maggs's - Rented List
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1918: The Battle of Kruty (2019)Kruty 1918 / Winter of the Braves
Ukraine, 1918. As a Bolshevik army of 4.000 men advances towards Kiev, with the aim of capturing the city, a small Ukrainian unit of 400 soldiers - the majority young students - is resisting near the railroad station of Kruty. The violent and bloody battle between these two mismatched armies will be a turning point in the war and make heroes of the young soldiers. '1918: The Battle of Kruty' is the amazing true story of one of the most incredible battles of WWI. - Director:
- Aleksey Shaparev
- Cast:
- Maksim Donets, Andrey Fedinchik, Alina Kovalenko
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The Rose of Auschwitz (2018)A Rose in Winter
The epic story of Edith Stein's (Zana Marjanovic)'s courageous path of survival; where her faith is questioned, her romantic love is sacrificed, and her spirit awakened in an effort to save a world that is dying around her. A journey that ultimately leads to her death as a Jew in the Holocaust and her canonization as St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, Patron Saint of Europe. 'The Rose of Auschwitz' is a tale of k loss, love, sacrifice, and devotion. - Director:
- Joshua Sinclair
- Cast:
- Zana Marjanovic, Christian Cooke, Ken Duken
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The Past (2013)Le Passé
Following a four-year separation, Ahmad returns to Paris from Tehran in order to finalise a divorce from his estranged French wife Marie. During his stay, Ahmad discovers tensions in Marie's relationship with her daughter, but his attempt to build bridges between them creates conflict with her new partner, Samir, and soon unveils a secret from the past. - Director:
- Asghar Farhadi
- Cast:
- Bérénice Bejo, Tahar Rahim, Ali Mosaffa
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"Summerland" follows the story of fiercely independent folklore investigator, Alice (Gemma Arterton) who secludes herself in her clifftop study, debunking myths using science to disprove the existence of magic. Consumed by her work, but also profoundly lonely, she is haunted by a love affair from her past. When spirited young Frank (Lucas Bond), an evacuee from the London Blitz, is dumped into her irritable care, his innocence and curiosity awaken Alice's deeply buried emotions. Bravely embracing life's miraculous unpredictability, Alice learns that wounds may be healed, second chances do occur, and that, just perhaps - magic really does exist. - Director:
- Jessica Swale
- Cast:
- Gemma Arterton, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Penelope Wilton
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Howards End (1992)Howards End
A dying woman's impulsive wish marks a turning point in the relationship between the cosmopolitan Schlegel sisters, Margaret (Emma Thompson) and Helen (Helena Bonham Carter), and the wealthy Wilcox family when Ruth Wilcox (Vanessa Redgrave) bequeaths her idyllic country house, Howards End, to Margaret. Convinced that he is acting in the best interests of his family, the patriarchal Henry Wilcox (Anthony Hopkins) destroys his wife's "unofficial" will. But, as the lonely repressed Henry falls in love with Margaret, and Helen's willful attacks on class and convention strike at the very heart of the Wilcox family, fate decrees that Henry must pay dearly for his deceit. - Director:
- James Ivory
- Cast:
- Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson, Vanessa Redgrave
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A family spanning three generations comes together over a weekend at their country house to be with their terminally ill mother, Lily (Susan Sarandon), for the last time. As tensions brew between Lily's daughters, Jennifer (Kate Winslet) and Anna (Mia Wasikowska), secrets emerge threatening hopes of a peaceful farewell. - Director:
- Roger Michell
- Cast:
- Kate Winslet, Susan Sarandon, Sam Neill
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About Elly (2009)Darbareye Elly
A gripping tale of secrets and lies amongst a tight-knit group of friends holidaying on the Caspian Sea. With an expertly paced narrative and an impressive ensemble cast, including Golshifteh Farahani, "About Elly" is a cinematic masterclass that works as both a thriller and a convicting character study. Intelligent, shrewd and meticulously crafted, "About Elly" confirms Asghar Farhadi's status as one of World Cinema's finest talents. - Director:
- Asghar Farhadi
- Cast:
- Golshifteh Farahani, Shahab Hosseini, Taraneh Alidoosti
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The Secret: Dare to Dream follows Miranda (Katie Holmes), a young widow trying to make ends meet while raising her three children and dating her boyfriend (Jerry O'Connell). A devastating storm brings an enormous challenge and a mysterious man, Bray (Josh Lucas), into Miranda's life. Bray reignites the family's spirit but, unbeknownst to Miranda, also holds an important secret - one that will change everything. With its timeless messages of hope, compassion, and gratitude, 'The Secret: Dare to Dream' is an inspiring and heartwarming film that shows how positive thoughts can transform our lives. - Director:
- Andy Tennant
- Cast:
- Katie Holmes, Josh Lucas, Jerry O'Connell
