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Fire
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Fire

1996
Two Hindu women struggle with loveless, arranged marriages: Sita (Nandita Das), who discovers that her husband (Javed Jaffrey) has a mistress, and her sister-in-law, Radha (Shabana Azmi), who cannot give birth. As the lukewarm coals of their long-term relationships fade, the women ignite passion in their lives by finding comfort in each other. Director Deepa Mehta's drama is supposedly the first Indian film about lesbians.

Directed by:

  • Deepa Mehta
    • rating:3.6.png 3.6 Average Rating


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    A Year Ago in Winter
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    A Year Ago in Winter

    2008
    After her beloved 19-year-old son, Alexander, dies suddenly, Eliane (Corinna Harfouch) commissions a local artist named Max (Josef Bierbichler) to paint a portrait that includes both Alexander and his sister, Lilli (Karoline Herfurth). But Max must understand the siblings in order to paint them. Although Lilli resents Max's probing questions, they soon forge a bond as the artist helps his subject work through her pain.

    Directed by:

  • Caroline Link
    • rating:3.6.png 3.6 Average Rating


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    The Gleaners and I
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    The Gleaners and I

    2000
    Inspired by Jean-François Millet's famous painting "Les Glaneuses," filmmaker Agnes Varda strikes out with just a hand-held digital camera in search of the modern equivalent of Millet's grain field gleaners. She finds her quarry at dumpsters, outdoor markets and roadsides across France. Varda's no-holds-barred documentary about scavengers and recyclers is an insouciant treat from beginning to end, with an unexpectedly obtuse perspective.

    Directed by:

  • rating:3.6.png 3.6 Average Rating


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    The Secret Life of Words
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    The Secret Life of Words

    2005
    After surviving the war in Yugoslavia, taciturn nurse Hanna heads to Ireland for some relaxation. But when she hears about an oil-rig accident off the coast, she agrees to tend to a heroic burn victim, who changes her life.

    Directed by:

  • Isabel Coixet
    • rating:3.6.png 3.6 Average Rating


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    The Olympiad
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    The Olympiad

    1938
    Widely considered one of the greatest sports documentaries ever made, German director Leni Riefenstahl's chronicle of the 1936 Olympics in Berlin was also the first film to incorporate the use of cameras on rails. Riefenstahl, who was herself an athlete as well as a prized member of the Nazi propaganda machine, actually qualified to represent Germany in cross-country skiing but declined, electing to film the event instead.

    Directed by:

  • Leni Riefenstahl
    • rating:3.5.png 3.5 Average Rating


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    The Hairdresser
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    The Hairdresser

    2010
    When a Berlin salon refuses to hire her because of her plump figure, irrepressible hair stylist Kathi König (Gabriela Maria Schmeide) plots to get her revenge by opening up her own beauty parlor right next door to the offending shop. But when she faces an unexpected cash-flow problem, Kathi resorts to some creative means of raising capital. This broad comedy from director Doris Dörrie co-stars Ill-Young Kim and Matthias Freihof.

    Directed by:

  • rating:3.5.png 3.5 Average Rating


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    Artemisia
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    Artemisia

    1997
    Based on actual events, Agnes Merlet's film shows that the 17th century is no place for a budding female artist -- even for Artemisia Gentileschi (Valentina Cervi), the teenage daughter of one of the most revered Italian painters. Barred from fully practicing her art, she finds a tutor -- and a lover -- in painter Agostino Tassi (Miki Manojlovic), who was later tried for her rape. The film received a Golden Globe nod for Best Foreign Language Film.

    Directed by:

  • rating:3.5.png 3.5 Average Rating


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    He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not
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    He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

    2002
    With the streets of Bordeaux as backdrop, this thriller paints a picture of love gone awry. Angelique (Audrey Tautou), an artist and student, is in love and claims that her paramour, Luic, a cardiologist (Samuel Le Bihan), is just as enamored of her. But is he? He's married, for one, and he and his wife are expecting a baby. Brokenhearted, Angelique decides her love should conquer all.

    Directed by:

  • Laetitia Colombani
    • rating:3.5.png 3.5 Average Rating


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    Triumph of the Will
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    Triumph of the Will

    1934
    Leni Riefenstahl's infamous propaganda film documenting the Third Reich's 1934 Nuremberg Party Rally features a cast of thousands -- including Adolf Hitler, Heinrich Himmler, Joseph Goebbels, Rudolf Hess, Hermann Goering and other top officials. Images of cheering crowds, precision marching, military bands, banners lining Nuremberg's streets and Hitler's climactic speech illustrate with chilling clarity how Germany fell under his spell.

