:

Farhadi illustrates, with a certain sobriety, a discourse on the ethical and moral dilemmas of honesty, in an Iranian society conditioned by the injustices of the penal system and the prejudices of social media. –Yasser Medina, Cinefilia

A Hero reminds audiences that Asghar Farhadi is one of the finest filmmakers working today, with yet another tantalizing social thriller full of timely themes that makes us contemplate our own morals. –Zoë Rose Bryant, Loud and Clear Reviews

It may be our instinct to understand stories in terms of heroes and villains, but Farhadi, a peerless dramatist, seeks to defy those binaries at every turn. –Scott Tobias, The Reveal

Just when you think you've pinned down someone as good or bad, the tables are turned and the complexities thicken. Just like in real life. –Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor

One of Farhadi's shrewder insights here is that institutions, perhaps even more than individuals, have a real stake in turning inspirational stories to their financial and reputational advantage. –Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times

A cautionary fable whose purest notes ring poignantly, painfully true. –Leah Greenblatt, Entertainment Weekly

Farhadi comes home to make yet another subtle, layered dissection of modern morality among the Iranian middle class. –Leslie Felperin, Financial Times

There's never just one central drama in an Asghar Farhadi film. The Iranian auteur finds ways to bring multiple story lines and culpability together. –Peter Howell, Toronto Star

Quirky Comedy/Drama/United Kingdom
Date and location: 6:30 p.m. on March 12, SSC Theater
Trailer IMDB

Description The Ballad of Wallis Island follows Charles (Tim Key), an eccentric lottery winner who lives alone on a remote island and dreams of having his favorite musicians, McGwyer Mortimer (Tom Basden and Carey Mulligan), reunite. His fantasy turns to reality when the bandmates and former couple accept his invitation to play a private show at his home on Wallis Island. Old tensions resurface as Charles tires desperately to salvage his dream gig.

Director: James Griffiths

Performers: Tom Basden, Tim Jey, Carey Mulligan

Reviews:

A bittersweet, cardigan-clad small treasure of a film and a balm for battered souls. –Wendy Ide, Observer UK

What you . . . don’t anticipate is how poignant it all gets — a melancholy farce with an oddly pure soul. –Danny Leigh, Financial Times

Things play out as sentimentally as expected, while scratching the surface at something deeper, exploring the relationship people have to music, and how that can either change or stay frozen in time. –Radheyan Simonpillai, Globe and Mail

The comedy manages to be at once an odd-couple bromance, a showcase for Key's uproarious woolgathering, a quite respectable musical event, a meditation on grief, and an achingly nostalgic look at the harmonies we carry with us through life. –Bob Mondello, NPR

Tim Key, Tom Basden and Carey Mulligan are a disarmingly delightful trio in a quirky and music-filled comedy set on picturesque Welsh shores. –Tomris Laffly, Variety

James Griffiths’ tender comedy-drama . . . has a ton of heart, a generosity of spirit and an ultimately disarming sweetness that make it sneak up on you. . . . It’s also quite funny, in an eccentric, decidedly British way. –David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter