Something Different (O něčem jiném) - Věra Chytilová

For those who are familiar with 'Daisies' - the more famous film from the Czech director Věra Chytilová, this is an earlier and more accessible film. It juxtaposes two women with very different lives - one is an international gymnast and the other is a simple housewife. Both grapple with existential questions.

It would have been very easy to fall into the trap of making yet another polemical feminist film, but Chytilova tackles the subject brilliantly. A must watch for anyone who thinks a film with a political message cannot be fun to watch. The black and white images are beautiful and the performances lovely. Here is the beginning of the film to whet your appetite -

More about the film - http://www.kinoeye.org/02/08/cieslar08.php

Coco Chanel (2008) - Christian Duguay

The kind of biopic that the Merchant-Ivory factory used to manufacture - lots of attention paid to getting the period details right, but delivering a mushy and predictable assembly-line product. Not my cup of tea, thanks.

When a woman ascends the stairs (1960) - Mikio Naruse

Summer clouds (1958) - Mikio Naruse

Three mothers (2006) - Dina Zvi-Riklis

A working Mom (2006) - Yaron Kaftori, Limor Pinhasov

A Bolivian immigrant returns home from Israel after 15 years to realize the she and her family have changed irredeemably, for better or worse.

Aviva, my love (2006) - Shemi Zarhin

Interview with director Shemi Zarhin