Vision: From the Life of Hildegard von Bingen

2009

Directed by longtime star of independent German cinema Margarethe von Trotta, this reverent biopic chronicles the fascinating story of 12th-century Christian mystic and scientist Hildegard von Bingen (Barbara Sukowa). Despite living in an era when women are proscribed from preaching and interpreting scripture, Hildegard believes that the visions she experiences are a gift from God that she must reveal -- even at the risk of condemnation.

3.5 Average Rating

Inch' Allah Dimanche

2001

French-Algerian director Yamina Benguigi brings us the passionate story of an immigrant struggling against old world traditions. Zouina (Fjeria Deliba) leaves her homeland with her three children to join her husband in France, where he's been living for the past 10 years. In a land and culture foreign to her, Zouina struggles against her mother-in-law's tyrannical hand and her husband's distrustful bitterness as she adjusts to her life in exile.

3.5 Average Rating

The Poker House

2008

Jennifer Lawrence stars in this gritty, coming-of-age drama as Agnes, the resilient eldest sister of a trio of young siblings forced to grow up in a broken home frequented by drug dealers, criminals, pimps and gamblers. Featuring a host of standout supporting performances, this effort from actress-turned-director Lori Petty also stars Selma Blair, Clarke Peters, David Alan Grier and Bokeem Woodbine.

3.5 Average Rating

My Brilliant Career

1979

Refractory Sybylla Melvyn (Judy Davis) bucks 19th century societal conventions in this charming Australian film helmed by Gillian Armstrong. On Sybylla's path toward realizing her dream of artistic greatness, she casts aside a starchy suitor, exasperates her mother and confounds her grandmother. But when Sybylla falls for affluent landowner Harry Beecham (Sam Neill), she must choose between traditional marriage and pursuing her career ambitions.

3.5 Average Rating

Yentl

1983

Based on Isaac Bashevis Singer's story, this Oscar-winning musical stars Barbra Streisand as Yentl, the bookish daughter of a Talmud teacher who instructs her even though it's forbidden to teach the sacred text to girls. Determined to continue her schooling after her father dies, Yentl disguises herself as a boy to gain entry to a yeshiva. There, she meets the brilliant Avigdor (Mandy Patinkin), who only has eyes for Hadass (Amy Irving).

3.5 Average Rating

Sequins

2004

After learning she's five months pregnant, 17-year-old Claire (Lola Naymark) leaves her former life behind to give birth in anonymity. An excellent embroiderer, Claire finds work with a professional in the business, Madame Melikian (Ariane Ascaride). Both women bear a heavy burden -- the Madame can't cope with her son's death, and Claire doesn't want to have a child. As they pour themselves into the work they love, the two develop a strong bond.

3.5 Average Rating

The Virgin Suicides

1999

In sharp response to the lax moral milieu of the mid-1970s, Ronald and Sara Lisbon keep their five alluring, adolescent daughters on a short leash by embracing religion and pushing away the opposite sex. But when the youngest unaccountably commits hara-kiri and a wayward elder sister violates curfew, Sara puts all the girls under a virtual house arrest.

3.5 Average Rating

Agnes Browne

1999

Salt-of-the-earth working mom Agnes Browne (Anjelica Huston) must fend for herself and her brood of seven children when her husband suddenly dies. Fortunately for Browne, her best friend, Marion Monks (Marion O'Dwyer), is on hand to add support and plenty of laughter. Wishing to escape, Agnes even dreams of finding enough money to attend an upcoming Tom Jones concert. The film, directed by Huston, captures a slice of Irish life in 1967 Dublin.

3.5 Average Rating

Silent Waters

2003

Religious extremism takes its toll on a small Pakistani village in this drama set in 1979. Now living under martial law, the widow Ayesha (Kiron Kher) struggles to adapt to Muslim rule. Her teen son Saleem (Aamir Malik) resists pressure from his girlfriend (Shilpa Shukla) to get a job and takes up with a group of Muslim fundamentalists. When Sikh pilgrim Jaswant (Navtej Johar) comes to town, Ayesha remembers long-forgotten secrets from her past.

3.5 Average Rating

The Stone Angel

2007

Rather than succumbing to life in a nursing home, feisty Hagar Shipley (Ellen Burstyn) goes on the run. As she struggles to keep her mind clear, Hagar relives passionate moments from early in her life and reflects on the many difficult experiences she's faced. Featuring Christine Horne as the younger Hagar, director Kari Skogland's adaptation of Margaret Laurence's popular novel co-stars Ellen Page, Dylan Baker and Cole Hauser.

3.4 Average Rating

Caramel

2007

A Lebanese beauty salon is the setting for this romantic comedy about five women and the various troubles they face, with director Nadine Labaki leading the cast as the shop's owner, Layale, who's heartbroken from a foundering affair.

3.4 Average Rating

Peepli Live

2010

When indigent farmers Natha (Omkar Das) and Budhia (Raghuvir Yadav) stand to lose their land over a loan they can't repay, a government official comes up with a modest proposal: Commit suicide and collect a subsidy that's paid to the relatives of deceased farmers. As Natha weighs his options, a journalist learns of his predicament and the media circus begins. Anusha Rizvi directs this satirical take on a real-life crisis afflicting India's underclass.

3.4 Average Rating

Skellig: The Owl Man

2009

When new kid on the block Michael (Bill Milner) befriends a mesmerizing man named Skellig (Tim Roth) who lives alone in a shed, their blossoming connection helps take Michael's mind off school bullies -- and his baby sister's increasingly troubling illness. Kelly Macdonald and Skye Bennett co-star in this family-friendly, made-for-television adaptation of David Almond's award-winning novel of the same name.

3.4 Average Rating

28 Days

2000

After her drunken antics ruin her sister's wedding and result in major property damage, journalist Gwen Cummings enters rehab, where she runs afoul of the program director -- and soon meets a fellow resident who changes her outlook.

3.4 Average Rating

Fish Tank

2009

The life of hot-tempered teen outcast Mia (Katie Jarvis) takes an unexpected turn when her mother, Joanne (Kierston Wareing), brings home a handsome and mysterious boyfriend named Connor (Michael Fassbender), who pledges to bring sweeping positive changes to the household. British writer-director Andrea Arnold's sophomore feature won Best British Film at the 2010 BAFTAs.

3.4 Average Rating

B-Girl

2009

The first time filmmakers Emily (director) and Elizabeth Dell (producer) saw an all-girl break-dance crew perform, they were mesmerized -- and they wanted to see more. Thus was born this film about a girl break-dancer immersed in the hip-hop scene. Starring Julie "Jules" Urich, Wesley Jonathan and Aimee Garcia, the drama highlights the intensity and hard work the b-girls bring to an urban art form largely unrecognized beyond their communities.

3.4 Average Rating