sog's - Rented List
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Dogtooth (2009)Kynodontas
A darkly comic, discomfiting and deliberately provocative work that draws parallels with recent contemporary events. Dogtooth is shocking, compelling and perversely erotic. In a house on the edge of the city live a self-contained family. The only person allowed to leave is the father. The mother remains enclosed, 'protecting' her son and two daughters from the evils of the outside world. However, when the son reaches an age where it is deemed that his sexual needs should be met, this insular and radical environment is threatened by the arrival of a female security guard. Capturing incidents that range from the weird to the repulsive, Dogtooth presents a sharp and frequently startling look at modern life. Particularly evocative of the work of Michael Haneke this is cinema at its most bold and brilliant. - Director:
- Yorgos Lanthimos
- Cast:
- Christos Stergioglou, Michele Valley, Angeliki Papoulia
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Following the death of her father, Alice (Ruth Wilson) returns home for the first time in 15 years, to claim the tenancy of the family farm she believes is rightfully hers. Once there, she encounters her older brother Joe (Mark Stanley), a man she barely recognises, worn down by years of struggling to keep the farm going whilst caring for their sick father (Sean Bean). Joe is thrown by Alice's sudden arrival, angered by her claim and finds her presence increasingly difficult to deal with. Battling to regain control in a fraught situation, Alice must confront traumatic memories and family betrayals to find a way to restore the farm and salvage the bond with her brother before both are irrevocably lost. - Director:
- Clio Barnard
- Cast:
- Ruth Wilson, Mark Stanley, Sean Bean
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Where Do We Go Now? (2011)Et maintenant, on va où?
Sick of the constant bickering between the men in their lives, a group of women in a tight-knit community decide to make a stand. To prevent all-out conflict, the women take extreme steps to resolve the situation; whether it be hiring Ukrainian strippers or faking a miracle in their own village, there is nothing they won't try. Bringing the village back together was never going to be easy but no-one could have imagined it would be this much fun. - Director:
- Nadine Labaki
- Cast:
- Claude Baz Moussawbaa, Nadine Labaki, Yvonne Maalouf
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The Pope's Toilet (2008)El Bano del Papa
It is 1988, and Melo, a Uruguayan town on the Brazilian border, awaits the visit of Pope John Paul II. Numbers begin circulating: hundreds of people will come, no thousands say the media. The well-informed speak of 50,000... The poor townspeople know what this means: 50,000 pilgrims in need of food and drink, paper flags, souvenirs, commemorative medals. Brimming with enthusiasm, the villagers not only hope for divine blessing, but above all for a small share of material happiness. And petty smuggler Beto is certain that he’s found the best business idea of all: "The Pope’s Toilet", where the thousands of pilgrims can find relief … Let others make mountains of chorizo sausages and bake towers of cakes – he will strike it rich with human waste! But before he can build the WC, Beto rushes headlong into trouble. He sorely tries the patience of his stoical but optimistic wife Carmen and disappoints his adolescent daughter Silvia, who dreams of a career in the media. He has to increase his risky and arduous journeys across the border. And he has to bury his long-cherished dream of buying a moped. He even loses his most precious possession – his bicycle – just as he secures the keystone for his temple to waste and wealth: the toilet bowl. But he is determined to make it back in time for the divine event. - Director:
- César Charlone
- Cast:
- César Troncoso, Virginia Méndez, Mario Silva
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The 12th Man (2017)Den 12. mann
"The 12th Man" is a breath-taking war thriller about an incredible true-life story of heroism and a man's unbreakable will to live. Norway, 1943: after a failed anti-Nazi sabotage mission leaves his eleven comrades dead, Norwegian resistance fighter Jan Baalsrud (Thomas Gullestad) finds himself on the run from the Gestapo through the snowbound Arctic reaches of Scandinavia led by Kurt Stage (Jonathan Rhys Meyers). It's a harrowing journey across unforgiving, frozen wilderness that will stretch on for months - and force Jan to take extreme action in order to survive. The legendary story of Jan Baalsrud's escape remains one of the wildest, most unfathomable survival stories of World War II. - Director:
- Harald Zwart
- Cast:
- Thomas Gullestad, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Marie Blokhus
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Joan Castleman (Glenn Close) has spent forty years sacrificing her own talent, dreams and ambitions to support her charismatic husband Joe (Jonathan Pryce) and his stellar literary career. Ignoring infidelities and excuses made in the cause of his art, she has put up with his behaviour with undiminished grace and humour. The foundations of their marriage have, however, been built upon a set of uneven compromises and Joan has reached a turning point. On the eve of Joe's Nobel Prize for Literature, the crown jewel rewarding a spectacular body of work, Joan will confront the biggest sacrifice of her life and some long-buried secrets. 'The Wife' is a poignant, funny and emotional journey, a celebration of womanhood, self-discovery and liberation... - Director:
- Björn Runge
- Cast:
- Glenn Close, Jonathan Pryce, Max Irons
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From Golden Globe Nominee Director Paul Schrader, 'First Reformed' is a brooding, thriller-drama centred around Ernst Toller (Ethan Hawke), a troubled priest of a small, historical church in upstate New York, who starts to spiral out of control after a soul-shaking encounter with Mary (Amanda Seyfried) and her husband Michael, an unstable environmental activist. Consumed by thoughts that the world is in danger and motivated by the church's lack of action, Toller embarks on a perilous self-assigned undertaking with the hope that he may finally restore the faith and purpose he's been longing for in his mission to right the wrongs done to so many. - Director:
