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Film Festivals 2004

Another great year for documentary fans with the gripping 'Capturing the Friedmans', political offerings 'Control Room', Robert McNamara in 'Fog of War', and the disturbing psyche of 'The Corporation'. For music lovers there was the fascinating 'End of the Century: The Sory of the Ramones', 'The Mayor of Sunset Strip', 'Metallica: Some Kind of Monster' and 'Festival Express'. Hector Babenco broke a long absence from directing with the powerhouse 'Carandiru' while Zhang Yimou's lush 'Hero' made it to New Zealand screens along with 'Motorcycle Diaries', gut-wrenching Korean flick 'Old Boy', heart-tugger 'Osama' and the delightful 'Triplets of Belleville' to name just a few.

A Tale of a Naughty Girl (2002)

6.7/10
Director: Buddhadeb Dasgupta
Starring: Samata Das, Rituparna Sengupta, Arpan Basar

India, 1969. Rajani, a prostitute, and her daughter, Lati, both live in a bordello in a little town called Gospaira. Hoping that her daughter will hav... Read more

Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer (2003)

7.1/10
Director: Joan Churchill, Nick Broomfield
Starring: Aileen Wuornos

Returning to the subject of his 1992 documentary, "Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer", co-director Nick Broomfield delves into Wuornos' t... Read more

Anatomy of Hell (2003)

4.5/10
Director: Catherine Breillat
Starring: Amira Casar, Rocco Siffredi

A.k.a. "Anatomie De L'Enfer". After encountering a man at a gay nightclub, a suicidal woman hires the stranger to watch her explore her sexuality over... Read more

Apres Vous... (2003)

6.6/10
Director: Pierre Salvadori
Starring: Daniel Auteuil, Jose Garcia, Sandrine Kiberlain, Marilyne Canto, Michele Moretti...

A.k.a. "After You". Antoine (Daniel Auteuil), a maitre d' at an upmarket Parisian brasserie, prevents the suicide of a stranger (Jose Garcia) and atte... Read more

Bad Santa (2003)

7.1/10
Director: Terry Zwigoff
Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Bernie Mac, Lauren Graham, Tony Cox, John Ritter, Brett Kell...

Willie T. Stokes (Billy Bob Thornton like you've never seen him before) is the department store Santa who doesn't give a f*** if you've been naughty o... Read more

Before Sunset (2004)

8.1/10
Director: Richard Linklater
Starring: Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke

Richard Linklater's warm and funny follow-up to "Before Sunrise" reunites former lovers Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke nine years after their whirlwind r... Read more

Bon Voyage (2003)

6.9/10
Director: Jean-Paul Rappeneau
Starring: Isabelle Adjani, Gerard Depardieu, Virginie Ledoyen, Yvan Attal, Gregori Derange...

It is June 1940 and everyone who is anyone is hightailing it out of Paris to avoid the imminent Nazi occupation. Heading south, a motley group that in... Read more

Born Into Brothels (2003)

7.3/10
Director: Ross Kauffman, Zana Briski

A portrait of several unforgettable children who live in the red light district of Calcutta, where their mothers work as prostitutes. Zana Briski, a N... Read more

Capturing the Friedmans (2003)

7.8/10
Director: Andrew Jarecki
Starring: Arnold Friedman, David Friedman, Elaine Friedman, Jesse Friedman, Seth Friedman

Devastating, critically acclaimed documentary centres on Arnold Friedman, a Long Island math teacher and former magician, and son Jesse, who were accu... Read more

Carandiru (2003)

7.6/10
Director: Hector Babenco
Starring: Rodrigo Santoro, Milton Goncalves, Luiz Carlos Vasconcelos, Maria Luisa Mendonca...

Carandiru, Brazil's largest correctional facility. Built to house 3,000 inmates, it is home to over 7,000 murderers, rapists, drug addicts and crimina... Read more