Far Western (2016, Japan, USA) ****

Who would have guessed that in Japan, especially post-WWII, American country music, including Bluegrass, will have not just fans, but actual talented Japanese players? Yet there it is, as documented in this well-made documentary.
Directed by James Payne, shot by David McMurry, and edited and produced by Matt Leach, Far Western had me tapping my feet to the rhythm of its music, with a smile across my face the entire length of the movie; and I am not even a country music fan!

Frantz (2016, France-Germany) ****

Franz tells the story of a German woman named Anna, beautifully portrayed by Paula Beer, who, in post-WWI Germany of 1919, while grieving Franz, her fiancé who perished in the Great War, is receiving a surprise visit by a Frenchman. The relationship between Anna, the Frenchman, the dead fiancé, as well as his parents, take center-stage. All this is happening to the backdrop of two countries still hostile, still healing from the wounds of war.

Sand Storm (“Sufat Chol‎‎”, Israel 2016) ****

The story focuses on traditions versus modernization at the world of the Bedouin; once fierce nomads of the desert, now permanently settled throughout the Southern desert region of Israel. Providing an insight into a culture foreign to most of us, Zexer’s tale follows a young woman on the verge of adulthood, whose forbidden love puts her at odds with her family and tribe. Sand Strom is about people trapped in circumstances larger than what they feel they can handle; namely placing emotions against ancient traditions. Simple yet haunting, Sand Storm is a film to watch and meditate on. Like all good stories, the subject matter is very specific, yet one can find in it a universal theme.

The Tenth Man (2016, Argentina) ***

Written and directed by Daniel Burman, The Tenth Man is a low-budget Argentine film. It follows the homecoming of a son that spent years in New York, arriving back at the cradle of his Jewish-Argentinian community in Buenos Aires. The acting feels authentic, and even if the pace requires some patience on occasion, it is a curiosity to watch, especially for viewers with interest in other cultures.

Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016, New Zealand) *****

Spiced with plenty of humor and lots of heart, Hunt for the Wilderpeople helped restore some of my faith, that the art of storytelling via film is not yet all but lost. Two people, one a troubled city kid (Julian Dennison) who had been moved from one foster home to another, the other a wilder grieving man (Sam Neill), find themselves running together from the law, and subject to a national manhunt. These two outcasts who cannot stand each other, not so surprisingly, would learn to enjoy each other’s company. And while this outcome is somewhat predictable as it is desired, it is the road they take them there, that makes their journey worth seeing.

Marguerite (2015, France) ****

Marguerite, a film directed by Xavier Giannoli to a screenplay by Giannoli and Marcia Romano, is considered a comedy-drama. I find it to be more of a classic tragedy, concealed behind a comic façade. Taking its inspiration from the real life story of Florence Foster Jenkins, the filmmaker set Marguerite’s plot to take place in France, during the Golden Twenties.