The US likes to see themselves as number one, as a nation of doers, where problems are tackled and solved. Bill Baker (Matt Damon) is a man who perfectly embodies this ideal – and soon reaches his limits in Tom McCarthy‘s STILLWATER. Baker comes from Stillwater, Oklahoma, works in construction, wears sleeveless shirts and has a big eagle tattooed on his bicep. He regularly flies to Marseilles, where his daughter Allison (Abigail Breslin) has been imprisoned for several years for killing her friend. Her father believes she is innocent and does everything he can to prove it. When the lawyer ... more

In the mid 80s Dinosaur Jr. – just Dinosaur back then, the “jr.“ was added after an older hippie band sued them – released their debut album, which was still rooted in US hardcore punk, but took a more relaxed approach with older rock styles. Dinosaur Jr. were (and are) insanely loud yet still seem strangely introverted. The band quickly found success in independent circles and landed in the indie charts in 1988 with their hit “Freak Scene.“ One year later their cover of The Cure song “Just Like Heaven“ landed in the pop charts. Dinosaur Jr. Was at the height of their success, ... more

Samuel and Janik are best friends, inseparable, like brothers. Their domain is Janik‘s parents gazebo. Friends, family – middle-class and well-situated in Janik‘s case, and struggling a lot in Samuel‘s case – and future career plans aren‘t discussed much. First they have to finish their final exams after which they‘ll implement their long-cherished plan: a trip to Istanbul where Samuel hopes to meet his father, whom he‘s never met. Right before the trip something stupid happens involving alcohol that is irreparable. The two of them still go without patching up their deep ... more

Bernard Rose's 1992 film CANDYMAN was about Helen, a White graduate student who during her field studies caomes across the urban legend of the Candyman, a hookhanded spirit who kills anybody daring to say his name five times in front of a mirror. During her excursions Helen is also confronted with the life-realities of the Black inhabitants of the Chicago area Cabrini Green. While the film was progressive in terms of PoC visibility, its point-of-view was still a strictly White one. Nia DiCosta's 2020 sequel of the same name corrects this. Here a Black artist/curator couple moves into a ... more

An evening like any other at a yuppie bar. A group of suits unwind after work. In the corner, a woman is sitting on a couch, obviously drunk, helplessly trying to find her phone. One of the men proclaims to be a gentleman and offers to drive her home. The “nice guy“ exploits the opportunity, takes her to bed and starts undressing her, but her no keeps getting more pesistent until she is suddently sitting across from him, stone cold sober, and he gets the shock of his life. Cassandra (Carey Mulligan) has made it her mission to confront pushy men. The scheme is always the same, it seems to ... more

In NOTES OF BERLIN your Karma is purring along in an electric wheelchair, a flat-share casting ends up in a housing war, a cook becomes a king, everyone is desperately searching for a father-to-be and a nerd is forced by a bunny to finally meet his neighbours. Can you take a cab to the Eiffel tower and who is the Queen of Berlin?
All these stories are inspired by real notes that were found in the streets of Berlin - on lampposts, in staircases, in backyards - and published on Joab Nist‘s blog notesofberlin.com.
Set over 24 hours, the ... more

DREAM HORSE is based on a real feel-good story that occurred in a Welsh village ten years ago. Middle-aged couple Jan (Toni Colette) and Brian (Owen Teale) live there. She slaves away as a barkeeper in the local bar and takes care of her old parents every day. In the mornings a fleeting glimpse at the winner‘s certificate in pigeon breeding remind her of the hobbies she has no time for anymore. He has completely given up after a work accident and just looks at cattle breeding on the TV. The days seem aimless until Jan overhears a conversation at the bar about racehorse breeding. She buys an ... more