This year’s European Film Festival, held again at Star Cineplex (December 3 to 11), screened 15 films from 14 countries of the European Union. Here are snippets of all the films, along with my ratings: 5-Stars is Excellent, 4-Stars is Very Good, 3-Stars is Good, 2-Stars is Okay, 1-Star is Bad. The films are arranged in the order I have seen them at the festival (each rating is relative to the standard of the other films exhibited).
WIN WIN (Switzerland, 2013: Comedy) 3 stars The misadventures of a shameless but adorable small-time politician as he organises the semifinals of Miss China in his little Swiss town.
A GUN IN EACH HAND (Spain, 2012: Comedy) 4.5-Stars A collection of five short stories, exploring the feminine side of masculinity, in the form of fifteen-minute conversations between two people.
PADDINGTON (UK, 2014: Family) 3.5-Stars A live-action/animation film about the adventures of a talking bear, from darkest Peru, in London.
ATTILA MARCEL (France, 2013: Musical-Comedy) 5-Stars A witch-doctor’s memory-rebooting herbal tea might be a mute pianist’s only chance to discover the true identity of Attila Marcel.
ATMEN (Austria, 2011: Drama) 5-Stars A coming-of-age tale of a 19-year-old orphan who is finding life unbearably hopeless since the only time he is allowed to step outside his prison cell is to work in the morgue.
100-YEAR-OLD MAN (Sweden, 2013: Comedy) 4-Stars On his hundredth birthday a man stumbles upon $50 million and goes on a hilarious adventure and we soon learn he is no ordinary centenarian.
FINN (Netherlands, 2013: Family) 2.5-Stars A boy’s violin teacher might hold the key to his father’s mysterious past.
AGREEMENT (Denmark, 2014: Documentary) 4.5-Stars Robert Cooper makes history in diplomacy as he tries to settle Europe’s final border dispute: Serbia and Kosovo.
VESNA (Slovenia, 1953: Romantic-Comedy) 4-Stars A classic film about 3 idiot brothers who plan to entice their professor’s daughter and steal the exam paper.
LESSONS OF A DREAM (Germany, 2011: Family) 3.5-Stars The story of the German football pioneer Konrad Koch who began to teach the game to his English class as an exercise in learning the language.
BEFORE FLYING BACK TO EARTH (Lithuania, 2005: Documentary) 3.5-Stars Heartwarming documentary on the day-to-day activities of children, suffering from cancer, in a hospital.
LEGEND OF THE FLYING CYPRIAN (Slovak Republic, 2010: Biopic) 2-Stars An outlaw becomes a monk and dedicates himself to serving others.
HOUR OF THE LYNX (Denmark, 2013: Thriller) 4-Stars A priestess is summoned to a high security psychiatric institution to talk to a murderer who claims to have divine abilities.
RAFIKI (Norway, 2009: Family) 4-Stars When her best friend disappears, a shy little girl must embark on a mission far beyond her capabilities.
SIMSHAR (Malta, 2014: Drama) 4.5-Stars The true story of Simshar, a Maltese fishing boat that sank in the Mediterranean, brilliantly juxtaposed with the story of African refugees trying to cross the river and reach Europe.
The averages: Mean 3.8, Median 4, Mode 4.
Next time I will reveal my festival-awards in BEST OF THE FEST.
