sog's - Rented List
-
Uzak (2002)Distant
Nuri Bilge Ceylan's critically acclaimed film tells the story of middle-aged photographer Mahmut, who is obliged to put up in his Istanbul apartment his unemployed young cousin Yusuf, who has left his home village in search of work. Haunted by the feeling that the gap between his life and his ideals is growing. Mahmut grows increasingly irritated by his provincial young relative's encroachment into his closed and colourless world. With great wit and subtlety, 'Uzak' explores the isolation of city life and features outstanding performances from Muzaffer Ozdemir as Mahmut and Mehmet Emin Toprak as Yusuf. Tragically, Toprak was killed in a car accident shortly after completion of filming; he posthumously won, jointly with Ozdemir, the Best Actor prize at Cannes in 2003. - Director:
- Nuri Bilge Ceylan
- Cast:
- Muzaffer Özdemir, Emin Toprak, Zuhal Gencer
- Formats:
-
-
Tori and Lokita (2022)Tori et Lokita
Following a young boy Tori (Pablo Schils) and a teenage girl Lokita (Joely Mbundu) who have left their home countries of Cameroon and Benin to make a new life in Belgium, we follow their journey as they navigate a range of difficult and challenging experiences. Whether it be finding jobs on the black market or working to send money back to their families, their friendship provides an unbreakable bond that helps them survive. Hoping to get their papers to remain in the country, they soon find that there are an array of forces stacked against them. They must fight for both their friendship and their lives as their world slowly begins to crumble. Clinging to the hope of a better life, their struggle is a gripping testament to the power of the human spirit and the courage of their relationship. - Director:
- Jean-Pierre Dardenne
- Cast:
- Claire Bodson, Pablo Schils, Mbundu Joely
- Formats:
-
-
A Brighter Summer Day (1991)Gu ling jie shao nian sha ren shi jian
Among the most highly praised titles in all contemporary film, this singular masterpiece of Taiwanese cinema, directed by Edward Yang, was unavailable for years and much sought after. Set in the early 1960s, 'A Brighter Summer Day' is based on the true story of a crime that rocked Taiwan. A film of both sprawling scope and tender intimacy, this novelistic, patiently observed epic centers on the gradual but inexorable fall of a young teenager (Chang Chen, in his first role) from innocence to delinquency, and is set against a simmering backdrop of restless youth, rock and roll, and political turmoil. - Director:
- Edward Yang
- Cast:
- Chen Chang, Lisa Yang, Kuo-Chu Chang
- Formats:
-
-
Nobody Knows (2004)Dare mo shiranai
Inspired by an infamous true story that made headlines in Japan in 1988, this tough yet tender film from writer-director, Hirokazu Koreeda, follows the lives of four children left to fend for themselves by their wayward mother. Having smuggled her family into a new apartment under the landlord's nose, Keiko (You) puts her 12 year old son Akira (Yûya Yagira) in charge of the youngsters and after a brief period of relative family harmony, disappears. Akira manages as best he can, but limited means and the cramped confines of the apartment force this unorthodox family unit to re-shape their narrow existence to suit their physical and emotional needs. - Director:
- Hirokazu Koreeda
- Cast:
- Yûya Yagira, Ayu Kitaura, Hiei Kimura
- Formats:
-
-
Based on the bombshell New York Times investigation, 'She Said' follows the remarkable true story of how reporters Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor went from underdogs to inspirations by shattering the silence surrounding sexual assault in Hollywood. Determined to expose the truth many fear to tell, Megan and Jodi's partnership shakes up the system, empowering courageous women to retake their strength through stories of survival in this extraordinary film from Emmy-winning director Maria Schrader, featuring captivating performances by two-time Academy Award nominee Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan. - Director:
- Maria Schrader
- Cast:
- Keilly McQuail, Lola Petticrew, Katherine Laheen
- Formats:
-
-
How I Ended This Summer (2010)Kak Ya Provyol Etim Letom
The film is set on a remote weather station in the Arctic manned by old hand Sergei and the novice Pavel. When Pavel receives an important radio message, his fear of the older man prevents him telling Sergei the shocking news. From this deception, lies and suspicions poison relations between the two to such an extent that Pavel is in fear of his life, not just from the polar bears that roam the island, but from Sergei. - Director:
- Aleksey Popogrebskiy
- Cast:
- Grigoriy Dobrygin, Igor Chernevich, Artyom Tsukanov
- Formats:
-
-
The Outfit is a gripping and masterful thriller in which an expert tailor (Mark Rylance) must outwit a dangerous group of mobsters in order to survive a fateful night.
