sog's - Rented List
-
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
- Formats:
-
-
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
- Formats:
-
-
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
- Formats:
-
-
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
- Formats:
-
-
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:
-
-
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
- Formats:
-
-
The White Ribbon (2009)Das Weisse Band
On the eve of World War I, the quiet order of a small protestant village in Northern Germany is disturbed by a series of mysterious and inexplicable accidents. To the mounting concern of the villagers, the events persist, becoming increasingly sinister and taking on the character of a perverse punishment ritual. But who is responsible. - Director:
- Michael Haneke
- Cast:
- Christian Friedel, Ernst Jacobi, Klaus Manchen
- Formats:
-
-
Taxi Tehran (2015)Jafar Panahi's Taxi
A taxi driver is driving through the streets of Tehran. Various passengers enter the taxi, each candidly expressing their views while being questioned by the driver who, it transpires, is no one else but the film director Jafar Panahi himself. His camera placed on the dashboard of his car transforms the space into a mobile film studio, and captures the spirit and contradictions of Iranian society through this comedic and dramatic drive with a sting in its tail. - Director:
- Jafar Panahi
- Cast:
- Jafar Panahi
- Formats:
-
-
Investigative documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney, best known for 2008's Oscar winning 'Taxi to the Dark Side, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room' and at least a dozen others, turns his sights on the 1994 Loughinisland massacre, a cold case that remains an open wound in the Irish peace process. The families of the victims, who were murdered while watching the World Cup in their local pub, were promised justice but 20 years later they still didn't know who killed their loved ones. Gibney uncovers a web of secrecy, lies and corruption that so often results when the powerful insist they are acting for the greater good. - Director:
- Alex Gibney
- Cast:
- Not Available
- Formats:
-
-
Vincent Gallo stars as a Middle-Eastern insurgent captured by US forces and transported to a secret detention centre somewhere in Europe. When the vehicle he is riding in crashes, he escapes into a snowy wilderness, a world way from the desert home he knew. Forced into extreme survival mode, and relentlessly pursued by an army that does not officially exist, he must confront the necessity to kill in order to survive. - Director:
- Jerzy Skolimowski
- Cast:
- Vincent Gallo, Emmanuelle Seigner, Zach Cohen
- Formats:
-
-
Inspired by true events, 'Play' is an acute observation based on real cases of bullying. In a city, a group of boys aged between 12-14 robbed other children on about 40 separate occasions between 2006 and 2008, but instead of physical force used the 'brother trick' involving role play and psychological manipulation. A fascinating and disturbing account of how children can subvert a situation and by sheer authority lead others more vulnerable into dangerous territory. - Director:
- Ruben Östlund
- Cast:
- Kevin Vaz, Johan Jonason, Anas Abdirahman
- Formats:
-
-
Girlhood (2014)Bande de filles
Oppressed by her family setting, dead-end school prospects and the boys law in the neighbourhood, Marieme starts a new life after meeting a group of three free-spirited girls. She changes her name, her style, and quits school to be accepted in the gang, hoping that this will be a way to freedom. As she falls further under their gang lifestyle, she begins to make foolish choices that could impact her life forever. - Director:
- Céline Sciamma
- Cast:
- Karidja Touré, Aurélie Vérillon, Assa Sylla
- Formats:
-
-
Stalin Is Dead! And with The Soviet Union's top job now up for grabs, the men in Stalin's council are about to enter an 'interview' process unlike any other. With the prospect of absolute authority over the nation within grasp, in the days that follow, devious plotting and farcical backs tabbing are fair play, and one man will emerge with supreme power over the USSR. The question is: who? - Director:
- Armando Iannucci
- Cast:
- Steve Buscemi, Simon Russell Beale, Jeffrey Tambor
- Formats:
-
-
Our Children (2012)A Perdre La Raison
Young and effervescent Murielle (Emilie Dequenne) has a promising future ahead of her when she falls in love with Mounir (Tahar Rahim). A wedding soon follows, and the happy couple quickly set about preparing to make a family. However, with family come ties, and none come as tight as that between Mounir and his adoptive father (Niels Arestrup). As Murielle brings new life into the family, in the form of four children, frictions between Mounir and Doctor Pinget reach boiling point. Helpless to extract her husband and children from the wealthy nest that Doctor Pinget has provided for them, Murielle is drawn into an unhealthy family dynamic. Within this oppressive environment, Murielle becomes trapped and all sense of reasoning begins to abandon her. - Director:
- Joachim Lafosse
- Cast:
- Émilie Dequenne, Claire Bodson, Niels Arestrup
- Formats:
-
-
120 BPM (Beats Per Minute) (2017)120 BPM / BPM (Beats Per Minute) / 120 battements par minute
As the AIDS epidemic tears through their community, the members of ACT UP Paris are fighting for survival. One day, as outspoken radical Sean (Nahuel Perez Biscayart) strikes up a conversation with shy newcomer Nathan (Arnaud Valois), they have no idea that their lives are about to change forever. From the writer of Palme d'Or winner 'The Class', Robin Campillo, and based on his own experiences, this vibrant and deeply emotional drama rushes with youthful energy, balancing powerful themes of social justice with euphoric moments of spine-tingling sensuality. Urgent and effecting, it's a film about life, death, passion, tragedy - and, above all, the will to survive. - Director:
- Robin Campillo
- Cast:
- Nahuel Pérez Biscayart, Arnaud Valois, Adèle Haenel
- Formats:
-