A scene from the Irish film Metal Heart.
From Nov. 22-Dec. 2, The Cinematheque (1131 Howe St.) presents its annual European Film Festival. Among the more than two dozen films, the selections include a ghost story from Malta, a political comedy from Croatia, and a coming-of-age story about two fraternal twins from Ireland. See more about these films and others below.
One Last Deal (Finland 2018)—Veteran Finnish director Klaus Härö tells a bittersweet tale of an aging art dealer up for one last score. “One Last Deal arrives snugly at an emotional destination that was never much in doubt, one both melancholy and reassuring,” writes Dennis Harvey at variety.com. (Original title: Tuntematon mestari)
One Last Deal.
The Tobacconist (Austria/Germany 2018)—Iconic arthouse mainstay Bruno Ganz is Sigmund Freud in Austrian director Nikolaus Leytner’s coming-of-age drama. “Although there have been other films made about this traumatic period of history, the unique characters and the voluptuous filmmaking contribute to one more worthwhile journey to a dark corner of the past,” writes Stephen Farber in the Hollywood Reporter. (Original title: Der Trafikant)
Metal Heart (Ireland 2018)—Irish actor-turned-indie-director Hugh O’Conor’s film is a coming-of-age comedy about warring teenage twins, Emma and Chantal. “A joyful rush washes over us as Emma unearths her female agency, finds the bravery to pursue romance, gives herself a make-under, and becomes more outgoing — all with guidance gleaned from Chantal’s blog posts,” writes Courtney Howard at Variety.
My Last Year as a Loser (Slovenia 2018)—Director Urša Menart plays millennial disillusionment is played for laughs in her fiction-feature debut. It’s the first film by a woman to take top prize at Slovenia’s Oscars. (Original title: Ne bom več luzerka)
The Weeping House of Qala (Malta 2018)—The Mediterranean archipelago of Malta is the setting of this haunted-house thriller. (Original title: (Hemm Dar il-Qala)
The Eighth Commissioner (Croatia 2018)—Ivan Salaj’s debut feature finds humour in democracy and was Croatia’s 2018 submission to the foreign-language Oscar race. (Original title: Osmi povjerenik)
For tickets, screening times and more films visit thecinematheque.ca.
