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Paul Lazarus' romantic comedy, Seven Girlfriends, is a quick-witted look at losing (or is it gaining?) love, marriage, and an accidental death. Jesse is really worried this time. His realization that he has screwed up things with his last girlfriend, Anabeth, comes too late as she meets an untimely, yet comical, demise. After being rejected in his offer of marriage by Hannah (his boss), he begins to wonder why he hasn't been able to maintain relationships with women, although he has no trouble finding new loves.
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One night - two people - and the phone line to save their lives. Talking to a stranger on the phone is rarely a moving experience, but when you work for a telephone counseling service, it can be that and much more. Simone is working the Saturday night graveyard shift when Mac calls in. It quickly becomes clear that the caller is drunk and suicidal. Simone must gain Mac's trust quickly but is met with resistance until she starts to spill a little of her own pain. As they talk through the night, each soon realizes that the healing process is not one-sided.
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There is a theory that most of us learn everything we need to know about interpersonal relationships from TV and movies. Doug Atchison, the creator of The Pornographer, one of this year's most compelling films, poses a more intriguing theory: What if everything we learned about relationships comes from pornography? Pity Paul Ryan, whose only contact with women is watching his vast pornography collection at home or by soliciting prostitutes. He is nice looking, has a great job, but cannot communicate with women on a personal level for fear of rejection.
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If Charles Dickens or Emil Zola were writing today, they might be scribing screenplays for films like Nothing. The incredible beauty of innocence and the oppressiveness of poverty have not often been portrayed so well since. The day-to-day desperation of Hela, a young mother with three wailing children, along with the indifference and contempt of her husband, her neighbors, and the official bureaucracy, permeates this film. Upon discovering she is expecting a fourth child, Hela is now faced with apprehension and dismay over keeping it.
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After washing ashore on a remote island, Rob, a cynical twenty-something and possible drug runner, is discovered by a retired couple happily living their golden years on the island. At first sight, Norma is a little overdressed and Sean can't seem to keep his name straight, but soon enough Rob discovers this couple has more in the closet than he does! You see, Rob only wants off the island, but it's not that easy when you've uncovered one of the biggest conspiracies in this nation's history--and possibly the nation's second chance.
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Is it possible to find friendship, human contact, and love in a rundown cafe? A group of regulars try to do just that at the Cafe Centraal as life outside seems to be passing them right by. One of Centraal's regulars, Gerard, has run out of money, love, and hope. So he packs his belongings in one suitcase and tells his friends at the Cafe Centraal that he is leaving for Italy for good, proceeding to give away his few precious belongings as gifts.
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The Mutants is an evocative kaleidoscope of surreal images and converging storylines. Young, psychologically disturbed characters create a world of surprising poignancy and make a fantastical journey through the landscape of the spectacular. Teresa Villaverde's film explores the realities and anxieties of adolescence, depression, pregnancy, alcohol, and violent death. Startlingly intense, this film offers a window into the bleak world of isolated and estranged people. Unusual filmmaking techniques and a skewed view of reality also lend The Mutants a sense of urgency and depth.
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Name: Janice Beard. Date of Birth: 1975. Parents: Father, Michael, dies in childbirth. Mother, Mimi, suffers from postnatal, post mortem depression and hasnÕt left the house in 23 years. Qualifications: Not many. Story: All Janice has ever wanted to do is show her mum that life outside their front door can be wonderful and exciting, even if it's mostly in Janice's wildly overactive imagination. But Mum's not budging. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Armed with a pitiful typing speed, Janice launches herself into a London job to earn money to cure Mum.
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Gazing out the car window, Katja can see the gallant knight in full armor riding his stead beside her. He will protect her while she is away from her green desert, an enchanting emerald forest where ruins lay from times of chivalry. The green desert still holds mystery, as Katja's own home life loses its innocence. Constrained by her family and tormented by her mother's dissatisfaction, Katja yearns for escape and play in the green desert. The green desert is a secret place she shares only with her best friend, Johann.
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Fishes in August follows 18-year-old Kenji during his last true summer vacation, the summer before his final year in school. During the fateful month of August, Kenji will encounter pornography, bars, betrayal, girls, and more than enough trouble to grow him up quickly. As the days of his freedom count down, the montage of life grows more and more complex. His female classmate and secret crush, Reiko, complicates his life with confusion. More and more, Kenji wishes he could live life effortlessly, like a fish swimming through the ocean.