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After her debut feature Wadjda (2012) broke new ground as the first-ever film shot entirely in Saudi Arabia - and the first made by a Saudi woman - director Haifaa Al Mansour returns to the kingdom with The Perfect Candidate. A determined young Saudi doctor's surprise run for office in the local city elections sweeps up her family and community as they struggle to accept their town's first female candidate. - Director:
- Haifaa Al-Mansour
- Cast:
- Mila Al Zahrani, Reema Mohammed, Dae Al Hilali
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Underground discos thud to the beat of dance music as men and women dress to the nines and slip through checkpoints to party the night away. Meanwhile, fingers on triggers, tensions mount between armed police forces and anti-government guerillas. This is Algiers in the 1990's, and what headstrong fashion student Nedjma, Papicha (Lyna Khoudri) to her friends, doesn't know, is that her life is about to change forever...Lifting the lid on the radical events of the Algerian Civil War, Mounia Meddour's Papicha follows the trials and tribulations of a group of determined young women as they come face to face with a new, dangerous reality. 'Papicha' is an Algerian word that refers to a funny, attractive, liberated young woman. - Director:
- Mounia Meddour
- Cast:
- Lyna Khoudri, Shirine Boutella, Amira Hilda Douaouda
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Jesse Eisenberg stars in the true story of Jewish Boy Scouts joining the French Resistance to save over 10,000 orphans from the Nazis in World War Two. Eisenberg plays famous mime artist Marcel Marceau who, together with a group of activists, fights to rescue Jewish orphans from ruthless Nazis and take them safely across the Swiss border. - Director:
- Jonathan Jakubowicz
- Cast:
- Jesse Eisenberg, Clémence Poésy, Matthias Schweighöfer
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Hotel Salvation (2016)Mukti Bhawan
"Hotel Salvation", the award-winning first feature from up-and-coming director Shubhashish Bhutiani, is a charming, life-affirming drama set in contemporary India that tackles serious matters with a light and often joyous touch. This gently humorous film follows Rajiv (Adil Hussain), an overworked middle-aged son who is forced to accompany his 77-year-old father, Daya (Lalit Behl), as e see s salvation in the holy city of Varanasi. The simple pleasures of this timeless place are explored as the pair belatedly come o now each other in the enforced intimacy of their cramped hotel room and the teeming streets. While rooted in Indian values and culture, 'Hotel Salvation' transcends borders with its themes of family ties, intergenerational relationships and the quest for contentment in later life. - Director:
- Shubhashish Bhutiani
- Cast:
- Adil Hussain, Lalit Behl, Geetanjali Kulkarni
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Multi-award-winning and hailed as one of the finest films of recent years, Pedro Costa's exquisite 'Vitalina Varela' follows the titular Vitalina, a woman left behind in Cape Verde when her husband leaves to find work in Portugal. Years later, she finally makes the journey to Lisbon herself but arrives three days after his funeral. Alone and isolated in her late husband's home, Vitalina is determined to persevere and confront the ghosts of the past. Haunting, strikingly visualised and marked by a towering central performance, 'Vitalina Varela' is an unforgettable modern masterwork. - Director:
- Pedro Costa
- Cast:
- Vitalina Varela, Ventura, Manuel Tavares Almeida
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Fire Will Come (2019)O que arde
Amador (Amador Arias) has been imprisoned for setting fires. When released, he moves back to his hometown, a small village hidden in the mountains of rural Galicia, to live with his elderly mother, Benedicta (Benedicta Sanchez), and their three cows. Amador does not speak much and remains guarded and stern when the villagers make small talk with him. He becomes aware that there is gossip about his past. Life goes by slowly and simple, domestic routines are carried out daily. Amador has a chance encounter with Elena (Elena Fernandez), a local veterinarian who has been studying abroad, which hints at a possible romance or at least a meaningful human connection. The rhythm of nature persists until a fire starts to devastate the region and Amador is unfairly blamed for it. - Director:
- Oliver Laxe
- Cast:
- Amador Arias, Benedicta Sánchez, Inazio Abrao
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To be a "moffie" is to be weak, effeminate, illegal. The year is 1981 and South Africa's white minority government is embroiled in a conflict on the Angolan border. Like all white men over the age of 16, Nicholas Van der Swart (Kai Luke Brummer) must complete two years of compulsory military service to defend the Apartheid regime. But that's not the only danger Nicholas faces. He must survive the brutality of the army culture itself, proudly hardened and homophobic - something that becomes even more difficult when a connection is sparked between him and a fellow recruit. From the producer of 'Ida' and co-written and directed by one of South Africa's greatest emerging auteurs, Oliver Hermanus, 'Moffie' is a beautifully captured story of a man's struggle to find the beauty in himself in one of the ugliest times in contemporary history. - Director:
- Oliver Hermanus
- Cast:
- Kai Luke Brummer, Ryan de Villiers, Matthew Vey
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