The Einstein of Sex

2000

Long before the Stonewall Riots, Masters and Johnson or even the Kinsey Report, there was Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld, a gay German Jew living in 19th century Berlin. Now, Rosa von Praunheim, the firebrand of German cinema, presents a compelling account of the doctor who founded the first gay political group in 1897 and established the first medical practice for gays, the renowned Institute on Sexual Science, which thrived until Nazi oppression.

2.9 Average Rating

C'est la Vie

1990

In this French drama from Diane Kurys (director of Entre Nous), the oldest daughter in a troubled family recalls an ill-fated vacation in the summer of 1958. While she and her sister spend the warm, sunny days creating as much girlish mayhem as they can, their mother is up to even more mischief. Before dad joins them on vacation, mom finds a new beau … and she doesn't try hard enough to hide the affair.

2.9 Average Rating

Nico Icon

1995

Director Susanne Ofteringer explores the self-destructive world of pop culture, celebrity and drugs through the life of German-born model-artist Nico, who found fame in Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita and later as a member of Andy Warhol's Factory.

2.9 Average Rating

Chlorox, Ammonia and Coffee

2005

In this Norwegian comedy, a suddenly single mom (who also happens to be pregnant) arms herself with a toy gun and robs a convenience store after her husband drains their savings and runs off with another woman. Not the smartest move, but who can blame her? Subplots abound as urban eccentrics collide in this wickedly funny melodrama co-starring Benedikte Lindbeck, Fares Fares, Kjersti Holmen and Denis Storhoi.

2.9 Average Rating

2 Days in Paris

2007

On their way home from an ill-fated Venice vacation, Marion (Julie Delpy, who also directs) and Jack (Adam Goldberg) stop in Paris to visit Marion's parents. But their sojourn in the City of Lights turns out to be just as disastrous as their "romantic" trip to Italy. Culture shock, run-ins with Marion's myriad ex-lovers and uncomfortable encounters with her belligerent parents conspire to make Jack feel even more estranged from his worldly paramour.

2.9 Average Rating

The Ghost

2008

Suffering from serious writer's block, novelist Anton Prachenko (Konstantin Khabensky) finds new inspiration when he winds up housing killer Mikhail (Vladimir Mashkov). Closely observing his new roommate, Prachenko finds the material he's been seeking. But he's completely blind to the fact that Mikhail is watching him carefully, too -- with a plan to frame Prachenko for one of his murders. Karen Oganesyan directs this tense thriller from Russia.

2.9 Average Rating

Cinévardaphoto

2004

How potent is the power of a picture? Filmmaker Agnès Varda asks this question and attempts to answer it in three separate vignettes. In the first, a female artist, Ydessa, collects photographs of teddy bears. But why? Next, the director examines her snapshots from the 1950s, taking a step back in time. The final short captures Cuba after the revolution, full of possibilities and on the brink of otherness.

2.9 Average Rating

Anthology of Surreal Cinema: Vol. 1

1924

Some of the most famous names in the French surrealist movement, such as Man Ray and Marcel Duchamp (founder of dadaism), contributed to this rare collection of four short, silent black-and-white films made in the early 1920s. Included is "Entr'acte" from director René Clair, Germain Dulac's "La Coquille et le Clergyman," "Ballet Mecanique," directed by Fernand Leger, and Duchamp's "Anemic Cinema."

2.9 Average Rating

Menschenfrauen

1980

One man dominates the romantic lives of four women in this unapologetic feminist drama. Journalist Franz (Klaus Wildbolz) has three lovers in addition to his wife, Anna: One is a barmaid, one is a teacher, and one is a nurse. Intent on maintaining control over the intimate lives of all four women, Franz discovers over time that he's much more dependent on them than he'd realized. Too bad for him, they're all onto him.

2.9 Average Rating

Les rendez-vous d'Anna

1978

While promoting her latest release across Western Europe, film director Anna (Aurore Clément) makes brief but fascinating connections with friends and strangers alike, who cannot stop themselves from sharing intimate details of their personal lives. Written and directed by renowned Belgian filmmaker Chantal Akerman, this moody drama about modern relationships also stars Helmut Griem, Magali Noel and Hanns Zischler.

2.9 Average Rating

Malunde

2001

Post-apartheid South Africa is the setting for this drama about a mismatched twosome who end up together on a life-altering journey to Cape Town. Polar opposites Kobus (Ian Roberts), a white ex-soldier who struggles with demons from his past, and Wonderboy (Kagiso Mtetwa), a young black street kid who clings to memories of his family, come together to take on the society that has cast them aside and eventually build a friendship for the ages.

2.9 Average Rating

Place Vendome

1998

A jeweler's wife doesn't realize her husband is morally and financially bankrupt until he asks her to guard stolen diamonds. When he's found dead the next day, the wife and the loot are soon pursued by a diamond cartel and other interested parties.

2.9 Average Rating

Home

2008

When an unused highway next to their home is rebuilt and put back to use, Michel (Olivier Gourmet) and Marthe (Isabelle Huppert) soon discover it's an affront to their once peaceful life, adding din and dust to their daily existence. Their extroverted son, Julien (Kacey Mottet Klein), grows more introspective; their daughter, Marion (Madeleine Budd), turns obsessive; and Julie (Adélaïde Leroux) is a near lost cause. But how can they fight back?

2.9 Average Rating

Towards Evening

1991

Life takes a chaotic turn for solitary Prof. Ludovico Bruschi (Marcello Mastroianni) when he becomes guardian of his 4-year-old granddaughter, Papere (Lara Pranzoni), in this bittersweet drama. After she's dumped on his doorstep, the widowed Bruschi takes Papere in and schools her in the art of genteel, orderly living, but their mannerly world is disrupted when the girl's wayward mother (Sandrine Bonnaire) returns.

2.9 Average Rating

Little Soldier

2008

A soldier scarred by war, Lotte (Trine Dyrholm) returns to Denmark and reunites with her estranged father (Finn Nielsen), a brothel owner who hires her to chauffeur his call girls. As the nights pass, Lotte forms an uneasy bond with Lily (Lorna Brown), her father's mistress. Lotte wants to liberate the woman from servitude, but for Lily, it's not that simple -- selling herself to Danes buys her daughter a better life in Nigeria.

2.9 Average Rating

Punish Me

2005

Elsa Seifert (Maren Kroymann), a middle-aged probation officer, finds her professional and personal lives blurring (with potentially disastrous consequences) when 16-year-old delinquent Jan Winkler (Kostja Ullmann) is placed under her supervision. As the restless young man insinuates himself into Elsa's empty-nest household, he also offers to sexually subjugate himself to her. Wary but enticed, Elsa takes their relationship to the next level.

2.8 Average Rating