Those Other Movies
HIFF/Doc(k) Day
Coming this November 2,3,4 2018
HIFF 12 - Be Your Own Hero
The Divine Order, Sweden
1971: Nora is a young housewife and mother, living in a quaint little village with her husband and their two sons. The Swiss countryside is untouched by the major social upheavals the movement of 1968 has brought about. Nora’s life is not affected either; she is a quiet person who is liked by everybody – until she starts to publicly fight for women’s suffrage, which the men are due to vote on in a ballot on February 7, 1971.
Critical Notes
"Petra Volpe’s direction is crisp, her screenplay is smart and well-paced, and the acting is superb, particularly Sibylle Brunner, as the elder stateswoman of the village." - Paul Weissman Film-Forward
Film Information
Director: Petra Volpe
Cast:: Marie Leuenberger, Maximilian Simonischek, Rachel Braunschweig
Year: 2016
Runtime: 96 min
Country: Sweden
Language: Swiss German
Distributor: Filmswelike
Ratings: ON NR / BC NR / AB NR / SK NR / MB NR / QC NR / Maritmes NR
The Divine Order Trailer
Tulipani: Love, Honour and a Bicycle, The Netherlands
After losing his farm during the floods of 1953, a romantic Dutch farmer is tired of getting his socks wet. He cycles to Italy and decides to grow tulips in the sweltering heat of Puglia.
Film Information
Director: Mike van Diem
Cast:: Ksenia Solo, Giancarlo Giannini, Lidia Vitale
Year: 2017
Runtime: 90
Country: Netherlands
Language: English | Italian | Dutch
Distributor: Agency 71
Ratings: ON NR / BC NR / AB NR / SK NR / MB NR / QC NR / Maritmes NR
Tulipani Trailer
In late 1950s Ontario, seven year-old Saul Indian Horse is torn from his Ojibway family and committed to one of Canada’s notorious Catholic residential schools. In this oppressive environment, Saul is denied the freedom to speak his language or embrace his indigenous heritage and he witnesses all kinds of abuse at the hands of the very people who were entrusted with his care. Despite this, Saul finds salvation in the unlikeliest of places and favourite Canadian pastimes — hockey. Fascinated by the game, he secretly teaches himself how to not only play but develops a unique and rare skill. It’s as if he has eyes in the back of his head and can see the game in a way no other player can. His talent leads him away from the misery of the school to a Northern Ontario native league and eventually the pros. But the ghosts of Saul’s past will always haunt him. Forced to confront painful memories and revelations, Saul draws on the spirit of his ancestors and the understanding of his friends to gain the compassion he so sorely needs in order to begin healing. Indian Horse is a survivors’ tale that foregrounds the indomitable spirit of North America’s indigenous peoples in the face of aggressive assimilation policies and racism. Saul Indian Horse’s story can be a tool to help foster further compassion and understanding, and in the process, become universal
Critical Notes
"The essence and importance of [Richard] Wagamese's book - both the brutality and the beauty - shines through, more vital than ever." - Mark Medley, Globe & Mail
Film Information
Director: Stephen S. Campanelli
Cast:: Forrest Goodluck, Ajuawak Kapashesit, Martin Donovan
Year: 2017
Runtime: 100 mins
Country: Canada
Language: English
Distributor: Elevation Pictures
Ratings: ON NR / BC NR / AB NR / SK NR / MB NR / QC NR / Maritmes NR
Indian Horse, Canada
Indian Horse Trailer
C'est la Vie!, France, Canada, Belguim
This effervescent comedy from celebrated French directing duo Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano (The Intouchables) invites us to an opulent château to attend a très extravagant wedding, where the groom is an obnoxious tyrant, the band is at war with the organizers, and the chief planner is looking for the exit.
Max (Jean-Pierre Bacri) is a battle-weary veteran of the wedding-planning racket. His latest — and last — gig is a hell of a fête, involving stuffy period costumes for the caterers, a vain, hyper- sensitive singer who thinks he's a Gallic James Brown, and a morose, micromanaging groom determined to make Max's night as miserable as possible. But what makes the affair too bitter to endure is that Max's colleague and ostensible girlfriend, Joisette (Xavier Dolan regular Suzanne Clément), seems to have written him off, coolly going about her professional duties while openly flirting with a much younger server. It's going to be a very long night… especially once the groom's aerial serenade gets underway.
An Altmanesque ensemble work brimming with offbeat, lovable characters, and hilarious set pieces, C'est la vie! is a fiendishly smart, sprawling comedy as only the French do it. You will be laughing all the way down the aisle.
Critical Notes
This is an expertly assembled, tartly played and hugely enjoyable romp from directors Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache.
- Boyd van Hoeij, Hollywood Reporter
Film Information
Director: Olivier Nakache, Eric Toledano
Cast:: Jean-Pierre Bacri, Suzanne Clément, Jean-Paul Rouve, Gilles Lellouche
Year: 2017
Runtime: 117 min
Country: France | Canada | Belgium
Language: French
Distributor: Mk2
Ratings: ON NR / BC NR / AB NR / SK NR / MB NR / QC NR / Maritmes NR