"Oveja Negra" ("Black Sheep")
Set in rural Mexico this is a tale of an adopted boy now working as a goat shepherd who is on the moral stray as a teenager.
Contrasting the haves with the have-nots there is not much new here in terms of carving new territory with respect to filmmaking. However there is a nice twist of an ending.
This will most likely not be a film in consideration for our jury's prize.
"Nije Kraj" ("Will Not Stop There")
One of my favorites so far...
This Croatian and Serbian co-production is a strong fable as told by a gypsy character with a significant asset.
Martin was a sniper during the war and became entranced with Desa through the lens of his telescope as he tracked her officer husband's daily movements. Ordered to assassinate both Desa and her husband, Martin could not bring himself to kill the woman as well.
A chance discovery leads Martin to reach out to Desa many years later after she has fallen into the abyss of drugs and the porn industry.
Martin rescues her from this world and slowly but surely they fall in love.
There are many interesting and entertaining levels to this story including a modern commentary on the post-war relations between Serbia and Croatia which is refreshing.
Martin is a man that is attempting to make amends for his past in more ways than one. Tragedy befalls him but not before the foundation of his efforts to make good in the world is put into place.
This is a contender for our jury.
"Nem Vagyok a Baratod" ("I'm Not Your Friend")
A Hungarian entry which exposes a tight network of acquaintances who are either cheating on their significant others, being cheated on, or in some cases both...
Monotonous in the convenient intersections of relationships I found this intertwining to be far too convenient to be believable.
Shot in a documentary-style and using many non-actors as well as much improvisation it is being touted as a new style of filmmaking...
There is an intriguing opening prologue featuring toddlers that has a lasting impression as a counterpoint for the remainder of the film.
New is sometimes good but in this case I cannot recommend it...