    Directed by:

  • Leni Riefenstahl
    • rating:3.5.png 3.5 Average Rating


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    Chaos
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    Chaos

    2001
    In this French drama, a wealthy housewife, Helene (Catherine Frot), departs from her life of genteel comfort and luxury when she meets a prostitute, Noemie (Rachida Brakni). En route to a party with her businessman husband (Vincent Lindon), their car is stopped by Noemie, who begs to be let in but is attacked by a group of men. Wracked with guilt, Helene later finds Noemie and helps her escape her pursuers.

    Directed by:

  • Coline Serreau
    • rating:3.5.png 3.5 Average Rating


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    Amor Real
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    Amor Real

    2004
    True love threatens to tear a family apart in this epic Mexican serial set in the 1800s. Rich and beautiful Matilde falls in love with Adolfo, but her mother, Augusta, disapproves of the relationship when she learns Adolfo is poor. Augusta forces her daughter to marry rich and handsome Manuel Fuentes Guerra, but Matilde plays with fire by continuing to be with Adolfo. Adela Noriega, Fernando Colunga, Helena Rojo and Chantal Andere star.

    Directed by:

  • Monica Miguel
    • rating:3.5.png 3.5 Average Rating


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    Empire of Silver
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    Empire of Silver

    2009
    This sprawling epic centers on the exploits of a banking dynasty -- headed by patriarch Master Kang -- that controls much of China's wealth at the end of the 19th century, amid political upheaval, romantic rivalries, and outright revolution.

    Directed by:

  • Christina Yao
    • rating:3.5.png 3.5 Average Rating


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    You Are the One
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    You Are the One

    2006
    While applying for a visa to visit her family in America, Sally Malasmas (Toni Gonzaga) meets vice-consul Will Derby (Sam Milby) and romantic sparks fly -- then die after he denies her permit. But Sally senses an opportunity to get her visa when fate brings them together again as Will begins a search for his biological parents. Their growing attraction soon blossoms into love -- which is tested when personal issues separate Sally and Will.

    Directed by:

  • Cathy Garcia-Molina
    • rating:3.5.png 3.5 Average Rating


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    The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum
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    The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum

    1975
    A night spent with a suspected terrorist is the catalyst for a smear campaign against the otherwise unimportant Katharina Blum (Angelina Winkler). Katharina's life unravels as both the police and the news media strip her of all her dignity and sanity in this shocking attack on power abuse and yellow journalism. Directed by Volker Schlondorff and Margarethe von Trotta, this 1975 German film is based on an equally menacing novel by Heinrich Boll.

    Directed by:

  • Volker Schlondorff
  • Margarethe von Trotta
    • rating:3.5.png 3.5 Average Rating


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    Brothers
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    Brothers

    2005
    When army major Michael (Ulrich Thomsen) is presumed dead on a mission to Afghanistan, his wife (Connie Nielsen) and transient younger brother (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) are drawn together. Michael is eventually found and sent home, but his harrowing experience as a prisoner of war changes the family forever. Winner of a Sundance Film Festival Audience Award, this Danish drama inspired a 2009 English-language remake from director Jim Sheridan (My Left Foot).

    Directed by:

  • Susanne Bier
    • rating:3.5.png 3.5 Average Rating


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    Vision: From the Life of Hildegard von Bingen
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    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.

    Directed by:

  • Margarethe von Trotta
    • rating:3.5.png 3.5 Average Rating


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    Now and Then
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    Now and Then

    1995
    Waxing nostalgic about the bittersweet passage from childhood to puberty in this tender coming-of-age tale, four childhood girlfriends -- Teeny, Chrissy, Samantha and Roberta -- recall the magical summer of 1970. During their walk down memory lane, they reconcile experiences with boys, secrets, bullies and more. Lesli Linka Glatter directs; Gaby Hoffmann, Ashleigh Aston Moore, Cloris Leachman, Thora Birch and Christina Ricci co-star.

    Directed by:

  • Lesli Linka Glatter
    • rating:3.8.png 3.8 Average Rating


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    Now and Then (1995)
    A heartwarming movie about four childhood girlfriends who, in adulthood reunion, relive their experience of the life-changing summer of 1970, including a mystery death, divorce, standing up to the boys, first kiss, and the meaning of true friendship. Each explores her unique identity amidst family and friends. Beautifully directed by Lesli Linka Glatter.
    - Frances   
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