OUR TIPS for Wednesday, November 9

 FESTIVAL SURPRISE (K5, 19:30)

This film won’t be that much of a surprise for those cinemagoers familiar with cinematography of director Andrea Arnold; nevertheless, they may certainly look forward to seeing her newest adaptation of a classic English novel, a film of stunning imagery and masterful cinematography.

Recommended by Nenad Dukić, programmer of the Feature Film Competition

HELLO! HOW ARE YOU? (ANT/K9, 16:00)

Director: Alexandru Maftei, Romania, 2010, 105 min.

A light-hearted film about an ageing couple and their alienated son, the film tells a story of two people who have lost their youthful zing and feel they have nothing to tell each other until they unwittingly begin chatting on the Internet together and fall for one another without knowing who they are dealing with. Teeming with hilarious and unpredictable situations, the film is among potential candidates for this year’s European Film Award.

BREATHING (ST/K7, 21:30)

Director: Karl Markovics, Austria, 2011, 93 min.

Having been nominated for Academy Award for the best foreign language film and having harvested awards at several film festivals, this film does not need any special recommendation. The film kicks starts out with two images – a dead woman in her living room and a boy being paroled from prison. The director then combines the two storylines to make a very specific film: the dead woman is transferred into a funeral parlour where the young man got a job.

Recommended by Radovan Holub, programmer of Antidepressants and Stories sections

SOLAR ECLIPSE (CD/SNG, 15:00)

Director: Martin Mareček, Czech Republic, 2011, 81 min.

The film follows a couple of Czech electricians who participate in a development aid project aimed at electrification of a certain village in Zambia. They assemble solar panels and install new electric wiring, but especially fix what they installed during their last visit. An astute reflection on the pitfalls of development aid ensuing from different mentalities, the film won the competition of Czech films at the Jihlava documentary film festival. This time, director Martin Mareček who is known for his urge to step in front of the camera held himself back and made for an understanding observer. What Solar Eclipse shares with his previous projects is humour, which is why I believe it will meet with a favourable response of the Bratislava audience.

Recommended by Pavel Smejkal, programmer of the Documentary Film Competition

CRACKS IN THE SHELL (PAN/K9, 21:00)

Director: Christian Schwochow, Germany, 2011, 113 min.

Most of you have probably seen Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan. Do not miss out an opportunity to see its European pendant, a story of a female artist forced to bring out her dark side for a role in a theatre play. While Aronofsky relied on black/white contrast and special effects, Schwochow opts for a sex/madness combination and psychopathological condition of a young (virgin) actress portrayed by fantastic Stine Fischer Christensen. Neither of the two films is without flaws but both are quite impressive while Schwochow’s film comes across as the more honest one.

Recommended by Vladan Petković, Serbian film journalist, correspondent of Screen Daily