February 8
The Wound
Menashe
Happy End

All this week's films come with various awards and nominations, yet for me none of them is as strong and instantly appealing as some of the previous weeks' films. That said, they are all recommendable! Each requires careful contemplation of the issues and themes. Two are windows into seldom-seen cultures: from African initiation rites, to parenting issues within the Orthodox Jewish community. Finally the French bourgeoisie are up to their old tricks of hiding the rot under the surface.
  

The Wound
Director: John Trengove
Length: 88 min

© IC/OT Entertainment - tradition clashes with the 

modern world in an African initiation ceremony

In South Africa a group of teenage boys from the Xhosa background head into the bush for manhood initiation rituals, specifically circumcision. Mentors help the boys heal, and teach them the supposed meaning of manhood.  Xolani (Nakhane Toure) is a lonely factory worker who goes along as mentor to Kwanda, a rich city boy seen as "too soft" by his father. Kwanda not only questions the ritual, but uncovers some of Xolani's deepest secrets, while defending his own. The film's themes tackle the relevance of such brutal traditions, the changing meaning of traditional manhood in a modernised world, and what it's like to be an outsider in such a constrained community, especially if one is gay and pretending to be otherwise. This is challenging material, with incredibly authentic performances by many of the cast who are not professional actors. The film has won a slew of awards from various festivals worldwide, and for those wanting movie fare that is different, with a window into a little-seen world, this could be the go.  
3.5 - well recommended!

Menashe
Director: Joshua Z Weinstein
Length: 82 min

© Rialto - a glimpse into a world seldom seen
or understood by outsiders

Menashe (Menashe Lustig) is a New Yorker, recently widowed. He's a low-income grocer shop worker, and a bit of a schlemiel (that's Yiddish for klutz!) The law of his Hassidic community (an Orthodox branch of Judaism) says if he can't find a new wife, his young son Rieven must leave his father and be brought up by his stern uncle, also allowing the child to get a better education. Menashe doesn't want a new wife, but loves his son dearly. He is given a week to be with his son while machinations to match-make are underway. The filmmaker brings a powerful authenticity to this movie, first by shooting in the part of New York where this group of Hassidim live. He chooses Lustig to play a character not only with the same name but also with not dissimilar life circumstances. This is a rare chance to see inside a community that eschews the outer world, and even though the setting may feel alien to many, there is a gentle humour, and a universal theme that most parents would relate to. Notable is that this is one of the rare recent films made entirely in Yiddish.
3 - recommended!

Happy End
Director: Michael Haneke
Length: 107 min

© Transmission - a bourgeois French family reveals

its dark side. 

Iron-fisted matriarch Anne Laurent (Isabelle Huppert) runs a family construction business in Calais. She soon shows her steely side when a worker is critically injured in an accident, and payoffs are arranged.  Her son Pierre seems to hate his mother. Her brother Thomas is a doctor, married for the second time. His 13-year-old daughter Eve comes to live with him after her mother falls into a sedative induced coma, and discovers a hidden side to her father via his text messages. She also has her secrets, as does Grandpa (the iconic Jean Louis Trintignant).  No-one is as they seem, and unpleasantness seems to be a family trait. Meantime, immigrants in Calais come into the plot, but as little other than servants for the privileged family, or gangs cruising the streets. I find the film admirable for its acting and its stark look, yet there is something alienating about it. Partly because the characters are cold and unlikable (except Anne's British fiance, played by Toby Jones), it makes for a challenging watch. However, there is something so austere and tense in Haneke's vision, giving the story the power to shock and repel. Scenes shot through Eve's mobile phone are especially powerful. However, had Haneke concentrated upon the family dynamic and not included the refugee issue, the film would feel more unified. Huppert is, as always, mesmerising, and watch for more from the talented Fantine Harduin playing Eve.
3 - recommended!