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Our recommendations for the Seattle International Film Festival’s first week, from Battle

Published 7:00 am Monday, September 24, 2012

Mermaid: A prize winner at Sundance, this bubby, irresistible tale by Russian writer-director Anna Melikyan fuses folklore with her very polished background in advertising. Egyptian: 1:15 p.m. Sat. May 24. Pacific Place: 9 p.m. Mon. May 26.
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Mermaid: A prize winner at Sundance, this bubby, irresistible tale by Russian writer-director Anna Melikyan fuses folklore with her very polished background in advertising. Egyptian: 1:15 p.m. Sat. May 24. Pacific Place: 9 p.m. Mon. May 26.
Mermaid: A prize winner at Sundance, this bubby, irresistible tale by Russian writer-director Anna Melikyan fuses folklore with her very polished background in advertising. Egyptian: 1:15 p.m. Sat. May 24. Pacific Place: 9 p.m. Mon. May 26.
The Wrecking Crew: This profile of L.A. session musicians in the aE™60s and aE™70s is like an anti-Behind the Music. These guys (and one gal) dubbed aEœthe Wrecking CrewaE were so busy knocking out hit records all day, there was really no time (let alone inclination) for meltdowns, feuds, and binges. Harvard Exit: 9:30 p.m. Fri. May 23; 4 p.m. Mon. May 26.
Up the Yangtze: aEœItaE™s hard being a human, but being a common person in China is even more difficult,aE says one tearful shopkeeper along the soon-to-be-submerged banks of the Yangtze River in Sino-Canadian documentary filmmaker Yung ChangaE™s lucid, beautifully observed portrait of the same incipient flood zone that served as the backdrop for Jia ZhangkeaE™s Still Life and its companion documentary, Dong. Pacific Place: 7:15 p.m. Sun. May 25; 4 p.m. Mon. May 26.
Transsiberian: Before he gets wacked-out on ganja in The Wackness (during SIFFaE™s final weekend), Sir Ben Kingsley can be seen as a Russian cop striking terror in the hearts of a naive Bible-belt couple (Woody Harrelson and Emily Mortimer) traveling aboard the titular train in Brad AndersonaE™s wonderfully pulpy TranssiberianaE”a down-and-dirty homage to locomotive suspense classics like Strangers on a Train and The Narrow Margin. Uptown: 9:30 p.m. Sat. May 24. Egyptian: 1:30 p.m. Mon. May 26.
They Killed Sister Dorothy
Still Life: The preeminent cine-chronicler of contemporary China, Jia Zhangke returns with his fifth feature, an eccentric guided tour of post-apocalyptic FengjieaE”the ancient river city largely flooded and partially rebuilt several years ago as part of the monumental Three Gorges Hydro project. 9:30 p.m. Fri. May 23. Uptown: 4:15 p.m. Mon. May 26.
Sita Sings the Blues: Alt-cartoonist Nina PaleyaE™s imaginative, giddily witty, visually delicious animated take on the Ramayana, the ancient Sanskrit epic. Uptown: 1:30 p.m. Sun. May 25; 6:45 p.m. Mon. May 26.
Sexy Beast: This screening follows a 2 p.m. premium event ($25-$200) with Ben Kingsley first talking about his career (which includes an Oscar for Gandhi, among other accolades), showing clips, conducting an audience Q&A, and finally introducing his new Elegy. Egyptian: 6 p.m. Sun. May 25.
The Red Awn, SIFF Cinema: 6:30 p.m. Fri. May 23; 3:30 p.m. Sat. May 24.
PVC-1: Some cineastes may recall the recent Russian Ark, which consisted of a single mind- and time-bending 96 minute take (a feat made possible by shooting in high-def video and recording to a hard drive strapped to the cameraman). That was an art film. This Colombian thriller, based on real events, is an entirely different animal. BRIAN MILLER Harvard Exit: 4:30 p.m. Fri. May 23; 9 p.m. Mon. May 26.
