the Forgiveness of Blood
world c inem a US/Albania/Denmark/Italy 2011 • 109 MINS
Director Joshua Marston Producer Paul Mezey Screenwriters Joshua Marston, Andamion Murataj Cinematographer Rob Hardy Editor Malcolm Jamieson Cast Tristan Halilaj, Sindi Lacej, Refet Abazi, Zana Hasaj Print Source IFC Films
Girlfriend
us c inem a
US 2011 • 90 MINS
Director/Screenwriter Justin Lerner Producers Jerad Anderson, Kristina Lauren Anderson Cinematographer Quyen Tran Editor Jeff Castelluccio Cast Shannon Woodward, Jackson Rathbone, Amanda Plummer, Evan Sneider Print Source Elephant Eye Films
Director Lance Daly Producers Jonathan King, Dan Etheridge, Orlando Bloom Screenwriter John Enbom Cinematographer Yaron Orbach Editor Emer Reynolds Cast Orlando Bloom, Riley Keough, Rob Morrow, Troy Garity, Taraji P. Henson, Michael Pena Print Source Magnolia Pictures
FOCUS: HEALING • All love stories are complicated. But writer-director Justin Lerner has ventured into very prickly territory with extraordinary self-assurance. Evan (graceful newcomer Evan Sneider) is a young man with Down syndrome living with his devoted mother (the ever-elastic Amanda Plummer, MVFF Tribute 1995) in a poor, working-class town. Leading an ordinary life in most respects, Evan’s greatest desire is to have a love affair like those he sees on TV. To that end, he pursues Candy (Shannon Woodward), a single mom he’s had a crush on since high school. But his approach proves problematic: Seeing her on the verge of eviction and stuck in a toxic relationship with her sinister-looking, volatile ex-husband (Twilight’s Jackson Rathbone), Evan gifts Candy with a large amount of money he’s just inherited. Against a deceivingly tranquil rural setting, the need for love and the need for survival come into stark conflict in this poignant and fearless first feature. —Joanne Parsont
Thursday, October 13, 4:00 pm
GRFN09R, Rafael
Saturday, October 15, 12:15 pm
FRGV15S, Sequoia
us c inem a
US 2011 • 94 MINS
In Albanian with English subtitles. In his first feature since the breathtaking Maria Full of Grace, director Joshua Marston again turns his visionary lens on an insular culture, gently immersing the viewer in a dramatic scenario fraught with mounting tension. A horse-drawn cart meanders down an Albanian dirt road, delivering bread to the people of a small town. The men at the local pub separate by clan and gruffly propel the same feuds as their fathers before them. Seemingly a world away, motorbikes screech and teenagers—including lanky 17-year-old Nik—text, flirt and play video games. But when the land-rights argument between Nik’s father and another family fatally escalates, legal justice comes second to the 15th-century Balkan code known as the Kanun, leaving Nik and his younger brother powerless and angst-ridden. Visually breathtaking, with impressively delicate performances by the nonprofessional young leads, The Forgiveness of Blood is a powerful drama that leaves us anxiously awaiting its surprising climax. —Alexis Whitham FRGV13S, Sequoia
F I L M S
The Good Doctor
Sunday, October 9, 6:30 pm Monday, October 10, 5:30 pm
GRFN10T, 142 Throckmorton
First-year doctor Martin Blake (Orlando Bloom) is earnest, diligent, industrious and eager to please. But after becoming obsessed with his patient Diane (Riley Keough), his commitment to the Hippocratic Oath begins a slippery slide into morally and ethically ambiguous territory. Blake is a complex character, obsessed and lonely, unassuming yet hungering for acceptance and respect, especially from the chief (Rob Morrow), a nurse (Taraji P.Henson) and an orderly (Michael Pena). Dr. Blake believes that he is doing the right thing even when reality forcefully contradicts his judgment. All of these elements work to create a film that is both character study and thriller. In his first American production, director Lance Daly refrains from easy moralizing, leaving it to the audience—and Bloom’s complex, wonderfully restrained performance—to create its own commentary on what has increasingly become a purgatory for doctors, patients and the healthcare system in general. —Melissa Howden Saturday, October 8, 6:00 pm
M V F F 3 4
DCTR08S, Sequoia Monday, October 10, 9:30 pm
DCTR10R, Rafael
SPONSORED BY Mill Valley Libr ary Foundation & The Friends
mvff.com
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