Eye for Film: Edinburgh International Film Festival 2009 Reviews

	35 Shots Of Rhum The shifting relationship between a single dad and his teenage daughter.		93 A cab driver and his dispatcher converse, but each seems to be keeping secrets.
	Adam A man with Asperger's syndrome falls in love and has to face his girlfriend's disapproving family.		Adha Cup Two boys travel through Nottingham attempting to reassemble the cast of a hit play.
	Adventureland A recent graduate takes a nowhere job at his local amusement park and discovers it's perfect preparation for the real world.		Akbulak Eight years after moving from Russia to Germany, 17-year-old Olja spends her summer holidays with her grandmother in a Russian village.
	Albert’s Speech A look at a best man's plight from the inside out.		All That She Wants A woman dreams of escape from her remote Canadian town.
	All Tomorrow's Parties Celebration of creative energy in anti-festival venues that give music back to those who appreciate its anarchic roots.		Antichrist A couple whose child has died retreat into the woods and discover very dark things.
	Ant & Len Short about a vanishing alien.		Apples And Oranges A woman is in love with two different men, but can't decide between them.
	The Athlete Biopic/ documentary hybrid about Ethiopian marathon runner Abebe Bikila.		Autumnal Abstract short considers life in flux.
	Away We Go Indie comedy about a couple who go on a road trip to help them decide where is best to bring up baby.		Bale On a long summer’s day in rural England, two groups of teenagers find a remote hide away where fun and games soon lose their innocence.
	Baraboo People come and go in a Midwestern small town motel.		Big River Man A Slovenian endurance swimmer takes on the Amazon.
	Birdwatchers A drama which explores the tensions between the white and indigenous cultures of Brazil.		Bits And Pieces A look at the mosaic of modern day Jordan.
	Black Box Shorts 3: Phenomena In Flux Showcase of abstract shorts which aim to break new ground in cinematic representation.		The Black Dog's Progress Flip books tell the disturbing story of the black dog.
	Black Dynamite Blaxploitation spoof.		A Blooming Business A expose of the Kenya's flower industry and its cruel human toll.
	Boris Ryzhy A documentary exploring the life of russian poet Boris Ryzhy.		A Boy Called Dad Kid on the run with baby son.
	Breathless Can a schoolgirl offer salvation to a Korean gangster?		By The Grace Of God Blue-blooded German in a plot to meet the Queen
	Can Go Through Skin A woman responds to assault by moving to the countryside and reconstructing an old farmhouse, but her sanity proves fragile.		Capturing Space A small mood-piece on Kensington's famous landmark - Trellick Tower
	The Chapel Having found what appears to be a safe refuge in an old church, two strangers struggle to maintain an already fractured relationship.		Charlotte's Web The farmer's daughter and a talkative spider try to save the life of the smallest piglet in the barn.
	The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe In a magic kingdom beyond the wardrobe four children, with a lion's army, do battle with a white witch.		Color Film Exploring the relationship between colours and the words we use to describe them.
	Company Limited Acidic middle-class drama set in Calcutta.		Crescendo An odd musical troupe for a farmer's wife
	The Crimson Wing A year in the life of Lake Natron's flamingos.		Crying With Laughter Black comedy about a comedian whose past is unearthed.

	Distance A serial killer tries to juggle his hobby, his girlfriend and his job.		Le Donk & Scor-Zay-Zee Improvised mockumentary about rock and roll - shot in five days.
	Down The Rabbit Hole Romanian drug trafficking and young infatuation.		Easier With Practice An unpublished author embarks on an unusual relationship after receiving a seemingly random phone call.
	The Elemental An elderly couple are starving in a condemned tenement, trapped by their terror of a creature on the stair.		Elkland The prodigal son returns to bury his dead father in a black as night tragi-comedy featuring a friendly elk.
	Exam Eight strangers are sitting the final exam for a top-level position... but little do they know the stakes are higher than they imagine.		Fear Me Not A man finds his life spiralling out of control after he enlists in a drug trial.
	The First Day Of The Rest Of Your Life A multi-character view of one family as they deal with everything from bereavement to nicotine withdrawal.		The Fish Child A middle-class teen and her lesbian maid find plans to forge a life together thwarted by a death.
	Fish Tank A bored 15-year-old girl collides with her mother's frustrating but charismatic boyfriend.		Follow The Master Edinburgh-based filmmaker creates a road movie like no other.
	Foreign John A hardworking builder bonds with his foreman's daughter.		For The Love Of Movies: The Story Of American Film Criticism An introduction to the critics behind US film reviews.
	Full Employment Short film about the future of employment.		Furnace Four Two furnace stokers are supposed to be burning all the music in the world. But some things just won't burn.
	Garapa Hard-hitting look at families suffering malnutrition in Brazil.		Giallo As a killer stalks and kidnaps beautiful young women, how far will the local detective have to go to stop him?
	The Girlfriend Experience Pornography is made subject to philosophy in this speculative art film.		Gulabi Talkies A fiftysomething exile becomes the hub of her local community after coming into possession of a telly.
	The Hardest Part An ageing actor finally secures the audition of a lifetime. But just how badly does he want the role?		Harmony And Me Existentialist low-budget comedy "about one of life's losers".
	Harvest Two thieves break into a farm, but they're not alone.		Harvester A fruit collector sparks the wrath of a forest.
	Heaven (Fully Flared Intro Video Remix) Skateboarding inflected pop video.		High Life Drug-addicted petty criminals try to pull off a major heist.
	Horsefingers 3: Starfucker A young woman dresses up to please her lover - in unusual ways.		The House Of Usher A brother fiercely refuses to let his sister marry her fiance - but are his motives rooted in something darker than mere jealousy?
	Humpday Two old friends take male bonding a little too far.		Hungerford: Symphony Of A London Bridge An abstract journey over the bridge.
	The Hurt Locker A bomb disposal unit struggles to function in the heart of the Iraq war.

	Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs The latest adventures of Manny and company - now with added dinosaurs!		I'm Gonna Explode A romance develops between two rebels without a cause.
	Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade Indiana Jones battles Nazis for the holy grail - with his father in tow.		Interview With The Earth Documenting how people in a Mexican Indian village cope with death.
	The Intruder A racist provocateur stirs up hatred and violence in a small town in the American South.		In Girum Fourth in a series of short film collaborations between electroacoustic composer Dr Tim Howle and the filmmaker.
	Isolation A former soldier pays tribute to his comrades let down by the country they have served.		Jacinta Animation sees an old lady embroidering her destiny.
	Jalainur An ageing train driver decides to visit his family and ends up on a road trip through China with his young apprentice.		Jerichow Three misbegotten strangers stumble into a fateful encounter.
	Jermal After his mother dies a young boy is forced to work for his estranged dad, facing bullying and rejection in the process.		Katalin Varga A woman is disowned after it is discovered that she has been raped, prompting her to seek revenge.
	Kicks When a footy star announces a transfer abroad two female fans aim to change his mind... no matter what.		King Of India A glimpse into the world of the Nats - an ancient community of Indian street performers.
	Kirran And The Hatchmaker Documentary about a boy trying to create a new breed of chicken.		The Last Heroes Of The Peninsula A documentary looking at the stars of the Mexican boxing world.
	Lessons From The Night A cleaner reflects on life.		A Light In The Fog Story of a widow and her sick dad, who live in isolation.
	Light Of Darkness A get-together takes an unexpected turn after a power cut.		Little Soldier A psychologically damaged soldier returns from war and becomes a chauffeur for her father's prostitutes, finding frienship in an unlikely place.
	Long Weekend Remake of the cult horror that sees nature turn predator.		Looking Back Documentary about a man struggling to come to terms with memories of war and his addictions in a community of homeless veterans
	Lucky Old Bag A penny proves a lucky charm for a woman down on her luck.

	Mad, Sad And Bad Comic portrait of a family in meltdown.		The Maid A servant goes to extreme lengths to stay with the family she's obsessed with - and to get rid of the competition.
	The Maiden Heist Three museum security guards scheme to steal their favourite exhibits rather than let them be moved out of the country.		Mary And Max Claymation about the friendship between an eight-year-old Aussie and a 44-year-old New Yorker.
	The Masque Of The Red Death A cruel prince devotes himself to Satan and lives a life of excess, but just beyond his castle gates lurks a deadly plague.		Masquerades A man spins an outrageous fable to impress his village but as the lie begins to unravel surprising allegiances form.
	Mesrine: Killer Instinct The rise to fame of a violent modern day Robin Hood.		Milk Coming-of-age drama about a young boy struggling to get by in a rural economy.
	The Missing Person Neonoir about a private eye charged with following a man presumed dead after 9/11.		Modern Love Is Automatic Risk-taking black comedy about a nurse who dishes out S&M to help cure her sense of alienation.
	Moon An astronaut starts to lose the plot at the end of a mission to the moon - but is there something else going on? Plus read our exclusive interview with Duncan Jones		My Last Five Girlfriends A suicidal man considers the five women he has loved and lost.
	Nollywood Babylon Welcome to the wacky world of Nollywood, Nigeria's bustling home-grown movie industry.		No Greater Love Silent nuns speak.
	No Puedo Vivir Sin Ti A single dad faces a battle with bureaucrats as he struggles to bring up his daughter.		The One Man Village An old man talks about his life in the Lebanese village of which he is the only remaining occupant.
	Only When I Dance Young Brazilians train hard in the hope of becoming ballet stars.		On The Way To School A year in the life of a Turkish teacher sent to a rural Kurdish area.
	Orange Bombs Husband and wife orange farmers deal with cluster bombs in the aftermath of the 33-day War Israel waged against Hezbollah.		Outrage Documentary focuses on the hypocritical voting records of closeted gay politicians.
	Paper Soldier Russian cosmonauts train for the Sputnik launch in a frozen wilderness in Kazakhstan.		Pardon My French A black comedy about the relationship between a woman and a female stalker.
	Parliamo Glasgow Coming to grips with the Glaswegian dialect...?		Pets In Pots A girl whose parents have divorced finds solace with her pets... even the ones in formaldehyde.
	Photograph Of Jesus Documentary focusing on the bizarre requests by the Getty Images picture archive.		The Pit And The Pendulum A man investigating his sister's early death grows increasingly suspicious in her widower's castle full of bizarre torture devices.
	Pomegranates And Myrrh The wife of a Palestinian prisoner searches for freedom.		Pontypool A radio DJ tries to track the source of a virus which turns people into zombies.
	Pornography A brother and sister experience crises together.		The Private Lives Of Pippa Lee A wife who moves to a retirement community with her much older husband, finds herself on the verge of a breakdown.