Patti Smith: Dream of Life: Patti Smith crashed the aE™70s disco party with her greasy hair, menaE™s trousers, and unapologetic brashness. Egyptian: 9 p.m. Sun. May 25; 4 p.m. Wed. May 28.
Opium: Diary of a Madwoman: Harvard Exit: 7 p.m. Fri. May 23. SIFF Cinema: 4:15 p.m. Sun. May 25.
The 3 Little Pigs: aEœBig ears matter more than a big dick,aE Mathiew informs his brother, Christian, during a tutorial on wooing women. ItaE™s the first of many discussions theyaE™ll have on the subject in comedian/actor Patrick HuardaE™s charming directorial debut, the story of three brothers with three very different marriages. Pacific Place: 1:30 p.m. Sat. May 24; 9:45 p.m. Sun. May 25.
A ManaE™s Job: Yes, the unemployed family man at the center of this sober, powerful Finnish drama decides to sell his body for sex. But the laborer, afraid to tell his chronically depressed wife that he was fired months ago, undertakes his freelance profession with a craftsmanaE™s pride. Egyptian: 11 a.m. Sat. May 24. Uptown: 9 p.m. Mon. May 26.
The Last Mistress: Asia Argento is not only the most fearless actress of her generation, but also one of the most intelligent and commanding. In this brainy bodice-ripper from Catherine Breillat, she hits a career highaE”tears, in fact, the roof off that gilt-paneled motherfuckeraE”as a savagely energetic, supremely volitional courtesan. Egyptian: 9:30 p.m. Fri. May 23. Uptown: 4 p.m. Sun. May 25.
Head-On
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, Egyptian: 3:45 p.m. Sat. May 24; 9 p.m. Mon. May 26.
Fantastic Parasuicides: Yim Chun-bong (played by the effervescent Jung Jae-jin) wakes up to a self-scribbled note reminding him itaE™s his 70th birthday. Harvard Exit: 9 p.m. Sun. May 25; 11 a.m. Mon. May 26.
Epitaph: Old Dr. Park (Jeon Mu-song) began his medical career at Anseong Hospital in 1942, when the Japanese occupied Korea. HeaE™s relieved, as this K-horror story begins in 1979, that it will soon be torn down. Egyptian: 11:55 p.m. Sat. May 24.
Chris & Don: A Love Story: Nowhere in this fine, quiet, richly-sourced documentary is the phrase aEœgay marriageaE ever uttered. But then, the relationship at hand spanned three pre-political decades until 1986, when expate English writer Christopher Isherwood (The Berlin Stories) died in L.A. Harvard Exit: 6:30 p.m. Sat. May 24; 1:15 p.m. Sun. May 25.
Breakfast With Scot: Eric (Tom Cavanagh) is a deeply closeted sportscaster and ex-Maple Leaf; Sam (Ben Shenkman) is his patient partner. Harvard Exit: 6:30 p.m. Mon. May 26. Egyptian: 4 p.m. Tues. May 27.
Boy A: Based on the 2004 novel by Jonathan Trigell (itself rooted in real news events), Boy A is the rare film to consider crime, punishment, and rehabilitation as a three-step process. Uptown: 7 p.m. Sat. May 24. Egyptian: 11 a.m. Mon. May 26.
Battle in Seattle: A sort of tear-gas-drenched version of Crash, Battle in Seattle is a gritty evocation of a tumultuous moment all but erased from recent memory. McCaw Hall: 7 p.m. Thurs. May 22.
Ballast: Lance HammeraE™s remarkable debut feature is also the debut for his entire principal castaE”nonprofessional actors recruited on location in Canton, Mississippi. Pacific Place: 7 p.m. Fri. May 23; 4:30 p.m. Sat. May 24.

Our recommendations for the Seattle International Film Festival’s first week, from Battle in Seattle to 3 Little Pigs.Published on May 20, 2008

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