2003
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A man paces nervously around a police station. The rain pounds outside. Finally, he sits down, lights a cigarette, and talks to the officer. "This all started 15 years agoÉ when my brother, Simon, first learned to kill." And so Pete recalls the events leading up to the fateful night that brought together his volatile brother with his former pal, Omar, now a vicious loan shark. Brought up on rifles and hunting, Simon has developed a taste for guns to go along with his short temper.
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Director Gy?rgy P?lfi's debut film is a masterpiece of intricacies that is part murder mystery, part nature documentary, and part experimental film. The theme may be difficult to define, but it is exactly the unconventional nature of the narrative that makes this film so spellbinding. Perhaps the most peculiar, yet fascinating, aspect of Hukkle is that it is dialogue free, but it is far from a silent film.
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If someone stole your daughter, would you steal her back? In a moment of rage and despair, Harald does what he has long dreamt of but never dared: He kidnaps Lisa, the daughter he is banned from seeing. Suddenly, Harald has his hands full. Not only are the police and a terrified ex on his tail, but also seven-year-old Lisa turns out to be his toughest opponent. She doesnÕt understand why her parents have divorced or why she cannot see her mother anymore. She also has no desire for HaraldÕs dream of a new life abroad.
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Brad Gottfred's The Movie Hero is a heartwarming and hilarious paean to movies, setting the perfect tone to kick off Cinequest 2003. The Movie Hero tells the story of a slightly off-kilter guy named Blake, who really believes his life is a movie, complete with a love-interest, sidekick, bad guy and, naturally, an audience, who he continuously talks to throughout the film.
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Closing out this year's Cinequest 2003 will be Brent Huff's raucous dark comedy, 100 Mile Rule, starring Michael McKean (Best in Show, This is Spinal Tap) and Maria Bello (Auto Focus). Exposing the dark side of life as a traveling salesman, 100 Mile Rule provides a twisted yet hilarious peek at a day in the life of a trio of conventioneers.
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Steph is expecting a baby. Steph wants all of her closest friends to share in her home-birth, whether they want to or not, and has invited them all to her 24-hour labor party. As the labor stalls, tension mounts, and this "touchy-feely " experience soon turns into the delivery from hell. Anita is a doctor, in addition to being Steph's domineering, self-absorbed older sister. Julia is Steph's midwife, a "New Age" type, who tries to maintain a sense of calm in a sea of turbulence. However, once Julia gets called away on a personal emergency, chaos rules supreme.
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The one who kills animals is known as a butcher, and the one who kills people is known as a killer. Dumitru is both of them... Dumitru has endured enough suffering for several lifetimes. Just released from a decade-long stint behind bars, he hopes to return to his old life as a butcher in his small Romanian town. His misfortunes start again, however, on the way home, as a simple game of cards turns unexpectedly deadly. Arriving home, he discovers his wife is pregnant with his brother's child.
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Poor Jack. Life is slipping away from his control. He struggles with sobriety. His wife has found a new man, fifteen years younger. He takes an interest in another woman, but she doesn't exactly have him in her sights. So Jack does what any man would do. He finds escape in his new detective novel-wherein he is the main character. But soon, Jack must determine who is real: the people in his life or the characters in his book. Patrick Coyle is a triple-threat in the mesmerizing noir Detective Fiction as director, writer, and actor, adapting his stage play for the big screen.
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Haixa works the fields in Yan'an, a poor village in remote China, where her parents, who were relocated to Yan'an during the Cultural Revolution, abandoned her as a newborn 28 years ago. Determined to find her parents, she enlists the help of Huang Yuing, an accused counter-revolutionary, who was also "sent down" to Yan'an. Huang Yuing, who has still not fully recovered from the painful experience of being denounced by the Red Guard, agrees to help Haixa on her journey to uncover the truth of her life.
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Life for Finnigan Jones (Joe Aaron) has reached the point where the first thing he does every morning is wonder whether or not he should blow out his brains. Approaching 40 and still living with his mother, stricken with heavy depression and bouts of Tourette's Syndrome, he just muddles past the world. Then he meets Syd (Francesca Catalano), a 12-year-old whose personality is as bright as her green-dyed curls. Unlike other people, Syd simply accepts Jones for who he is. Sensing a kindred spirit in the young girl, he is able to get a new grip on life.