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Release: June 28, 2016

$7.99

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Product Description Eastern Europe, 1835. Two riders cross a barren landscape in the middle of Wallachia. They are the gendarme Costandin and his son. Together they are searching for a gypsy slave who has run away from his nobleman master and is suspected of having an affair with the noble's wife. While the unflappable Costandin comments on every situation with a cheery aphorism, his son takes a more contemplative view of the world. On their odyssey they encounter people of different nationalities and beliefs: Turks and Russians, Christians and Jews, Romanians and Hungarians. Each harbors prejudices against the others which have been passed down from generation to generation. And even when the slave Carfin is found, the adventure is far from over... Radu Jude's third feature has been aptly compared to films as diverse as THE SEARCHERS, THE LAST DETAIL and PULP FICTION (the latter for its rambling, coarse and endlessly entertaining dialogues), but the film is ultimately a moving parable about late-feudal Europe developed from historical documents and songs: its power structures and hierarchies, people's ideas of themselves and others, interaction with minorities and the resulting conflicts. A Balkan Western in black-and-white that brings the cacophony of the times strikingly to life and explores the thematic arcs that stretch into the present. Jude, whose previous feature films (THE HAPPIEST GIRL IN THE WORLD and EVERYBODY IN OUR FAMILY) received accolades at numerous festivals in Europe and the US, is also known for a string of prize-winning short films, including THE TUBE WITH A HAT (2006), which took the top prize at Sundance and 15 other awards at festivals around the world. AFERIM! was produced by Ada Solomon's Hi Film, which also produced Golden Bear winner CHILD'S POSE (2013). Review What makes Aferim! (which means Bravo!, incidentally) such a unique cinephile experience is that you get to say, truthfully, that you've seen a black and white, period Romanian art-house movie that intelligently dissects and contextualizes the historical roots of racism, and no one need ever know you've just had a blast. --Jessica Kiang, The Playlist A harsh history lesson leavened by bawdy humor and classic western elements, Aferim! dramatizes the formerly taboo subject of gypsy slavery that flourished in Romania for centuries…do not be fooled by the playful, irreverent tone. Behind its attractive surface sheen of lusty humor and ravishing visuals, this Trojan Horse drama makes some spiky topical points about the lingering scars of slavery, feudalism, misogyny and racism. --Stephen Dalton, The Hollywood Reporter A harsh history lesson leavened by bawdy humor and classic western elements, Aferim! dramatizes the formerly taboo subject of gypsy slavery that flourished in Romania for centuries…do not be fooled by the playful, irreverent tone. Behind its attractive surface sheen of lusty humor and ravishing visuals, this Trojan Horse drama makes some spiky topical points about the lingering scars of slavery, feudalism, misogyny and racism. --Stephen Dalton, The Hollywood Reporter See more

Release: December 27, 2022

$7.99

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Ostensibly looking for work, Turkish factory worker Yusuf leaves his home village for Istanbul. Worming his way into the guest bedroom of his cousin Mahmut, a photographer whose carefully arranged life was already thrown into chaos after his wife left him, Yusuf's listless ways grate on Mahmut, as the two men find they have nothing in common save loneliness. Writer/director Nuri Bilge Ceylan's compelling drama stars Muzaffer Özdemir and Emin Toprak. 105 min. Widescreen; Soundtrack: Turkish; Subtitles: English; featurettes.. In Turkish with English subtitles.

Release: January 30, 2024

$7.99

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*This listing is for the standard edition version and does NOT come with a limited edition slipcase!* Literature teacher Manana has been married for 25 years and lives in a three-bedroom flat in Tbilisi with her husband, parents, two adult children, and her son-in-law. But on the evening of her 52nd birthday, she announces to the surprise of her family that she wants to leave. When she actually packs her suitcase and leaves, the family is shocked and incredulous: Where is she going? What is the reason for the decision? She is past the age for a divorce and has what everyone would call a good husband. But Manana sticks to her decision and does something unheard of in Georgia’s patriarchal society: She moves into a small apartment to live on her own. Early ‘90s, in Tbilisi, the capital of the newly independent Georgia after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The country is facing violence, war on the Black Sea coast (Abkhazia) and vigilante justice that plague society. But for Eka and Natia, fourteen-year-old inseparable friends, life just unfolds―in the street, at school, with friends or Eka’s elder sister. Although they are already dealing with men’s dominance, early marriage and disillusioned love, for these two girls in bloom, life just goes on. Bonus Features: 1. IN BLOOM trailer 2. Other Big World Pictures trailers Top About this item From the Brand Reviews In Bloom + My Happy Family [Blu-ray]

Release: August 29, 2023

$7.99

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Past-his-prime pop singer Richie Bravo (Michael Thomas) was winding down his existence as a low-end lounge act in an Italian resort city. Between a sojourn to his Austrian hometown for his mother's funeral and having a seemingly intrigued young female fan (Tessa Göttlicher) turn out to be his abandoned daughter seeking a lifetime's support payments, it may be last curtain. Ulrich Seidl's tragicomic study co-stars Hans-Michael Rehberg, Georg Friedrich. 114 min. Widescreen; Soundtrack: German; Subtitles: English; theatrical trailer. In German with English subtitles.

Release: December 1, 2020

$7.99

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Product Description Still Life, winner Golden Lion, Venice Film Festival 2006, is an empathetic portrait of those left behind by a modernizing society and, as in director Jia Zhang-ke's earlier films (Platform, Unknown Pleasures, The World), it is a unique hybrid of documentary and fiction. In Still Life, great changes have come to the town of Fengjie due to the construction of the Three Gorges hydro project: Countless families that had lived there for many generations have had to relocate to other cities. Fengjie's old town, which has a 2000-year history, has been torn down and submerged forever, but its new neighborhood hasn't been finished yet. There are still things that need to be salvaged and yet there are also things that must be left behind. In Still Life, such life-changing choices face both Sanming, a miner traveling to Fengjie in search of his ex-wife of sixteen years, and Shen Hong, a nurse who has come to Fengjie to look for her husband who she hasn't seen in two years. Both Sanming and Shen will find who they're looking for, but in the process they too will have to decide what is worth salvaging in their lives and what they need to let go of. Review Elegantly photographed. Sublime, soulful art. A modern master of postmodern discontent, Jia Zhang-ke is among the most strikingly gifted filmmakers working today. His work exists on a continuum with the modernist masters, among other influences, but he is very much an artist of his own specific time and place. --Manohla Dargis, The New York Times Four stars! Exhilarating. A breathtaking collision of fact and fiction. A movie to change one's view of both cinema and life. As such, it's very, very dangerous. --John Anderson, Newsday Breathtaking. Stark and beautiful. One of the world's most celebrated directors. Remarkable images. One viewing is not enough to absorb Still Life. Jia's finest film yet, both a docudrama with obvious social and historical relevance and a subtle, slow, quietly powerful chronicle of human loss. It never seems inaccessible or willfully arty, but it won't yield all its secrets on the first date. --Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com See more