	Raising Baby Rio A boy tries to take back his child from its crack-addicted mother in this part of Channel 4's Coming Up Scheme.		The Raven Two aging wizards feud over a woman.
	Reach A robot given the gift of life has just one limitation... the length of his cable.		The Reason I Collect Animation about a compulsive collector.
	The Red Shoes A dancer is torn between the man she loves and her obsessive commitment to her craft.		Roma A woman heads north, trying to avoid the authorities by hiding out at a soap factory.
	Romeo & Juliet Vs. The Living Dead Shakespeare doth zombies.		Round Man’s place in the history of the Earth, told through hand shadow performance.
	Rudo And Cursi Two siblings rival each other inside the world of professional football.		Rule #1 Two cops attempt to rid Hong Kong of murderous ghosts.
	Running In Traffic Parallel lives spiral out of control.		Salem Al Fakir - Astronaut Kubrick-inspired animated pop video.
	Salvage A divorced mum faces trouble when a military experiment goes wrong.		Scratch A revelation threatens to tear apart a 40-year-old marriage.
	The Secret Of Kells A young monk goes on an adventure as he tries to help complete an illuminated manuscript.		The September Issue Fly-on-the-wall look inside Vogue.
	Shallow Grave Thriller showing what happens when three flatmates find and keep a suitcase of money.		Shirin An experimental retelling of a classic Persian tragedy.
	Sin Nombre The paths of a Honduran migrant and a gangland youth trying to escape his past cross on the top of a train.		Slaves Animated documentary sees two Sudanese children recall time they spent as slaves.
	Songs For My Mother A filmic response to the still photograph archive of Stanley Kubrick.		The Song Of The Dead Children A group of siblings respond to a family tragedy by rejecting adult authority and exercising their own brutal form of justice.
	Séraphine Portrait of French 'outsider' artist Séraphine de Senlis.		Standby Customers tell the filmmaker personal stories in a very public place.
	Stella Snapshot of a year in the life of an 11-year-old.		Stone Of Destiny If Ealing were still alive... they'd probably grab this script and run with it!
	The Stressful Adventures Of Boxhead And Roundhead - Brothers In Arms The peace and quiet of B and R is shattered by the advent of war.		The St Valentine's Day Massacre A historical thriller about Al Capone's bloody war with Bugs Moran.
	Surrogate The relationship between a troubled man and the woman who gives him sexual therapy.		Sweet Mother A story about a black family in a violent city
	Terribly Happy When a town cop is reassigned to a provincial beat, he finds that rather than inflicting order on the locals, they have a disturbing affect on him.		Thanks Maa A snapshot of life on the streets of Mumbai, sees a boy try to unite an abandoned baby with its mum.
	This Way Up Laying the dead to rest has never been so much trouble.		Tiny Joys A comedy of manners exploring the use of classified ads in small town in Transylvania.
	Together A man whose brother died the previous year tries to help his father to cope.		Tony A lonely oddball comes under scrutiny after a child goes missing.
	Toy A toy reveals unexpected powers.		Turn It Loose A high-energy look a the world of breakdance.
	Unmade Beds Two young foreigners find romance in the vibrant, artistic underground of London's East End.

	Van Diemen's Land Things get desperate after a prison breakout in Tasmania in 1822.		Vinyan A couple searching for their missing child find themselves in ever more desperate circumstances.
	West Point A brother and sister attempt to repair their relationship and reconcile themselves with the truth about their mother's murder.		White Lightnin' The outrageous cult story of Jesco White, the dancing outlaw.
	Wide Open Spaces Two young men are recruited to develop a tourist attraction celebrating the Irish potato famine.		Without You Exploration of London's industrial suburbia.
	You’re The Stranger Here Margot has a crazy leg. She lives in a fascist regime where they shoot people with crazy legs.		You Only Live Twice James Bond heads off to Japan in Roald Dahl's wacky adaptation.

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Festivals >> EIFF >> 2009 - Review Listings