Bermuda International Film Festival 2009

One might feel a little jaded about the most recent presidential election; it’s hard to imagine that there is anything left to tell about who said what, when, why and to whom – however this documentary is definitely worth viewing. In 2007 a small group of European filmmakers wanted to understand why so many in the USA did not vote when the result was to elect, arguably, the most powerful man in the world. As they track across the USA, it becomes apparent that the non-voters are the very people who would have most to gain by a change in leadership. It may be difficult to remember, but Barack Obama’s biggest threat was the indifference to, and lack of belief in, the office of President on the part of his potential voters. While the film may not fulfil its ambition to identify the causes of non-voting (and it may not make contact with the elusive Oprah!), it is nonetheless a fascinating record of the year before Obama became famous, and of the efforts of ordinary people who helped create the change.

This film revolves around a day in the life of a rural Hungarian family during the riots of September 2006, a day that starts when the adult son of the family slips and falls during the morning feeding and lies unconscious in the pigpen. As the day ends and the sun sets, the story also unwinds – but not without the proverbial irony we know life to be.

The dialogue comes thick and fast as Dolores tries to justify her need to talk to an introverted stranger at a bus stop. Loneliness meets distraction, while the bus plays Godot.

A thumping macho melodrama that sets a corrupt police squad against itself, this year’s Golden Bear-winner at Berlin weaves together punishing narratives of guilt, rage, competition and control. The rise of two rookies through the ranks of the Rio police coincides with the decision of a young Captain to relinquish his leadership of BOPE, the force’s controversial, ultra-hard military squad (former members of which collaborated on this film’s script). One recruit, Matias (Andre Ramiro), is a bookish type drawn to police work because of his love of the law; the other, Neto (Caio Junqueira), is an initially timid boy who reveals an unpredictable streak out in the field. Over an episodic structure that hits multiple successive climaxes, José Padilha’s film experiments with various approaches to its cast of conflicted action men. Initially, as Neto and Matias recoil from corruption and Captain Nascimento (Wagner Moura) experiences panic attacks brought on by the brutality of his working life, the film’s morality seems clear. But then a battle in a favela alters everything: membership of BOPE becomes a glorified state, and Neto and Matias shelve their ethical qualms and enter the punishing initiation process. While the film’s bloodthirstiness is certainly played for thrills, it also displays the punishing social and psychological effects of deprivation, and the brutality that passes for justice when humane standards have been forgotten.

Marriage is hard work. It involves commitment, constant negotiation and putting up with your spouse's friends. Daniel Burman's superbly imaginative and entertaining Empty Nest is a comedic look at the problems inherent in married life and the difficulties associated with keeping a long-term relationship new and exciting. At once hilarious and nostalgic, Burman's film ponders reality itself while offering a profound consideration of memories and how they are created. Burman invites the viewer into the quasi surrealist world of playwright Leonardo (played with Woody Allen-like guile by Oscar Martínez) and his wife Martha (wonderfully performed by All About My Mother's Cecilia Roth). The well written script naturally interweaves plot twists, and Empty Nest is a testament to Burman's maturity as a director. The narrative sustains a sense of gravity throughout, but manages to treat the difficult topic of infidelity with delicacy and a dose of playfulness.

Hurricane Katrina demolished New Orleans in August 2005; estimates of fatalities range from 1400 to 10,000. This documentary refers to Katrina, but only in passing - it is really a record of the years before Katrina hit, of the people who lived in that city, how they arrived there, how they thrived there. The film centres on narrator, Lolis Eric Elie, a journalist who has set up home in the city. We meet the people in his street, the construction workers renovating his house, the characters in his area – there is a strong sense of community, fun and friendship. As we witness the innocence of New Orleans before Katrina, with marching bands, dancing girls and smiling faces, it seems reminiscent of the grainy black and white films of the late 1930s before WWII. As if to underline the point, Elie, at an early stage in the film, chillingly states that he does not know where many of the people in the film are now. We don’t know either but in this poignant film, we gain a window to their world.

A reporter in a foreign country needs assistance from a local person who speaks the language, is familiar with the culture, understands local morals and, importantly, knows when something is wrong. Such a person is a “fixer” and journalist Ajmal Naqshbandi was one of the best in Afghanistan. As the film begins, though, you can tell Ajmal is no longer alive. Filmmaker Ian Olds gives you a peek at life behind the scenes as American journalist Christian Parenti works with Ajmal to report from Afghanistan. Later, when Ajmal is working with Italian journalist Daniele Mastrogiacomo, the truly tragic and heart-rending part of the film is front and centre. The two are ambushed and, after much negotiation, the Italian is freed but Ajmal is not. How could that happen? You will question thinking that suggests issues between Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Taliban can be resolved in a manner that results in a stable democratic government. This film is an intelligent, enlightening and depressing picture of future Afghanistan that is thoroughly engrossing. Warning: graphic scenes of mutilation

Copenhagen, 1944: Denmark is occupied by the Nazis. Resistance fighters Flame (Thure Lindhardt) and Citron (Mads Mikkelsen) - so named because of the former's distinctive red hair and the latter's fondness for a particular brand of French car - are members of the Holger Danske group, specialising in acts of sabotage and liquidating Danish informers. But Flame, the younger of the two, wants to take direct action against the Germans, while Citron, a middle-aged man whose family is torn apart by his activities, gets drawn ever deeper into the tangled politics of the resistance movement. An action thriller and period piece with a hefty dose of noir, Ole Christian Madsen’s fact-based film was a massive hit in Denmark and one of the best war films of recent years. As the sabotage and double-crossing mounts, Lindhardt and Mikkelsen give sterling performances, and Madsen wields great skill to combine action scenes with the complex moral debate about wartime resistance, where heroic acts inevitably provoke reprisals against innocent civilians.