- Paul Schrader
- Cast:
- Ethan Hawke, Cedric the Entertainer, Amanda Seyfried
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The Secret in Their Eyes (2009)El Secreto De Sus Ojos
When a retired criminal prosecutor decides to try his hand at writing a novel he finds himself inextricably drawn into the harrowing events of an unsolved crime. Re-investigating the brutal rape and murder of a beautiful woman he discovers devastated lives, corrupt government officials and a lost love. But as he delves deeper he finds himself at the dark heart of society, where mysteries lurk in the shadows and danger waits around every corner. - Director:
- Juan José Campanella
- Cast:
- Ricardo Darín, Soledad Villamil, Pablo Rago
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Sophie Scholl (2005)Sophie Scholl - Die letzten Tage
Echoing Downfall's contemplation of the darkest period in Germany's history, Sophie Scholl is a heartbreaking drama based on real life events and the activities of the While Rose resistance gi< Munich, 1943. A group of students, including siblings, Sophie Scholl, instigate passive resistance in an attempt to,, overthrow the Nazi regime. Sophie and Hans are arrested for distributing leaflets and an intense psychological duel ensues in the interrogation room between Sophie and Gestapo officer Mohr; she lies and denies, then schemes and challenges. Ultimately crushing evidence is presented and though forced to confess Scholl fights to save the lives of her brother and friends. Based on transcripts of the interrogation and witness intend Marc Rothemund's Sophie Scholl is a tense and illuminating account of an extremely courageous stance taken against ovcrwhelming odds. - Director:
- Marc Rothemund
- Cast:
- Julia Jentsch, Anne Clausen, Joseph Goebbels
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Cold War (2018)Zimna Wojna
In the ruins of post-war Poland, Wiktor (Tomasz Kot) and Zula (Joanna Kulig) fall deeply, obsessively and destructively in love. As performing musicians forced to play into the Soviet propaganda machine, they dream of escaping to the creative freedom of the West. But one day, as they spot their chance to make a break for Paris, both make a split decision that will mark their lives forever. Pawel Pawlikowski follows his Oscar-winning 'Ida' with the stunning 'Cold War', an epic romance set against the backdrop of Europe after World War II. Sumptuously shot in luminous black and white, it spans decades and nations to tell a love story that is as tragic as it is moving, and as transportive as it is honest. - Director:
- Pawel Pawlikowski
- Cast:
- Joanna Kulig, Tomasz Kot, Borys Szyc
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The Workshop (2017)L'atelier
Set in La Ciotat, France, 'The Workshop' centres around Antoine (Matthieu Lucci), a teenager who attends a summer writing workshop. Alongside a group of similarly budding scribes, Antoine is tasked with writing a noirish crime thriller under the tutelage of celebrated novelist Olivia Dejazet (Marina Foi's), on the basis that the final piece is connected with the industrial past of their quiet hometown. While the class set about their projects, Olivia is gradually captivated by Antoine's growing indifferent and aggressive behaviour, as well as his anxieties about the modern world. This is reflected in his writing, which becomes more violent and disturbing in its depiction of a mass murderer whose politically radicalist leanings Antoine begins to sympathise with. 'The Workshop' is a riveting contemporary drama that blends social commentary with a complex study of the modern world. - Director:
- Laurent Cantet
- Cast:
- Marina Foïs, Matthieu Lucci, Florian Beaujean
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Bilal (Firat Ayverdi), a 17-year-old Kurdish boy, has travelled through the Middle East and Europe to join his girlfriend, freshly immigrated to England. But his journey comes to an abrupt end when he is stopped on the French side of the Channel. Having decided to swim across, Bilal goes to the local swimming pool to train. There he meets Simon (Vincent Lindon), a swimming instructor in the midst of a divorce. To impress his estranged wife (Audrey Dana) and win back her heart, Simon decides to risk everything by taking Bilal under his wing, and give him shelter and swimming lessons. An ode to the abandoned immigrants trapped on the shores of Calais and the good Samaritans who take risks to help them, the ironically titled Welcome stars popular French actor Vincent Lindon as Simon and talented newcomer Firat Ayverdi as Bilal, in his first role. Although Simon and Bilal develop a sincere father-son relationship, Simon takes the risk of being arrested for helping an illegal immigrant. - Director:
- Philippe Lioret
- Cast:
- Vincent Lindon, Firat Ayverdi, Audrey Dana
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Athina Rachel Tsangari's acclaimed film tells the strange tale of Marina, a withdrawn young woman who lives with her ailing father in a Greek factory town. Finding the human species strange and repellent she keeps her distance, choosing to observe life through Sir David Attenborough's nature documentaries and the sexual education lessons she receives from her only friend. Bella. - Director:
- Athina Rachel Tsangari
- Cast:
- Ariane Labed, Yorgos Lanthimos, Vangelis Mourikis
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Amour (2012)Love
Examining the close bond shared by an elderly couple when one of them begins to suffer from an illness, Amour tells a heart-rending story of sacrifice, devotion and the limits that love can drive us to. Amour is one of the most honest, intimate and deeply affecting portraits of love ever committed to film. - Director:
- Michael Haneke
- Cast:
- Jean-Louis Trintignant, Emmanuelle Riva, Isabelle Huppert
- Formats:
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The Great Beauty (2013)La Grande Bellezza
Jep Gambardella, a 65-year-old journalist and once promising novelist, lives his easy life among Rome's decadent high society in a swirl of rooftop parties and late-night soirees. But when he learns of the death of his friend's wife - a woman he once loved as an 18-year-old - his life is thrown into perspective and he begins to see the world through new eyes... - Director:
- Paolo Sorrentino
- Cast:
- Toni Servillo, Christine Aubry, Carlo Verdone
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