(Weekend cu mama)
Romania 2009. Director: Stere Gulea
Cast: Adela Popescu, Medeea Marinescu, Razvan Vasilescu, Gheorghe Dinica, Andi VasluianU
Romanian veteran Stere Gulea has described his first feature in 13 years as an attempt by an older-generation director to rise to the challenge posed by — but not to copy — Romania’s internationally-acclaimed New Wave of young filmmakers. “Fifteen years ago, Luiza decided to make a fresh start in Spain. She left her 3-year-old daughter Cristina in the care of her relatives and took off. When she returns to Romania, the woman learns some shocking truths that were kept hidden from her: Cristina ran away from home, is a drug addict and has a 2-year-old girl who lives in an orphanage. Overwhelmed by guilt, Luiza attempts to save her daughter and thus redeem the mistakes of her youth. To do that, she's got a tight time frame: one weekend” (Cineuropa). “Gulea’s latest film is a stylish, contemporary drama about family, emigration and addiction, with all the ingredients that made Trainspotting so much of its time. Yet it has the signature of recent Romanian filmmaking at its heart, meaning the plot is made of substantial, current material — and the light at the end of the tunnel might be a train” (Romanian Film Festival, London). Colour, 35mm, in Romanian with English subtitles. 90 mins.
Portugal 2008. Director: Bruno de Almeida
Cast: Michael Imperioli, John Ventimiglia, Drena de Niro, Joaquim de Almeida, Ana PadrÃO
Directed by long-time New Yorker Bruno de Almeida (On the Run, The Art of Amália), who also resides in Lisbon, this digitally-shot love letter to the Portuguese capital showcases a notable international cast of Portuguese and American actors, including Michael Imperioli and John Ventimiglia of The Sopranos fame. Six intertwined tales of love, loss, friendship and survival unfold over the course of a single night. “A mysterious man follows a pretty woman glimpsed in the metro. A disillusioned mistress throws out her lover. Two men become closer when one of them tries to help the other (literally and figuratively) out of a hole. Two other men are separated by the woman they both love. A tortured cab driver seeks sanity by helping a pregnant woman after brutally murdering a prostitute. And a boxer may find salvation in defeat by taking a dive . . . Like the director himself, who grew up in Portugal and then moved to New York, The Lovebirds offers the sweetness of port and the belt of a cold beer on a hot day” (Festival du Nouveau Cinéma, Montreal). Colour, Digibeta video, in English and Portuguese with English subtitles. 83 mins.
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Screenings restricted to 18+ and require a Pacific Cinémathèque membership unless otherwise indicated.
TUESDAY, DEC. 08 – 7:00 PM
