Based on the true story of Caroline Mathilda, the English princess who married King Christian VII of Denmark in the early 1770s. A Royal Affair is a bold, sumptuous tale of illicit love and political passion on a sweeping, epic scale. Keen to be a dutiful wife and Queen, Caroline’s hopes are soon dashed when she discovers the King’s true madness. Turning away from the King she finds herself in the arms of the King’s physician – a radical libertarian – with whom she embarks upon a passionate affair that would bring the kingdom to the brink of a revolution. Winner of two Silver Bears at the Berlin Film Festival 2012, A Royal Affair is a stunningly powerful portrait of love, lust and betrayal, told here for the very first time.
15 cert – Denmark 2012 – Director: Nikolaj Arcel
Running time: 128 minutes – Language: Danish
Cast: Mads Mikkelsen, Alicia Vikander, Mikkel Følsgaard
Hugo is an orphan who lives in a railway station in 1930’s Paris. His father had maintained the station’s large and varied network of clocks and Hugo takes on this job unofficially. There is a sinister edge to this film as Hugo is continually forced to escape from the station inspector (played by Sacha Baron Cohen) who wants to send Hugo to an orphanage. A magical story which is also homage to the pioneers of cinema, a theme which is close to Scorsese’s heart.
Set in 1960’s Jackson, Mississippi, The Help describes how a young, white, would-be writer persuades two black maids to work with her secretly on a book. The hardships and injustice suffered by the maids at the hands of their wealthy white employers were common in a segregated society where the Civil Rights Movement was only just beginning to make an impact. The story charts the impact of standing up for a community who have no voice and is charming in its representation of love and friendships.
A modern and ambitious film, Simin and Nader are faced with a dilemma as they go through a divorce. Simin wants to move to the West with her 11 year old daughter as she believes opportunities for women are greater there. Nader wants his daughter to stay with him in Teheran as his father is suffering from Alzheimer’s and needs constant care. An award winning and intelligent drama whose subject resonates far beyond its contemporary Iranian setting.
An old shepherd lives out his last days in a quiet medieval village perched high on the hills of Calabria. Set at the southernmost tip of Italy this film is a beautiful combination of an old man’s struggle to continue with his vocation whilst at the same time come to terms with ageing in a changing world. The film gives witness to the birth of his much loved baby goats and it shows the lives of the simple people in the hills of Calabria. We see all the stages of life through beautiful imagery which at times is dramatic and at other times comical.
In this warm-hearted portrait of the French harbour city that gives the film its name, fate throws young African asylum seeker, Idrissa, into the path of Marcel Marx, a well-spoken bohemian who works as a shoe shiner. With innate optimism and the unwavering support of his community, Marcel stands up to officials doggedly pursuing the boy for deportation.
Set on an island off the coast of New England in the summer of 1965, Moonrise Kingdom tells the story of two twelve-yearolds who fall in love, make a secret pact, and run away together into the wilderness. As various authorities try to hunt them down, a violent storm is brewing offshore – and the peaceful island community is turned upside down in more ways than anyone can handle. Bruce Willis plays the local sheriff and Edward Norton is the Scout troop leader.
From the director of Calendar Girls, a thought-provoking comedy drama based on the strike by the women workers at the Dagenham Ford plant in 1968. When the women demand equal pay with their male colleagues, they spark off a furious debate about sexism within British industry, the Trades Unions and the political establishment which leads indirectly to the Equal Pay Act of 1970. A splendid British cast produce a feel-good movie reminiscent of the best of the Ealing comedies.
Evelyn Couch is a middle-aged emotionally repressed housewife with a habit of drowning her sorrows in candy bars. While visiting an aunt in a nursing home, she meets Ninny Threadgoode, a frail but feisty old woman, who loves to tell tales. Ninny’s story of Idgie and Ruth, two young women who worked in the local diner in Whistle Stop, Alabama in the 1930s, inspires Evelyn to take a new pride in herself and change her life for the better. In the tradition of the old Southern storyteller, Fried Green Tomatoes’ classic tale weaves together disparate lives and cherished times. A warm, touching and amusing tale about the importance of love and friendship.
Winner of four Oscars at the 2011 awards, the film recounts the efforts of King George VI to overcome his speech impediment so that he can inspire the nation at a time of crisis. He comes to rely on the expertise and friendship of the Australian speech therapist, Lionel Logue, to help him give a lead during the abdication crisis and the oncoming war. However, this is not just an enlightening period drama but a very entertaining, heartfelt and surprisingly funny crowd-pleaser which merits a second viewing.