MAY PROGRAMME

If you like the Cine Club, please support it by encouraging film lovers to attend during the “off-season” months of May, June and September! Low attendance may mean we will not be able to continue during those months.

Beyond the Hills
Sunday 4 May 6 p.m.
(Romania 2012) 155 min. Cosmina Stratan, Cristina Flutur, Valeriu Andriuta. Dir. Cristian Mungiu
As the film opens, Alina arrives to visit her friend Voichita, one of the nuns in training. As children, the two women lived together in an orphanage where the tough, short-tempered Alina served as a protector for her more delicate friend. Now, Alina wants Voichita to leave her cloistered life and return with her to Germany, but as the fateful hour draws near, Voichita seems disinclined to go, and so Alina stays on for a while, which is when the real trouble begins. The film is inspired by a case of alleged demonic possession that occurred in Romania’s Moldova region in 2005. “Beyond the Hills seethes with astonishment and rage at a broken society marooned between the 21st century and the 16th.” – Boston Globe. “Beyond the Hills” explores the push and pull between the collective and the individual, between faith and free will.” – New York Times.

Original Version (Romanian) with English subtitles.

Invisible Woman
Wednesday 7 May 7 p.m.
(UK 2013) 111 min. Ralph Fiennes, Felicity Jones, Kristin Scott Thomas. Dir. Ralph Fiennes.
Nelly (Jones), a happily-married mother and schoolteacher, is haunted by her past. Her memories, provoked by remorse and guilt, take us back in time to follow the story of her relationship with Charles Dickens (Fiennes) with whom she disco- vered an exciting but fragile complicity. Dickens – famous, controlling and emotionally isolated within his success – falls for Nelly, who comes from a family of actors. The theatre is a vital arena for Dickens – a brilliant amateur actor – a man more emotionally coherent on the page or on stage, than in life. As Nelly becomes the focus of Dickens’ passion and his muse, for both of them secrecy is the price, and for Nelly a life of “invisibility”. “As compellingly dramatic as anything Dickens put on the page.” – Los Angeles Times.

Original Version (English) with Spanish subtitles.

Frozen
Sunday 11 May 6 p.m.
2014 Oscar Winner
(USA 2013) 102 min. Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff. Dir. Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee.
Fearless optimist Anna sets off on an epic journey-teaming up with rugged mountain man Kristoff and his loyal reindeer Sven-to find her sister Elsa, whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom of Arendelle in eternal winter. Encountering Everest-like conditions, mystical trolls and a hilarious snowman named Olaf, Anna and Kristoff battle the elements in a race to save the kingdom. The film won 2 Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song (“Let It Go”), the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film, the BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film, 5 Annie Awards (including Best Animated Feature), and 2 Critics’ Choice Awards for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song (“Let It Go”).

Original Version (English) with Spanish subtitles.

Philomena
Wednesday 14 May 7 p.m.
(UK/USA/France 2013) 98 min. Judi Dench, Steve Coogan. Dir. Stephen Frears.
Based on the 2009 investigative book by BBC correspondent Martin Sixsmith, The Lost Child of Philomena Lee, “Philomena” focuses on the efforts of Philomena Lee, mother to a boy conceived out of wedlock – something her Irish-Catholic community didn’t have the highest opinion of – and given away for adoption in the United States. In following church doctrine, she was forced to sign a contract that wouldn’t allow for any sort of inquiry into the son’s whereabouts. After starting a family years later in England and, for the most part, moving on with her life, Lee meets Sixsmith, a BBC reporter with whom she decides to discover her long-lost son.

Original Version (English) with Spanish subtitles.

Welcome
Sunday 18 May 6 p.m.
(France 2009) 110 min. Vincent Lindon, Firat Ayverdi. Dir. Philippe Lioret.
A young Kurdish refugee finds friendship from an unlikely source in “Welcome”, writer-director Philippe Lioret’s dra- matic chronicle of intersecting lives. The tale unfurls in Calais, a seaside community in the north of France where one can glimpse the white cliffs of Dover, England with the naked eye. Vincent Lindon stars as Simon, a local swimming instructor privately reeling in turmoil because he dreads an imminent divorce from his wife. Soon, his path unexpecte- dly criss-crosses with that of Bilal, a 17-year-old Kurdish refugee with two aspirations: swim the English Channel, and join his girlfriend in England following a lengthy separation. Despite their differing ages, the two men discover that they have a fair amount in common, and soon forge a tight bond marked by similar goals. “Puts you so completely into the shoes of a young man facing almost insurmountable obstacles that you feel a profound empathy not only for him but also for all who are ready to risk everything for the dream of a better life.” – New York Times.

Original Version (French) with English subtitles.

August: Osage County
Wednesday 21 May 7 p.m.
(USA 2013) 130 min. Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor, Benedict Cumberbatch. Dir. John Wells.
“August: Osage County” was written by Tracy Letts and is based on his Pulitzer Prize–winning play of the same name. It tells the dark, hilarious and deeply touching story of the strong-willed women of the Weston family, whose lives have di- verged until a family crisis brings them back to the Midwest house they grew up in, and to the dysfunctional woman who raised them. For those who appreciate fiery dialogue delivered by fine actors, “August: Osage County” is heaven-sent.

Original Version (English) with Spanish subtitles.

The Book Thief
Sunday 25 May 6 p.m.
(USA/Germany 2013) 131 min. Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson, Sophie Ne´lisse. Dir. Brian Percival.
Based on the beloved international bestselling book, “The Book Thief” tells the story of Liesel, an extraordinary and courageous young girl sent to live with a foster family in World War II Germany. She learns to read with encouragement from her new family and Max, a Jewish refugee who they are hiding under the stairs. For Liesel and Max, the power of words and imagination become the only escape from the tumultuous events happening around them. “The Book Thief” weaves a consistent thread of humanity through its narrative via the commonality of Death, storytelling and the concept of free will. The disturbing sight of children in Hitler Youth uniforms and Allied blanket bombing, when shown through the innocence of a child, humanises the German generation just living their lives without the hindsight of history. A blurring of vision due to tears is to be expected but that effect is delivered with respect and dignity to the audience.

Original Version (English) with Spanish subtitles.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
TUESDAY 27 May 7 p.m.
(USA/New Zealand 2013) 161 min. Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage. Dir. Peter Jackson.
From Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson comes the second in a trilogy of films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien .This film continues the adventures of the title character Bilbo Baggins as he journeys with the Wizard Gandalf and thirteen Dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield on an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor. “Peter Jackson’s newest installment of the Tolkien trilogy is set afire by the scorching roar of a dragon.” – Los Angeles Times. Richard Corliss of TIME declared it one of the top ten films of 2013, and wrote “In all, this is a splendid achievement, close to the grandeur of Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films.”

Original Version (English) with Spanish subtitles.

Tickets are €5 per film (including a drink) or €10 for all of this month’s films. The venue is the Nerja Cultural Centre.

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