- Director:
- Graham Moore
- Cast:
- Zoey Deutch, Dylan O'Brien, Mark Rylance
- Formats:
-
-
No Bears (2022)Khers Nist
"No Bears" is the outstanding new film from acclaimed Iranian auteur Jafar Panahi. In the film Panahi plays himself, a filmmaker trying to direct a cast and crew in Turkey, who is forced to remain in an Iranian village close to the border. As his actors perform their own story of attempted escape to Europe, Panahi finds himself coming up against suspicion and local traditions in the village where he is staying. Panahi's latest film is a testimony to how artistry and protest can find inspiration in the very restrictions that he and other creative voices face. - Director:
- Jafar Panahi
- Cast:
- Jafar Panahi, Naser Hashemi, Vahid Mobasheri
- Formats:
-
-
Johnny Saxby (Josh O'Connor) works long hours on his family's remote farm in the north of England. He numbs the daily frustration of his lonely existence with nightly binge-drinking at the local pub and casual sex. But when a handsome Romanian migrant worker (Alec Secareanu) arrives to take up temporary work on the family farm, Johnny suddenly finds himself having to deal with emotions he has never felt before. As they begin working closely together during lambing season, an intense relationship starts to form which could change Johnny's life forever. - Director:
- Francis Lee
- Cast:
- Josh O'Connor, Alec Secareanu, Gemma Jones
- Formats:
-
-
Playground (2021)Un Monde
Nora (Maya Vanderbeque), an anxious 7-year-old, must return to school despite her distress and longing to stay with her dad. Despite Nora's age, she soon becomes responsible for her older brother, Abel (Günter Duret), who is being tormented by the other kids. This puts Nora in a quandary - should she tell the adults or remain silent out of solidarity with her brother? Once Nora discovers Abel soaking wet, she feels compelled to take action, but just makes things worse. The authorities at school generally turn a blind eye, and her father remains powerless, kept at a distance from the confines of the school. An eventual confrontation between Nora and Abel leads to a startling climax. - Director:
- Laura Wandel
- Cast:
- Maya Vanderbeque, Jean-François Ravagnan, Günter Duret
- Formats:
-
-
When a daydreaming but discontented young teacher is posted to a school in Lunana, a remote village high in the Himalayan mountains, he is disheartened to find a simple yak herding community lacking basic amenities such as electricity or even a blackboard in the classroom. But the enthusiasm of his young students and the unassuming warmth of the village folk buoy his spirits and he must decide whether to return to the city before the gruelling winter sets in or remain in this strange and captivating land. Beautifully photographed in extraordinary mountain locations, this poetic and enchanting drama earned Bhutan the country's first ever Oscar nomination and gives a fascinating insight into a region largely uncharted on screen. - Director:
- Pawo Choyning Dorji
- Cast:
- Sherab Dorji, Ugyen Norbu Lhendup, Kelden Lhamo Gurung
- Formats:
-
-
Saint Omer (2022)Saint-Omer
"Saint Omer" follows novelist Rama (Kayije Kagame) who attends the trial of Laurence Coly (Guslagie Malanda), a young woman accused of killing her 15-month-old daughter. As the legal proceedings move forward, the words of the accused along with witness testimonies begin to shake Rama's convictions and call into question both her judgement and that of the viewer. Featuring an array of outstanding performances, 'Saint Omer' is a riveting and utterly unmissable courtroom drama from acclaimed filmmaker Alice Diop. - Director:
- Alice Diop
- Cast:
- Alain Payen, Kayije Kagame, Guslagie Malanga
- Formats:
-
-
Funny Pages (2022)Two Against Nature
Robert (Daniel Zolghadri) believes that to be an artist is to suffer. So, he gives up on his affluent Princeton upbringing and drops out of high school in favour of life in a stuffy New Jersey apartment to really commit himself to his art. Robert sustains his new lifestyle by working part-time at the comic store, and part-time at the office of a public defender. It is there he first meets Wallace (Matthew Maher), who, Robert finds out, once worked as a colour separator for the legendary Image Comics. Ignoring Wallace's borderline-deranged personality, Robert becomes besotted, leading him down a chaotic path of misadventures. - Director:
- Owen Kline
- Cast:
- Daniel Zolghadri, Matthew Maher, Miles Emanuel
- Formats:
-
-
Based on true events, Paul (Michael Socha) is forced to recall his harrowing childhood growing up in a children's home, when a police investigation into his boyhood friend's suicide opens old wounds. As Paul struggles to shake off his past and build a relationship with Anthea (Zoë Tapper), his fragile mental state and bitter memories lead to a confrontation with those responsible for his shattered childhood and the death of his friend. - Director:
- Steve Crowhurst
- Cast:
- Daniel Adegboyega, Victoria Alcock, Andrew Baguley
- Formats:
-
-
Nitram (Caleb Landry Jones) lives with his mother (Judy Davis) and father (Anthony LaPaglia) in suburban Australia in the mid 1990s. He lives a life of isolation and frustration at never being able to fit in. That is until he unexpectedly finds a close friend in a reclusive heiress, Helen (Essie Davis). However when that relationship meets its tragic end, and Nitram's loneliness and anger grow, he begins a slow descent that leads to disaster. - Director:
- Justin Kurzel
- Cast:
- Caleb Landry Jones, Judy Davis, Anthony LaPaglia
- Formats:
-